Adolescence

Chapter 2

Collins walked into the empty apartment that she shared with her boyfriend of 1 year. She knew he was out at Grammy parties and celebrating his new achievements and honestly she needed time to think anyway. Her thoughts filled her head until she felt like she was going to explode.

How could Mitch not tell me?

When did he even meet Harry?

How did they meet?

Does Harry know Mitch knows her?

She knew Mitch was right, she had to move on and forget about the boy who held her thoughts captive for years, but Mitch had to understand, moving on is hard. And she wasn't mad at the man who is basically her brother, she just needed time. Time to think and time accept this.

She looked at the room around her. The bookshelves were filled head to toe with all of her and Jack's favorite books. Pictures of them surrounded living space. Her eyes landed on a small brown frame. Jack was sitting on the bed and she was leaning over him holding his face in her hands, and she kissed him. It was the first picture they took when she moved in with him. It was so simple, but the simplicity is what made her happy. Their relationship didn't need big, extravagant, announcements of how much they loved each other. They could see it in all of the small things. She smiled to herself. Why did she even care so much about Harry in the first place? She had Jack, she loved Jack. She wanted to spend forever with him.

Her thoughts came to a pause as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. She let out a small shriek as she was turned around and lifted into the air.

"We did it baby!" The 'intruder' exclaimed. His eyes shined in the joy of his achievements and it was contagious. Collins threw her head back in laughter before grabbing his face and pulling him into her.

"You did it, J" She whispered, wrapping her arms around him, "I'm so, so proud of you."

"I wish you could've been there," He says to her, obviously disappointed that she wasn't there to celebrate with him.

"I had to work, you know that. But I'm here now," Collins replied, knowing where he was coming from.

Jack grabbed her hand and led her over to the couch. He made his way over to the record player they had sitting on the table nearby. As soon as the first note of the song began playing Collins knew what it was. It was their song. All the thoughts that she had about the song earlier, drifted away and at this moment she felt pure peace.

You can hear it in the silence

Jack pulled her up from the couch and spun her around.

You can feel it on the way home

He pulled her into his chest and grabbed her hand in his.

You can see it with the lights out

His other hand rested in the small of her back and she wrapped her free arm around him. Their bodies fit together perfectly as they danced through the living room, to the song that now meant everything to Collins.

You are in love.

She looked up at Jack and saw the rest of her life as he leaned down to kiss her.

True love.

The next day started off like every other. Collins woke up, kissed Jack goodbye as she made her way out the door, and went to her favorite cafe to get her schoolwork done for the day. She sat at her same table in the corner, as she does almost every morning, and leaned against the window as she struggled to focus. She has one more semester left and didn't think she was going to pull it off at this point. As she sat there staring at a blank screen, trying to find motivation, and silently sipping her iced coffee, which never seemed to run out she felt her phone buzz with a text from her brother.

He's not doing well, I need you.

It read. Her breath got stuck in her throat and her hands shook as she tried to throw everything in her bookbag.

Don't Panic, Don't Panic, Don't Panic

She rushed to her car and her keys kept slipping out of her shaky grasp. She had to calm down.

Deep breaths.

She told herself. The usual twenty-minute drive felt like an eternity in her panicked state. She didn't even bother shutting her door as she ran into her parent's house, the one she used to call home. That's when she saw it. The reason she always avoided visiting. She avoided the pain it caused her. She avoided the change that was going to inevitably come. He was just sitting on the couch in pain with every breath he took. He was holding on though, not for himself. For everyone else. For his family.

Collins knew her dad had been doing bad, she knew his cancer had spread, but she refused to accept it. For months she refused to accept that anything like this could happen to the man who's supposed to protect her, and she lost months with him. The true him.

Her eyes scanned the rest of the room and she noticed who was missing. The one who had texted her. She made her way upstairs and took a deep breath before walking into the seventeen-year-old boy's room. Her heart broke at the sight. Her brother was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall with his head resting on his knees. He looked up when he heard the door open and Collins saw his tear-stained cheeks. She slowly slid down the wall next to him and let him cry into her.

"Once he's gone I'll have no one," Her brother mumbled into her.

"That's not true, Cole. You'll always have me," Collins told him, shocked that he would say something.

"No," He stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No?"

"You're never here. You're always with Jack or at work," Cole began to explain to his older sister, "You're never here."

"Cole, I have to work to afford school. I have to work to pay for Dad's bills. I'm trying to help us," She told him. Cole could definitely tell she was offended, but both siblings were too stubborn to admit the other was right.

"You're not Mom, Collins," Cole said. Collins had to stop herself from yelling at the teenager in front of her.

"You're lucky I'm not Mom. From what you tell me, she's here less than I am. She drowns herself with her work and doesn't put any of that money towards me, or you, or even Dad. So no, I'm not your mom, but at least I actually care!" She tells him with anger dripping in her voice. Their mom has never done anything for their family. She's been gone since they moved to the states, only paying attention when it's convenient to her.

"Well at least I actually still have a relationship with one of our parents, you let both of them go. Dad is down there dying Collins and you just let him go. You used to be so close and you gave up!" Cole yelled at his sister. Collins knew the emotion was getting to the best of both of them at this point, but she couldn't take it anymore. She refused to let him see her break. She turned around quickly and made her way out of the house, slamming the door as she left.

She sat in her car, not moving as she reached for her phone. Her vision blurred from the tears as she called the first person she could think of.