Sibling spotlight - billie and Finneas story

no more music?

Chapter 65: No more music?

Y/N’s hands trembled as she scrolled through her phone, the flood of hateful messages pouring in. Every swipe down the screen brought more venom, more lies. The public had latched onto her agent’s false accusations, turning her into a villain in their eyes. She couldn’t escape it, no matter how hard she tried.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Y/N muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible but laced with desperation.

Billie and Finneas exchanged worried glances from across the room, their attention snapping to her.

“What do you mean?” Billie asked cautiously, approaching her sister slowly.

Y/N dropped her phone onto the bed, burying her face in her hands. “I don’t want to play music anymore. I can’t. I can’t do this—none of it. The comments, the pressure, the expectations... It’s too much. I’m done. I’m never going to make music again.”

The weight of her words hung in the air, sinking into the room like a heavy fog. Finneas moved to sit beside her, but Y/N flinched away, the pain and fear too raw, too overwhelming.

Billie crouched in front of her, trying to meet her eyes. “Y/N, you don’t mean that. You love music. You’ve always loved music.”

Y/N shook her head violently, her voice rising as she spoke, “Not anymore! I hate it now. I hate how it makes me feel—how it makes everyone look at me. I don’t want to be this... thing people pick apart. I just want to be left alone.”

Billie felt her heart shatter, seeing her little sister like this, so broken. “Y/N...”

But Y/N wasn’t listening anymore. Her hands reached for her phone again, eyes scanning the screen, taking in the hateful words. Her breath quickened, the panic rising with every word she read: “She’s a mess.” “She’s so ungrateful.” “Why does she even bother?”

Finneas grabbed her phone from her hands, his voice firm. “Stop looking at this. It’s not helping.”

Y/N’s eyes widened, and she snapped up, her voice shaky and sharp. “You don’t understand, Finneas. I can’t stop. It’s everywhere, and I just—” Her voice cracked, her breath hitching. “I just want to leave. I need to get out of here.”

“Leave?” Billie echoed, worry creeping into her voice. “Where would you even go?”

Y/N stood up abruptly, pacing the room as if searching for an escape. “Anywhere! I can’t stay here. I feel trapped in this house, in my head... I need to get out.”

Finneas stood too, blocking her path, his voice calm but firm. “Y/N, we’re worried about you. You can’t just leave when you’re feeling like this.”

She looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. “I have to. I need to breathe, and I can’t breathe here.”

Billie stood up next to Finneas, her voice soft but steady. “If you need to go, we’ll go with you. But please, let’s talk about it first. We just want to help.”

Y/N stopped, staring at her siblings, her chest heaving with the weight of her emotions. For a moment, she looked like she was going to argue, but then something in her seemed to break. Tears streamed down her face as she slumped back onto the bed, curling into herself.

“I just... I don’t know what to do anymore,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Everything feels so heavy, and I don’t know how to carry it.”

Finneas moved closer, gently sitting beside her. “You don’t have to carry it alone, Y/N. We’re here. You’re not doing this by yourself.”

Billie sat on the other side, wrapping an arm around her. “We’ll figure this out, one step at a time. But we need you to stay with us, okay? We can’t lose you to this.”

Y/N didn’t say anything, but she didn’t pull away either. The fight in her seemed to drain, leaving only exhaustion behind. Her breath slowed as the tears kept coming, but for the first time in a while, she didn’t try to push them away.

They sat like that for a long time, Billie and Finneas holding her close, whispering reassurances they hoped she would believe. Eventually, Y/N’s breathing evened out, her exhaustion pulling her into a deep, troubled sleep. But even in her sleep, her body remained tense, as if still fighting an invisible war.

Billie and Finneas exchanged another glance, both of them silently wondering how much longer their sister could endure this. They knew they had to be there for her, to protect her from the world that seemed intent on tearing her down.

But for now, all they could do was hold her close, hoping that somehow, together, they could make it through the storm.