Young God [GirlxGirl]

12. We Need To Talk About Kevin

You got something to say? // Why don't you speak it out loud, instead of living in your head? // It's always the same // Why don't you take your heart out, instead of living in your head? // Heart Out, The 1975

After her encounter with Blake on the bridge, Violet returned home to find her brother still awake on the couch. He was watching some live sports event on TV, likely in a different time zone if it required him to stay up so late to watch it live. Whatever it was, he paused it when he heard the door close behind Violet, standing to meet her when she made to pass through the living room and into her bedroom.

"Violet, wait." He sounded desperate to Violet, and she wondered if their lack of communication lately had been getting to him as much as it was getting to her. She hoped it was. "I'm just going to go ahead and say it: I miss you. I miss my little sister, and I don't want us to keep shutting each other out, so let's talk."

Violet couldn't help but detest her brother's tendency to save their conversations for the dead of night, but thankfully she wasn't in much of a mood for sleeping anyway, so she didn't object. In fact, she had been wanting to talk to him for a while now; even more so given what Blake had told her about Liam's revelations.

"Okay, let's talk." Violet took a seat on the couch and crossed her legs. "How about we start with the fact that you told Blake about my illness without asking me first."

While at first, Violet had been relieved to find that Blake had known the whole time and loved her all the same, she soon realised just how different things could have been if Blake had run in the opposite direction when Liam confronted her. After all, Blake hadn't had time to get close to her yet, and maybe she would have been inclined to get out before she got in over her head. Liam could have jeopardised her only friendship before it even begun, and then what? She'd have been alone again.

"Oh. You know about that." Liam sighed and sat down beside Violet. "Look, I get why you might be a little annoyed at me right now, but-"

"A little annoyed? No. I'm pissed." Violet corrected him. "Not only did you go behind my back and risk the only connection I had with anyone aside from you, but then you conveniently forgot to tell me about it. Instead I've been worrying all this time about what might happen if I slip up or accidentally say the wrong thing. Do you know what it's like for someone like me to worry about what I say or do 24/7? No you don't, so I'll tell you: it's fucking awful. It occupied my mind every moment I was with her, and during each of those moments I was petrified of making even the smallest of mistakes. That's on you."

Liam looked genuinely shocked to finally realise just how scared Violet had truly been of losing Blake, which only made Violet angrier because she had expected him to know. Of all the people in the world, she thought Liam was the one that knew her the most. That mindset seemed to be unravelling quicker by the second.

"I'm so sorry, Violet. You know I'd never do anything that I thought would hurt you. I only wanted to make sure she wasn't going to run away as soon as you got attached." He explained.

"I know why you think you did it, and I appreciate what you tried to do, but it wasn't your call to make. What if things had gone differently? What if I'd never even gotten the chance to get to know her because of what you did?" Violet barely even realised that she was speaking through gritted teeth at this point. "Honestly, I'm not even sure you really did this just for me. I know how hard it was for you to pick up the pieces last time, after what Matt did, so maybe you were just trying to make sure you didn't have to go through that with me again. Which I'd understand, of course, because even I wouldn't want to deal with me when I'm like that. But at least be honest with yourself about what your real intentions were."