Stay Alive

That's What Brothers Are For

Possible trigger- talks about cutting

After a tour of the house, Jay didn't want to wait for Alyssa to unpack her things. He grabbed her right wrist(covered in bracelets) and lead her out front. Alyssa couldn't help but wince when he did. But she hid her expression the best she could. Noone noticed...except Tyler. He looked at her with a face full of worry and followed her and Jay outside.

The basketball hoop stood in the driveway. Zack was already waiting with a basketball in his hands. He was sitting on the concrete wall that blocked the driveway from the grass in front of the house. He stood up and bounced the ball to Tyler. "Welcome to Basketball 101. With your hosts, Zack and Jay Joseph. As well as our assist, Tyler Joseph," Zack said.

Alyssa laughed as Tyler gave her the ball. Zack told her to dribble up and down the driveway. "That's the only thing I can do in basketball!" Alyssa said as she walked down to the street.

She bounced the ball beside her as she walked up and down the driveway. The second time she walked down, a hand slapped the ball from Alyssa. Suprised, she turned and Jay was standing beside her with the ball. He smiled as he spun the ball on the tip of his left, index finger. "You have to be prepared incase someone steals the ball." He explained.

"Well, I know that! I'm not that much of a basketball noob," Alyssa laughed.

Zack took the ball from Jay's hand. "I'll tell you what. Jay and I will have a little one-on-one match. Tyler can tell you what's going on," He said.

Alyssa was fine with that. She sat on the concrete wall with Tyler. He turned to her, "If you don't like basketball, it's completely fine. The family just enjoys it a lot. I love basketball, but I don't play it 24/7."

Tyler and Alyssa sat on the wall and cheered for their brothers. Around noon, Dad came outside and called them inside for lunch. Tyler said, "Alyssa and I will be inside in a minute!"

Trigger Warning

Once they went inside, Tyler turned to Alyssa. She could see the concern in his eyes. Does he know? Alyssa wondered. Tyler took a shaky breath. "I know it's hard to talk about these things. But please tell me the truth. I noticed you looked like...you were in physical pain...when Jay took your arm to lead you outside. Do you cut? Is it why you wear the bracelets?" He asked.

Alyssa looked away and stared at the ground. Talking about cutting...it was embarrassing and she felt ashamed. Slowly, she nodded. What's he going to say? Alyssa thought. This was the first time she talked to someone about cutting. But...it felt good to be able to talk about it. It made her feel like someone actually cared about her.

Tyler finally spoke. "Alyssa, can I see your scars? I need to know if you need stitches or any type of medical treatment," Tyler said softly.

Alyssa gulped and took off her bracelets. Delicately, Tyler rested her wrists in his hands. She thought back to the last time she had relapsed. It was June 8th, two days before her birthday, and two days before she met Josh and Tyler. But that was a bad night. She had cut so deep that the scars looked fresh right now as Tyler saw them.

Tyler's eyes began tearing up. His youngest sister had been in so much pain that she... "I'm sorry," Alyssa said.

"No, you don't need to apologize. It's going to be okay. Just...the next time you want to hurt yourself, please tell me or anyone else. Even Josh! We love you and want to help. I understand that it's hard to talk about it, but we don't want you to hurt yourself. I want to help. It's what brothers are for," Tyler said.

Alyssa nodded and put her bracelets on again. She and Tyler got off the concrete wall and went inside for lunch. As they walked, he gave her a pat on the back and rested his arm on her shoulder. Suddenly, he asked, "Do you like Taco Bell?"

Alyssa laughed and he laughed with her.

(A/N well there you go...that was an emotional chapter...ANYWAY! Comment what you like about the story so far! Don't worry! Josh will be back! And we'll see Jenna too!)