Fighting For Love

Chapter | 12

• M A T T H E W •

I let out a long sigh, discarding my shoes and coat by the door before slowly making my way towards the kitchen, praying that it was unoccupied. I really didn't feel like being around anymore people today, even if the people were my siblings.

Unfortunately, I didn't get my wish.

Sophi was sitting at the table doing homework, but when I walked in her attention immediately shifted over to me, a look of concern overtaking her features as she took in my fatigued state. However, I ignored her, grabbing a glass out of the kitchen cabinet and filling it up with water, before making my way towards the cabinet that we kept all the medicine in.

I fished through what felt like thousands of pill bottles before finally snatching the Advil. I really need to clean this out, I thought as I threw the Advil back into the endless sea of pill bottles.

I could feel Sophi's eyes on me as I downed the pills. When I finished I tossed my glass in the sink before walking over to the table and taking a seat next my sister, letting out a small sigh as I placed my head on the cool wooden surface.

"Ruff day at work?" Sophi asked, finally speaking up.

I lifted my head up from the table and sat back, running a hand through my golden brown hair. "You could say that." I replied tiredly. "How was school?"

"It was good. We have this huge project in Engli—" She started, but was cut off as Nicole's panicked voice sounded through the house.

"HELP!" She yelled.

A worried expression made its way to my face as I heard my little sisters scream. My eyes snapped over to Sophi, her expression mirroring my own. She stared back at me for a few seconds before we both shot up from our chairs. I stood up so fast that my chair fell over, but I didn't care. My one and only focus was on my little sister.

I sprinted up the stairs with Sophi hot on my heals. When we reached the landing I stopped abruptly, causing Sophi to run into me. Nicole yelled again, her frightened voice coming from the direction of Nolan's room. I turned right, following the sound of her voice.

"Nicole what is—" I started as we reached Nolan's room, but stopped short as I took in the scene before me.

Nicole looked over at me, pure panic in her clear blue eyes. She was sitting on the bed across from Nolan who currently had his back to the headboard, with his knees pulled up to his chest. His whole body was shaking as a combination of a sob and gasp for air escaped his lips.

The color drained from my face as I ran toward the two, realizing he was having a panic attack.

"What happened?" I asked Nicole frantically, taking a seat next to her on the bed.

She scooted over a bit making room for me to sit in front of Nolan. "I-I don't know we were just talking about grades and stuff, and then he started saying all these things mom used to say, and then—and then this happened." She rambled, her voice cracking at the end as a few stray tears fell from her pale blue eyes.

I focused my attention back on Nolan as he started hyperventilating. "Hey, Nolan I need to look at me okay bud?" I said softly. He slowly lifted his head, my heart broke as I saw the pure panic in his clear blue orbs. "Try and breath with me okay? In through the nose, out through the mouth, like this." I took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly.

He nodded and tried to do the same thing, but failed because of how much he was hyperventilating.

"I-I ca-an't—" He stuttered, as tears ran down his pale cheeks.