Sibling spotlight - billie and Finneas story

The beer

Chapter 43: The Beer

The room had settled into an uneasy quiet, Billie and Finneas keeping a close eye on Y/N as she sat in her corner, clutching the notepad. Her interaction, though brief and silent, had given them hope that she was still reaching out, even in the smallest of ways. But that hope was fragile, easily shattered.

Y/N suddenly stood up, her movements slow and deliberate. Billie glanced up from where she sat, her eyes following her sister’s every step. Y/N didn’t say anything as she made her way to the kitchen, her expression blank but her eyes focused.

“She okay?” Billie whispered to Finneas, concern lacing her voice.

Finneas, who had been reading over the chords Y/N had written, glanced up and shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. She’s… quiet.”

Billie bit her lip, watching as Y/N rummaged through the fridge. There was something unsettling about the way Y/N was moving—too calm, too distant. She wasn’t her usual self, and it sent alarm bells ringing in both of their heads.

Y/N emerged from the kitchen with a bottle in her hand. At first, it seemed like just a drink, but as she came closer, both Billie and Finneas froze, recognizing the brown glass and the unmistakable shape of a beer bottle.

“Wait—Y/N?” Finneas’s voice cracked with surprise.

Y/N didn’t respond. She simply sat back down in her corner, the beer in her hand, her eyes scanning the label. She wasn’t drinking it—just holding it, staring at the numbers printed on the bottle, as if trying to make sense of them. Her fingers traced the percentages and words on the label, her face emotionless but focused.

Billie’s heart dropped. “Where did she…?”

“That’s mine,” Finneas said quietly, guilt washing over him. “I left it in the fridge. Didn’t even think she’d… notice.”

They watched her for a moment, unsure of what to do. Y/N wasn’t drinking it, not yet, but the fact that she had picked it up at all felt like a dangerous step. She was only 16—too young to be seeking comfort in something like that. And the way she stared at the bottle, reading the alcohol content like it was a solution to her problems, sent chills down their spines.

Finneas stood up slowly, approaching her carefully. “Y/N, what’s going on?” His voice was soft, gentle, as though he were afraid of spooking her.

Y/N didn’t look up. Her fingers kept tracing the bottle’s label, her gaze still distant. She seemed so far away, even though she was right there in front of them.

“Y/N,” Billie called softly, moving to sit beside her brother. “What are you doing with that?”

For a moment, Y/N didn’t respond. She simply stared at the beer bottle, her eyes flicking between the numbers and percentages on the label. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she spoke, her voice flat and distant.

“I just wanted to see what it was. I wasn’t gonna… drink it. Just looking.”

But there was something about the way she said it, the hollowness in her voice, that made both Billie and Finneas uneasy. It was as if she wasn’t fully present, lost in her own world of thoughts.

Finneas knelt down in front of her, gently reaching for the bottle. “Why don’t I take that, okay? It’s not something you need right now.”

Y/N looked up at him for the first time, her eyes reflecting a depth of sadness he hadn’t seen before. For a moment, she didn’t move, just stared at him like she was trying to decide whether to fight back or let it go. Then, wordlessly, she handed him the bottle.

Finneas took it, his heart heavy as he set it aside on the table. Billie exhaled a quiet breath of relief, but the worry in her eyes remained.

“You’re not alone, Y/N,” Billie said softly, sitting down next to her sister. “I know it feels like everything’s too much right now, but you don’t have to carry it all by yourself.”

Y/N’s gaze dropped back to the floor. She didn’t respond, but there was a slight tremble in her hands that didn’t go unnoticed by her siblings. Billie and Finneas exchanged a look—one of deep concern.

Finneas reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from Y/N’s face. “We’re here, okay? Always.”

For a moment, Y/N seemed to shrink into herself, her small frame pulling even tighter as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She wasn’t fighting them, but she wasn’t opening up either. It was like she was trapped in her own mind, unable to fully reach out.

Billie sighed softly, rubbing her sister’s back in slow, soothing circles. “How about we put on some music? Just like we did earlier.”

Y/N didn’t respond, but she didn’t protest either. It was enough for Billie and Finneas to know that, for now, she needed them to be there—even if she couldn’t say it out loud.

They wouldn’t push her too hard, but they’d watch her closely. Y/N was still teetering on the edge of something they didn’t fully understand, but as long as they were there to catch her, they wouldn’t let her fall too far.

They just hoped that, in time, Y/N would find her way back to them.