“I don’t know why he would do that. I can’t wrap my head around it. It’s spiteful and completely uncalled for, and yet, he still didn’t tell me. He lied to me this whole time, he watched me fall apart. It makes me so angry.”
JJ purses his lips. “I don’t know either. He clearly wanted to break you guys up, and went the wrong way about it. I’m trying to understand, but I can’t because I would never even dream of doing that to someone, let alone my sibling.”
“He could have spoken to me,” I mumble harshly. “That’s all he had to do.”
“I know, princess, I know. I’m not agreeing with him.” He strokes a hand down my back. “Finn has always dealt with things the wrong way, and he needs to understand that his choices have consequences.”
I nod in agreement. “I’ve tried to talk to him about his issues, but he refuses to get help. I don’t know what else I could have done.”
“It’s hard to help someone who doesn’t want to help themselves,” he says simply. “As tough as that is to hear, you can’t save him if he’s not ready to save himself.”
My eyes close in defeat. A wave rolls through my stomach, churning like cement.
“Sleep,” JJ says delicately in my ear, and I take a breath.
I nuzzle my head into JJ’s chest and attempt to sleep, knowing I’m here with him and no one else.
A loud crashcoming from downstairs stirs us both from our sleep. JJ’s arms tighten around me in defence. I push my hand into the bed and sit up, blinking through my hazy eyes.
“What the hell was that?” I rasp.
“I don’t know.” JJ shakes his head before leaping from the bed. “Stay here.”
“Hell no,” I say under a harsh breath.
JJ turns back to me with a pinned stare before he opens the door and checks downstairs. I grab my dressing gown and slip it over my arms before walking onto the landing and peeking my head over the bannister.
“What on earth is going on?” My father’s voice has me jumping out of my skin as he emerges from their bedroom.
“I-I don’t know.”
“Finn?” JJ’s voice echoes through the house. “Finn. Fuck. Someone call an ambulance.”
We both scurry down the stairs, mortified at the sight of Finn lying on the floor with broken bottles around him. JJ is on his knees before him as he chokes up froth. JJ attempts to roll him onto his side as he vomits across the wooden floor.
“Oh my god.” I raise a shaky hand to my lips before rushing back upstairs to grab my phone.
With trembling fingers, I call an ambulance as my parents surround my brother, panic laced through their voices as I try to answer the questions they’re asking me as best as I can.
“He’s having a seizure,” JJ cries out, and my father snatches the phone from my hands, demanding an ambulance come now.
I stand back, tears leaking from my eyes.
My stomach rolls. I knew this was going to happen. I knew he’d get himself into this state. I pray he didn’t overdo it this time because I’ll never live with the guilt.
We’ve been sittingin the hospital waiting room for two hours.
Finn needed to have his stomach pumped, and I hate to imagine how much alcohol he drank after we left the fair. Now they’re making sure he’s stable before we can go in to see him.
My parents haven’t said much after we explained what happened.
They might blame me, but I was protecting my own sanity at that moment.
I take a walk down to the cafeteria, but because it’s late, it’s closed. JJ follows close behind me.
“Ivy,” he calls out.
“It’s my fault.”
