don't be hasty || wilbur soot's sister

001.

"I can't do this anymore, Riley. You're driving your father and I crazy." My mother said, making eye contact with me in her rearview window.

I quickly broke my eyes away from her stare and began to pull the grippy yellow hospital socks off my feet.

"I mean, what do you expect us to do? We can't just cater to every little feeling you have because we're scared you're going to pull something. We have jobs."

I shrugged. Maybe be there for me? ask me what's going on in my head? Ask me how you can help? Instead of just throwing me at strangers with degrees in psychology?

I grabbed my phone out of the plastic bag that the hospital had finally returned to me with all of my belongings. It was dead - it hadn't been touched in two weeks, nor charged.

I looked at myself in the reflection. my brown hair was unkept - the two-in-one shampoo and conditioner in the hospital wasn't ideal. My eyebags were more prominent than ever with the lack of concealer. I looked like a zombie, even though I had been getting the prescribed help and professional care that my parents thought I needed.

I looked back up at the front of the car, watching my father, in the passenger seat, type away on his phone.

"He said he'd be okay with it. We could drop her off tomorrow afternoon." My father mumbled to my mother, almost at a volume low enough that I wouldn't be able to hear. My mother glanced at me again in the mirror.

"We'll talk about it later, I don't want to burden him - he's been doing so well lately." I furrowed my eyebrows, figuring they were talking about my brother.

"What? You know I'm right here and I can hear you both, right?" I snapped, sitting up more. "Are you sending me to Wilbur's? What - do you think I'm going to burden your perfect godsend son? And- why would you send me to stay with him?" I started to ramble.

The thing was, I wouldn't have had any problem going to Will's. He was actually my favorite person growing up. He was always there, always let me tag along with him and his friends. He helped me with my homework and he showed up for every school event I had. We'd joke and we'd play, even despite the age difference.

But that all ended when I was 14.

As soon as he turned 21, he moved away. He'd come visit sometimes, but never called or texted. my favorite person just up and left - even after promising me he'd always call and text and visit.

And as I got older, my parents started to truly see the contrast between me and Wilbur.

I was the messy, troublesome one who got into fights at school and always stayed out past curfew. He was the polite, smart one who played instruments and spent time at the library 'for fun'. I can't count the amount of times I've heard, "i wish you were more like your brother."

But that's not why I started to resent him. It was because he left me behind, and forgot I existed. He doesn't respond to texts or calls, and God knows that a famous twitch streamer is connected to his devices by the hip.

"Honey, we just thought it would be a good break for you. You were so happy when your brother was around. We thought it might help - you guys could reconnect." my mom said, finally pulling into the driveway of our home.

I felt a weight lift off my chest knowing that I'd finally be able to sleep in my bed. But the weight returned, maybe even heavier, when I realized that I wasn't even wanted by my parents here.

"I think it's more about helping you than helping me. But fine. Send me to his house, hours away, even though he hasn't replied to my texts in months." I retorted, opening the car door, pulling my hospital bags out with me. "I'm sure that'll make me really happy." I slammed the door and started heading inside, desperate for my first moment truly alone in weeks.