Mine (Brad Simpson) {IN EDITING}

Chapter 24

I sit on the bed with Brad, clutching his hand tightly as we both stare at a distraught and beaten up Amy across from us, waiting for her to speak.

"Amy-" I begin, but she instantly cuts me off.

"It was Jaxon." She answers quickly and my grip on Brad's hand tightens. He squeezes softly and I loosen it.

"He did this," I gesture to her bruises and cuts, "To you?"

"Yes." Amy sighs, "We were fine for the first night but then he wanted to... do things with me, to me. I didn't agree with them and he... h-he beat me. He wouldn't let me leave except for going to school and today I tried to find you to tell you, but you weren't there. So when we got back to his place, he took a shower and I tried to run away but he caught me a-and beat me even worse than before. I managed to knock him out with a vase and run away, here."

Amy's eyes are glossed over with tears as she explains her story to Brad and I. I knew that kid was trouble.

"I'll kill him when I see the bastard." I growl but Amy shakes her head.

"No, he'll hurt you." She cries.

"Alli, settle down." Brad says softly, pulling me into his arms, "It's okay."

"It's not!" I argue, pulling away, "He can't get away with this! We have to tell someone!"

"No, Alli, it'll make everything worse. Please." Amy begs.

"So you're going to let him get away with it? So that he can do the same thing again? Maybe not to you, but surely to another innocent girl. That's horrible, Amy, to let someone else become his victim." I say, standing up from the bed and swiping away the few tears that managed to take escape my eyes.

"Don't tell me that's horrible, it's not my fault he's doing this! You're making it seem like it's all my fault!" Amy argues, standing aswell.

"Maybe it is!" I shout back.

"How?" She yells, throwing her arms up in the air.

"You knew that Jaxon was bad news, we told you he would be like this but you didn't listen! You went with him anyway, despite what we told you. You can't blame us for that." I say, lowering my voice from a shout.

"You aren't seriously blaming me for this," She gestures to her own body, "I couldn't possibly know he would lash out like this!" She shouts.

"But you knew-"

"I know!" Amy interrupts, still shouting, "Look, I knew he was trouble. That's exactly what I wanted. Neither you or Rachel were giving me the attention I needed, so I knew that dating someone like Jaxon would catch your attention. I know it was the wrong thing to do, but I didn't think he could be that bad. Obviously, I was wrong."

I am stunned for words. Of course that is the reason why she dated him, it makes so much sense - attention. She always got plenty of attention with her mother and father back home, so of course she would expect it here aswell. It's not like we were treating her badly, she simply wasn't getting the attention she wanted.

"Obviously." Is the only word I can think to say to her, otherwise I am speechless.

"That's it?" She asks quietly.

"That's it." I confirm.

"No comfort? No worrying? No help? Nothing?" Her voice is nearly below a whisper as she says these words.

"That's it." I repeat.

"Well, so much for being my sister." Amy scoffs, barging out the door and toward her own room.