Pinn - Memories

Chapter 36

James' POV

Piper gulps.

I can't believe Piper went on a date! And what's worse, she didn't tell me!

'Um... yeah. It's true', Piper confirms, as mum gets up and walks to the kitchen to start cooking dinner.

'Unbelievable', I mutter dryly under my breath, shaking my head.

'I thought you liked Finn!', Piper debates.

'Yeah, as your FRIEND!', I shriek. 'You're WAY too young to be dating!'

'Uh, in case you didn't notice, you and Riley were the same age when you started dating!', Piper rebuts.

She does have a point. But I don't like this.

I don't like this at all.

'Last I heard, you were getting over being rejected and getting fed up with Finn asking you out', I say. I can't help myself.

'Well that's in the past and Josh and I are on good terms. I've always liked Finn, I just never had the strength to push my fears aside and act on those feelings. You're always telling me to be more confident, take risks! Well, this is me doing just that, James!', Piper says.

She shakes her head and stares at me, narrowing her eyes. 'Why can't you just be happy for me?'

Piper storms off to her room, slams the door and I'm left speechless.

Mum walks back to the lounge room. 'That was a bit harsh', she says.

'You heard all that?', I ask.

'It wasn't very hard, there was a lot of shouting going on', she states.

'Yeah, Piper was a bit harsh, wasn't she! Where did that come from?'

'I was referring to both of you', mum clarifies.

Oh.

'What?', I shriek. 'I was just being honest. Unlike Piper, who didn't even tell me before the date that she was going on one!'

Deborah places her hands on her hips. 'Are you sure this is just about Piper not telling you, as opposed to you just being scared that she's now got a significant male in her life as a protector, which is usually your job?'

She caught me. 'I-I'll always be there to protect Piper', I murmur.

Mum sits down beside me. 'I know that you will. I have no doubt in my mind. But you don't need to worry about Finn. He's been there for Piper in some of the hardest moments in her life.'

I start, 'I know, but...'

Mum reads my mind. 'You feel like you're being replaced.'

'Kinda, yeah', I admit.

'No-one can replace you, and Piper knows that', mum soothes.

I smile and get up to walk to my room. As soon as I've turned around and my mum can no longer see my face, my smile fades.

The truth is, even though I'll probably never admit it, I'm afraid of change. It's just been me and Piper for almost 6 years. I'm most likely going to move out soon myself. Things are going to be very different.

While I'm still grappling with the reality that my little sister is dating, I can't deny that there's a tiny little part of me that's relieved knowing that even if I'm not going to be around, Finn will always be there for Piper.

Friday

Richelle's POV