Soulsisters

Chapter 4.

Her heart dropped to her chest as she noticed the length of Lucy's dress and the fact that a grown man was resting his hand further and further up her thigh, but it wasn't just the revealing attire that caused concern; something was off about her appearance all together. Her normally bright eyes were now heavily dilated, giving away her secret indulgence in drugs. And then there was the way she was moving, unsteady and disorientated. Had she taken her medication and then drank? Lucy knew how dangerous it was to do that..

Clearly under the influence of drugs and alcohol Angela felt a mixture of anger and worry. The knot in her stomach tightened as she made her way towards them.

When Angela finally reached her she was quick to shout at the man harassing her underage sister.

"She's 17! You creep." the man mumbled his apologies, his legs couldn't have moved quicker as he backed away from the two. Angela sprang into action, grabbing Lucy's arm and firmly pulling the fabric of her dress back down. A wave of protectiveness washed over her as she looked into Lucy's glazed eyes filled with confusion and vulnerability.

As Angela's hands trembled with anger she dialled Amanda's parents number. After what felt like an eternity Mr Parker picked up the phone. His voice sounded distant and tired- after all it was early hours of the morning. Angela forced herself to remain calm as she explained the situation. She told him about Amanda's state of intoxication and drug usage. There was silence on the line for several moments before he spoke again, his tone firm and authoritative.

He announced that it was his way to collect Amanda and to send her outside as he didn't live too far away and wouldn't be long.

Turning towards Lucy, who was still struggling against her grasp - her eyes softened. Angela took Lucy towards the table Tim and Nyla were seated at. Lucy was a mess- continuously trying to wriggle out of Angela's grip to get another shot. Her patience was wearing thin as she pulled Lucy onto her lap- her grip on her sister intensifying protectively. Despite Lucy's best efforts to break free she finally realised her attempts were futile, Lucy surrendered- collapsing weakly against angela. For the first time since arriving at the club, there was complete silence as the three watched this once vibrant teenager reduced to a quivering mess in her big sister's arms.

By the time angela and tim had dragged a heavily intoxicated lucy out of the club she was screaming obscenities and flailing violently against their retraining hands. They struggled to get her into the taxi. Once safely buckled in, Lucy passed out cold leaving a thick silence in the atmosphere.
Lucy's troubles were only worsening, and Tim and Angela were deadly worried. Tim could see the pure fear on Angela's face, he knew how lucy could get when she's like this, and it was probably best to have two watching over her. "Do you want me to stay on the couch tonight ang?" he asked his best friend- his tone was soft and caring.

"Yes please.." she whispered vulnerably as she looked down at her younger sister, who looked peaceful as she slept- but her mind was anything but peaceful.
Together they lifted Lucy inside and into her bed before the two retreated to the sofa- their knees to their chest. Throughout the long sleepless night Angela paced anxiously as Tim remained still and quiet.

As the first ray of sunlight filtered through the blinds, Angela forced herself to sit down beside tim. Lucy stirred in her sleep as she sleepily rubbed her eyes. She opened her eyes, groaning as the sun hit them. Lucy slowly emerged from her bed, her eyes fluttering open to reveal the haunting depths of despair hidden beneath the layers of makeup. She looked around, confusion clouding her features as her memories from the night before came flooding back. Seeing Angela and Tim on the sofa she took a shaky breath as she approached them. "I'm so sorry.." she whispered hoarsely.

Tim left the apartment, deciding to give the two space. Angela began to unravel, tears streaming down her cheeks, mirroring lucy. "Lucy.. I don't know what to say." Angela cried. "I've tried everything I can think of, but nothings working. I feel like i'm losing you, and i don't want to imagine a life without you in it.. what do i have to say to get it to sink in.. you are killing yourself lucy! and I refuse to sit by and let you!" her voice cracked under the weight of her emotions, and for a moment, they both wept silently, holding each other. This was far beyond anything either of them had anticipated and neither knew how to move forward from here..

Wiping away her tears , Angela straightened up, determination etched on her face. She may have been at wits end but she refused to give up on luce. Looking lucy square in the eyes she laid down 5 rules.

Firstly, Lucy must commit to eating three meals a day, supervised. Whether she felt hungry or full. Secondly she could not venture out of the house without Angela's approval. Thirdly she would join Angela at work every day - providing very much needed structure in her life. Fourthly, self harm was prohibited. Lastly, substance abuse in all forms was absolutely forbidden. The rules were serious and Angela believed these rules were essential if she wanted to pull Lucy back from the brink.

Lucy glared defiantly at her older sister, anger and resentment boiling just below the surface. Every word out of Angela's mouth felt like a punch to the gut, reminding her of the countless times she had failed to live up to expectations. But even as she stewed in her anger, part of her recognized the desperation behind her sister's actions. She understood that Angela was only trying to help, even if it felt like a prison sentence. Still, old habits die hard and old wounds ran deep. Every fiber of her being resisted the idea of submitting to anyone else's control, especially after the years of fighting for independence. In the moment, Lucy hated herself for being weak and she hated her sister for pushing her to confront her demons. But most of all, she hated the fact that things had come to this.

Watching as Lucy reluctantly put a spoonful of granola in her mouth, Angela couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride mixed with sadness. Despite their earlier argument, Lucy had managed to follow through with one of her newfound responsibilities - eating her meals supervised by angela.