As he watched his sister skim the menu frustration burrowed between his eyebrows. Dylan Cooper hadn't been around teenage girls since he had been a teenager himself but he was positive they had never been this emotional. He had been taking care of his little sister, Megan, for seven months now and he felt more lost today then the day he did when he moved back home. He didn't know what to do with her. She was either angry or crying and they were two emotions he wasn't very good at handling. He didn't know whether all teenage girls were like that or if she was depressed. He suspected the latter and had no reason to blame her. She had had a tough year and he was sure he wasn't making things easier for her. He loved her with all his heart, he just wished he understood her better. He blamed their relationship, or lack of it, on himself. He hadn't been around much when she had been growing up. He would come home or she and his parents would travel to London to visit him but he had never been in her life the way a big brother should be. He had a lot of making up to do but he was trying his damn hardest.
"Hey, what can I get you both?" He looked up into the grey eyes of his waitress, Beth Hills. Her eyes matching the colour of her thinned hair. She had worked here since he was little and he guessed she must be nearing retirement. She looked tired but her smile was as sincere as always.
"I'll have breakfast one. Extra bacon. Extra crispy." He folded the menu and handed it to Beth.
"And to drink?" She requested.
"Just a cup of tea please, Ms Hills." She turned to her attention to his sister and gave her one of those smiles. The smiles he knew his sister hated. A smile full of pity and worry.
"How about you, Pet?" Her voice had turned softer when addressing Megan.
"Just an apple juice, please." Megan didn't meet Beth's gaze. She fiddled with her hair whilst she looked down at the table, her eyes filling with tears.
"Come on Meg, you need to eat." Dylan had noticed his sister's wight loss and it was beginning to worry him. She didn't respond, she just continued to stare down, purposely trying not to meet his gaze.
"When was the last time you ate?" He asked. He could guess the answer and knew it wouldn't please him. He wondered if she had stopped eating because of their parents or if it was just a normal teenage girl phase. He was scared to ask.
"Yesterday." Megan mumbled under her breath. She hated it when people worried about her eating. It was her body and she could eat what she pleased. "I had toast and yogurt." She added as she knew he was going to ask.
"Megs, thats not enough food for a snack let alone for a whole day. You've got to eat Megs."
Dylan was the only person who's sympathy and worry she could accept. He didn't know how she felt but he was the closest one who would even slightly understand. His worry was clear for everyone to see and she accepted that but that didn't mean it annoyed her any less. She knew she had to eat. She knew that. She was just never hungry anymore. Her Mum used to make her the nicest meals. She was one hell of a cook and Megan missed sitting down to a home cooked meal whilst her Mum ate next to her. No meal would compare to the ones her Mum used to make and that made her sad. If she couldn't eat her Mum's cooking she didn't want to eat at all.
Dylan watched his sister eyes swim with tears and he felt helpless. The emotion was too familiar as it washed over him and he swallowed the lump in his throat. Megan needed a female in her life, someone she could open up to. He knew she loved him but he was also aware there was a lot a girl couldn't say to her older brother. The fact that they were all each other had left didn't help the situation. It would have been nice for the extra support for them both but it was just the two of them. He was sure they were strong enough to get through this together.
