JJ WOODFORD
Idon’t want to believe what I just heard, but Finn’s guilt is imprinted into his body language.
Ivy walks away with Daisy, and when I move to go after her, Tom steps towards Finn. “Oops, did I say something I shouldn’t?”
“You fucking asshole.” Finn raises his fist and attempts to swing, and I tug him back at the last moment. He’s too drunk and fired up to fight right now, and even though I’m annoyed at him for his choices, I’m not going to let him get into a brawl.
“Let me go.” He wriggles in my grip.
“Not a fucking chance.”
I glance at Tom, who raises an amused eyebrow at us. The rest of the boys behind him look equally entertained. Joel and Cal tug Finn back before he gets himself arrested.
We drag him to the beach, away from the fair.
Finn releases a long groan and eventually rips himself from us, and when I stare back at him, his eyes are red-rimmed.
“What the fuck are you doing, Finn?” I ask angrily. “This is a family event.”
“I need a drink,” he slurs.
I shake my head and shove him lightly to snap some sense into him. “Are you hearing yourself right now? You’re wasted and you’re not going to do yourself any favours.”
Finn’s chest heaves as he swipes a hand over his jaw.
“Why would you do that to her?” I lower my voice.
He scoffs. “What do you care?”
“Because that is not something you do to your sister.”
“Don’t you think I’ve lived with that guilt for years, JJ?” He steps towards me but stumbles in the sand. “Don’t you think the reason I drink is because I know I almost killed her?”
I blink at the harshness of his voice.
“I hate myself for it. Every single day.”
My head turns to Joel and Cal as they look back at their friend with deep concern.
“Yet you kept lying to her,” I state. “You should have told her.”
Finn squares up to me, his beer-tinged breath fanning my face. “Stop telling me things I already fucking know.”
I clench my jaw. “This could have been resolved and worked through on your own time, now she’s found out through that fucking idiot. Do you even care about your relationship with her?”
“You know nothing about us,” he hisses.
“Oh, I know plenty.”
His eyes narrow at me, and he shoves my shoulder. “Oh fuck off.” He waves a hand. “If you’re going to stand there and try to tell me what I should and shouldn’t have done, I don’t want to hear it. I don’t care.”
I raise my brows. “You don’t care that you hurt her?”
“Fuck off, JJ,” he spits. “Just get out of my face.”
My tongue pokes into my cheek at his words. “Keep pushing away your friends, Finn. Soon you’ll have no one left if you keep acting like this.”
“I don’t need you.” His nostrils flare. “I’ve never needed you.”
