𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘-ᵗʷⁱˡⁱᵍʰᵗ¹

eight

Sage and Charlie didnt get back until 11:56 that night. Sage quickly grabbed her Khols bag of gross clothes and dropped them by the washer before going into her room and changing. When she looked in the mirror of her vanity, she froze and everything flashed back into her mind- the long walk to Portland, the bottles of alcohol that she'd managed get her hands on, but the scariest thing were her thoughts through it all. A large lump formed in her throat and she quickly grabbed her car keys, before speeding towards Sam Uley's house.

When she arrived, her face was red and blotchy with tears covering it and mixing with snot, the girl was never a pretty crier. She struggled to breathe as she aggressively knocked on the front door, collapsing into Sam's arms when it finally opened. She didn't notice the extra eyes watching as she sobbed into his chest, she didn't notice the look she shared with Emily, and she didn't hear when he told Emily to call Charlie and let him know where she was. It felt as if shed entered another universe, and place where no one existed besides herself, a version of the afterlife that had nestled its way into her being and refused to leave. the only sound holding her to her body was her car reminding her of the keys in the ignition, the persistent beep that reminded her of monitors in a hospital. The beep that reminded her that at all times, everyone alive could drop dead at any second.

She didn't feel Sam gently shake her, trying to get her attention, she didn't hear him tell Emily to grab her pills out of her glove compartment, she didn't feel Sam lift her up and carry her to the spare bedroom. To Sage, everything felt and sounded as if she was already dead, as if she was going go drop dead in the next minute. After 30 minutes of hyperventilating, her breathing became partially even, She began registering where she was. She took note of Emily standing in the door holding a small pill in one hand and a glass of water in the other, she felt Sam pushing her hair out of her face, and she heard the two boys moving around downstairs. Her bloodshot eyes looks at her older brother, and she felt his moving pause, she heard his breathing stop for a moment.

"Dont ask me about it." She paused for a second, looking between the couple before her eyes landed back on her older brother "Please, just... don't ask."

The two nodded as Emily walked forward holding out the items in her hands. Sage looked at the pill and shook her head. "Ive been off it for 3 weeks, i take it now and ill be puking all night. im probably dehydrated and itll only dehydrate me more."

Her voice was scratchy and she definitely sounded like a mad woman, her eyes quickly found the floorboard closest to the moulding in the right bottom corner of the room and she focused on that. "Did the boys see that, and did someone turn off my car? i dont have gas money."

"Em turned off your car when she went see if you had your pills in there." Sage noticed that he didn't answer the first half, but she acted like she didn't and just nodded. She gazed at Emily for a second before going back to her stupid little floorboard, an action the two noticed.

"I'll go get you some food, and something with electrolytes." Sage just nodded as Emily walked out the room closing the door behind her. The room stayed silent for a moment, and as Sage went to take a sip of water the tears came back, causing her to drop the glass and latch back onto Sam.

"I feel so stupid, i mean..." Her words where choppy and almost impossible to make out, Sam closed his eyes as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Im here, im not going anywhere.  you dont have to talk about it right now." The boy felt her slight nod and tightened his grip. For five minutes the only sound were Sage's choked sobs, and gasps for air.

"Why didn't they want me. Why do i have to lean on others to be my parents, Why—" Sam didn't need her to finish what she was gonna say, her questions aligned with things he'd asked himself before.