Neglect

Chapter 13

Patrick
I walked through my front door, hearing my sister's bickering. Olivia and Meghan had returned from grad school this week and hadn't left me alone. I knew it was going to be a struggle leaving tomorrow for Maeve's

Just thinking about her made me drown in guilt. Did seriously no one know about this? And she'd freaked out all those times because Peirce got too close.

Maeve was meant to be an innocent teenage girl who went out with her friends every weekend and talked about boys in their bedrooms—knowing how different it is for her breaks my heart. I haven't seen or heard about her going out in months.

Wait. Do you think Maeve would even want a relationship after what's happened to her? There's no way she'd like one. She's probably traumatized for life. Maybe I should lay off her and give her some space. I don't want to pressure her into anything she doesn't want to be involved in.

Even though my mind was racing a mile a minute, I forced myself to get into bed and shut my eyes. It took several hours of tossing and turning before I finally dosed off.

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Maeve

I woke up to the sun shining through the blinds in the sitting room and Murphy whining at my feet. That was the thing about dogs. Even though they can't speak or understand English, they can still sense emotions and know exactly how and when to comfort someone.

I sat up and brushed the fur on Murph's head, laughing when she shimmied and her tail wagged. My laughing died down when I remembered my life's turn in the last twenty hours—more like in the previous month.

I pulled the blanket that was on me over my head, dreading facing what was to come. I presumed I wasn't attending school today, but I knew I had to return tomorrow. That prick wasn't going to ruin anything else in my life.

When I finally found my phone among the mess of blankets and pillows, my shoulders sagged when I saw no new notification from Patrick. I wasn't trying to be an eager teenage girl, but he did say he was going to text me first thing in the morning. It was 12 now.

After almost an hour of contemplation, I got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, knowing someone in my family would be there. I nearly turned around when I saw Johnny leaning against the counter, drinking a protein shake.

His eyes immediately lifted to mine, and I contemplated turning around and heading straight back into the sitting room. I guess Johnny could see the panic on my face because he called out to me right before I was going to turn around

"I'm sorry, Maeve." His face was guilt-filled, and I could see tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked even though I knew the answer to it.

"Because I've probably been the worst older brother in the world for the past month and a half. I mean, you were going through all this shit, and I was loading up all my problems onto you," his voice cracked, and I moved my eyes from the floor to his eyes. Silent tears were running down his face.

"I meant to be your older brother. Shannon practically worships the ground her older brother walks on, and here you were, trying to find an escape from me." My eyes widened at the mention of Shannon, but I had nothing to say in response.

Was it bad that I was mad at him?

A part of me thought: how the hell was he supposed to know? You didn't tell anyone.

But the other larger part thought that this was my older brother. Aren't they meant to look out for you and be your best friends? After Pierce, I tried to seem inconspicuous, but looking back now, how didn't he notice?

I stopped joining my family for dinner, and my grades dropped. I barely spoke two words to anyone around me, and I was constantly in my room. I didn't leave my room for around a week after it happened.

"Your behavior hasn't been good enough. I know I'm meant to be your nagging little sister, but I always thought we had a stronger bond than that. I know that surgery could've ended your rugby career, but what did I do to deserve your backlash? I think we need some time to think over everything. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm ready to go back to our relationship before your surgery."

Before I left the kitchen, I looked above the cooker to see that the clock read 1.30. What was Johnny doing at home anyway? However, my mind quickly retreated to Patrick as I overthought every thought possible. He said he would see me as soon as he could, and I get that he had school, but he could've come at his big break.

Okay, Maeve, you're being ridiculous. He's not suddenly going to drop everything for you.

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Patrick
I was in English, but everything the teacher said went in one ear and out the other. Gibsie and Hughie were both in this class, but the overall vibe of our friend group was pretty solemn today.

As expected, Maeve and Johnny didn't come to school today. I presumed he stayed home to keep her company, but I couldn't imagine him comforting her due to their recent relationship.

I counted down the minutes until my last class ended. I had rugby but planned to call Johnny and ask to switch places. I knew he was dreading missing practice, and I wanted to see Maeve.

I knew she needed space, but I couldn't help myself around her. As I dialed Johnny's number, I suddenly remembered the conversation Johnny and I were due to have. Maeve wasn't in the right state of mind to have the "what are we" conversation.

After a lot of debating, deleting, and retyping Johnny's number, I finally pocketed my phone and walked towards the gym locker room with a heavy heart. There's always tomorrow.

I'm sorry this chapter took so long to release. I've been so busy recently. I will try to keep up with my chapters, but I can't make any promises. I hope you're enjoying this, and please feel free to leave comments with suggestions. Reading your comments brightens up my day.