Sibling spotlight - billie and Finneas story

Fractured trust

Chapter 69: Fractured Trust

The weight of the previous moment still lingered heavily in the air as Y/N sat between Billie and Finneas. Her breaths were shallow, and the tears had dried on her cheeks, but the tension hadn’t disappeared. There was something broken in the way she held herself, like a fragile piece of glass barely keeping its shape.

The spliff lay on the floor between them, a reminder of the temptation that had almost swallowed her. Billie glanced at it, her stomach twisting at how close they had come to losing their sister to something that could destroy her.

Finneas, still holding Y/N close, rubbed her back gently, trying to bring her comfort. But the silence between them grew uncomfortable. Y/N’s mind was clearly still a storm, and despite their love and reassurances, something hadn’t settled.

“We should go home,” Billie whispered, her voice quiet yet firm. She was trying to be gentle, trying not to upset Y/N further. “Let’s leave this place behind, okay?”

Y/N didn’t respond immediately. She wiped her eyes, looking away from both of them as she tried to gather herself. She felt so small, so weak, and the shame was suffocating her. How had it come to this? How had she become so lost in her own pain that she’d almost made a decision that could’ve hurt not just herself, but her family?

“Okay,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Finneas helped her to her feet, and Billie quickly discarded the spliff, not wanting it to be anywhere near Y/N. They walked back in silence, each step feeling like a retreat from the darkness that had almost consumed her. As they made their way out of the alley and into the open, the brightness of the day contrasted starkly with the heaviness that hung around them.

Y/N felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Every step felt like a struggle, and though she was grateful to have Billie and Finneas beside her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d let them down. Her thoughts spiraled, her mind still battling with the demons that had been haunting her for what felt like forever.

When they finally made it home, Billie and Finneas guided her inside, their movements gentle but deliberate. They weren’t leaving her side, and Y/N knew it. But as much as she loved them, the protective cocoon they had wrapped her in was starting to feel suffocating.

She sat on the couch, curling up instinctively, her knees pulled to her chest. Finneas sat down beside her, while Billie leaned against the wall, her eyes filled with worry.

“We need to talk,” Billie said, breaking the silence. “We can’t just ignore what happened.”

Y/N’s stomach twisted. She knew this conversation was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Finneas’s voice was soft when he spoke. “Y/N, we love you more than anything. But we’re scared. We’re scared because… because we don’t know how to help you when you’re like this.”

Y/N swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn’t want to hear this. She didn’t want to face the reality of how much her pain had impacted them.

“I’m fine,” she muttered, the words feeling like a lie even as she said them. “I can handle it.”

Billie shook her head, her eyes filling with sadness. “No, you can’t. Not like this. We can see how much you’re hurting, Y/N, and we want to help. But you’ve gotta let us.”

“I am letting you,” Y/N snapped, her voice harsher than she meant it to be. She immediately regretted it, but the frustration was bubbling up inside her. “I’m trying, okay? I’m trying to figure this out.”

Finneas placed a hand on her knee, grounding her. “We know. But trying doesn’t mean doing it alone. You don’t have to go through this without us.”

Y/N’s defenses crumbled then. The weight of everything she had been carrying—the hurt, the pressure, the fear—came crashing down on her all at once. Tears filled her eyes again, but this time, she didn’t hold them back.

“I don’t know what to do,” she cried, burying her face in her hands. “I don’t know how to fix it. I feel so messed up.”

Billie moved quickly, sitting beside her and pulling her into a hug. Finneas wrapped his arms around both of them, and for a moment, the three of them sat together, holding onto each other as if they were the only solid thing in a world that was constantly shifting beneath them.

“We’ll figure it out,” Billie whispered into Y/N’s hair. “We’ll figure it out together. But no more shutting us out, okay? No more running off. We’re in this together.”

Y/N nodded through her tears, though she wasn’t sure she fully believed it yet. But at least for now, she had them, and that was enough to keep her grounded. The storm inside her hadn’t passed, but it had quieted, if only for a little while.

And that was enough for now.

---

Later that evening, after things had calmed down, Billie and Finneas sat in the kitchen, discussing what had happened.

“She’s not okay,” Billie said softly, her hands wrapped around a mug of tea. “I’m scared, Finneas. I don’t know what to do.”

Finneas nodded, his expression grim. “We have to be there for her. Whatever it takes. But… it’s hard. It’s like she’s swinging between being so fragile and then pretending everything’s fine. It’s exhausting.”

“We’ll get through it,” Billie said, though her voice wavered. “We have to.”

As they talked, Y/N sat alone in the living room, her phone in her hands. She wasn’t looking at it, but she held it tightly, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but for now, she was just trying to keep herself from falling apart again.

Tomorrow would be another day. And she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it.