Lillian Henry is seventeen years old when her 20 year-old brother, Adam, and his best friend, Blake Kingston, enroll in the army. And she's eighteen, when they come back, her feelings left unchanged. As for his, they're even stronger than before.
T...
Between avoiding Adam for the rest of the night and winning the ugliest stuffed animal for Lily, time flies by and in what appears to be seconds but really is hours, fireworks explode in the sky. At this moment, it feels like they are meant for us. It's just her and I on that pier. I kiss her under the rainbow colors illuminating the horizon. Her arms around my waist, mine around her neck, I pull her close, wishing this moment could last forever. But it only lasts a few minutes, and as soons as the show is over, people begin leaving. The festivities of opening night are over, kids cry, and beg for one last snow cone, teenagers sing and celebrate the beginning of summer. And I am with my favorite girl. The best person I know.
This summer promises to be good.
Or so, I thought.
The next morning, I wake up to shouts coming from outside the house. I put on a pair of joggers, grab a shirt and head out. As soon as I step outside, I see Lillian and Adam, arguing on the lawn, pointing at each other, Adam towering his sister. He looks pissed.
"You don't get to say that,'' Lily tells her brother, muffled cries escaping her throat. "You don't get to act as if you have been here for the past year. You have no idea what you are talking about, Adam, so mind your own business."
She tries walking away, but he catches her by the wrist, pulling her back in front of him.
"Don't touch me!"
Adam takes a step back, hands in the air in retreat, which keeps me from intervening. I stay at a distance where I am as close as them in case I have to separate them as close as I am from my entrance door.
"It isn't fair, Lian. You can't blame me for not being here."
"You're right, it isn't fair. Nothing's fair in this world. What happened to me wasn't fair. I mean, did I deserve it? What did I even fucking do to push him to do that? But you know what is even less fair? What's unfair is you going around, asking why I did it, why I hate myself so much that I hurt myself."
A shiver travels my body when I hear Lily say she went through self-harm. But I am not mad at her for not telling me, neither am I for her doing that to herself. She's a survivor, but surviving doesn't mean you are okay, it just means that you are strong enough to keep fighting. I know she is, but I also know that carrying this weight on her shoulder all on her own isn't healthy, and that is why she is hurting even more. So, I won't force her to talk about it with me, but I will be there for her. Support and care and love, that's all she needs right now. Not being moralized about self-harm or treated like a child.
"What's unfair is you coming back and assuming I am over what happened, assuming that I am still the seventeen year-old-girl you left behind a year ago. But I'll never be that girl again, Adam! She died the day Rainer Hayes took what didn't belong to him. So, yes, I've hurt myself because of what happened. Yes, I might do it again if things get hard again. But you screaming at me isn't helping!" she yells and cries at the same time.
"Lillian," Adam begs her, reaching for her arm tenderly, but she takes a step back.
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This is a very short chapter, but it's simply a transition to what is coming next, so that is why. But don't worry I'm not leaving you on a "cliffhanger", I'll be posting the next chapter tonight, I just need to proofread it one last time :)
I hope you still like YTL and aren't too bothered by me not posting on a regular basis, but you know, with school and all, it's the best I can do. I'll be posting more this summer, this story (if it isn't over by then) or another (I already have an idea, so stay tuned). While you wait, you can always check out my two other stories: Obsessively (which is complete) and Loving Winnipeg (which is on going at the same time as YTL)
Thank you to all of you who are voting for my story and commenting your opinions, it really is helping me grow as an author :)
A shoutout to @livviie__ and @marigrove2008 for giving me some feedback and encouraging me to pursue this story, which has become very dear to my heart.
