"Val, you have to do karaoke with me." Finn approached his sister with a wide smile, grabbing her hand and pulling her away from Natalia."Hey! We were dancing!" Natalia protested, and Finn paused and gave the girl a quick look. "Too bad."
He practically dragged Valoria to the karaoke stage, the brunette protesting the entire way. "Finn, you're the one who can sing! Not me! Why?"
Finn handed her a microphone with a wicked smile, "When I was 12 and you were 22, we did karaoke at that small bar on New Year's. Let's recreate that."
"I was drunk shit less and today I've barely had a glass!"
Finn shook his head, "That's no excuse. Now, let's sing some One Direction!"
Valoria let out an embarrassed laugh as her friends cheered them on, the music for Kiss You playing through the speakers beside them.
The siblings got through the karaoke in fits of laughter, both of them practically falling off the stage in laughter once the song came to an end. Valoria could hear her friends cheering for her and Finn as she pulled Finn into a hug.
"That was iconic." Caleb said, laughing along with his friends. Valoria shook her head slightly, "I'm too sober for this shit, I need to be way drunker to accept the fact that I just did that."
Natalia let out a laugh, grabbing her friend's hand and pulling her away from the kids, who were already planning group karaoke. "I don't think alcohol is a good resolve."
Valoria shook her head, "I'm not in an alcohol mood, don't worry." Natalia let out a laugh, tugging on Valoria's hand. "Well, I'm in a dancing mood, let's go!"
The two danced for three songs, laughing and cheering on the kids who did consecutive karaoke numbers. Caleb and Gaten continuously took the stage by storm with Millie breaking into fits of giggles alongside Noah. Valoria watched her brother, who was absolutely failing at dancing, with a wide grin, letting out a loud laugh as he slipped and fell.
Once the karaoke had been put to a pause, Joe approached Valoria hesitantly, giving her a small smile. "Can we talk?"
Valoria visibly stiffened but nodded none the less, "Of course. What's up?"
Joe looked around, a sigh escaping his lips as he grabbed her hand to pull her out of the party venue. The brunette swallowed her protests, following Joe out to a small patio that was adorned with colorful fairy lights.
The music from the party was barely heard, causing Joe to let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, you can hear now."
Valoria giggled softly, "Yes, I can."
Joe took in a breath, "I don't know how I'm meant to say this."
The brunette furrowed her brows, "What? Why?"
Joe ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm gonna say a lot, and I need you
to listen."
Valoria nodded, a confused expression on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for Joe's explanation.
"I like you, Val. Way more than I should, actually. I know you've been ignoring me and I know that I should've just accepted that fact that you don't want to know me but instead I asked Finn about it all. Finn told me that you ignored me for him and I just really need you to know that I'm not like the other guys, Val. I don't want some one week fling, I want you and when I told you I wanted a challenge, I meant it. I'll keep fighting this because I like you and I don't want to keep this as just friends."
Valoria stared at Joe, her lips forming a small 'o'. Her entire body felt frozen till she suddenly shook her head, whispering softly, "Don't say that."
Joe's gaze remained on her while hers met the floor, a confused look on his face. "Why not say that? I meant every-"
"I said don't!" Valoria's voice came out harsh as her heart pounded in her chest, her gaze moving up to meet Joe's eyes. "Every single damn person who has said that has been a liar and I'm not having it again, never again."
Joe furrowed his eyebrows slightly, a crestfallen expression playing on his face. "You're not even giving me a chance."
"Because I know!" She laughed bitterly, pitifully. "I know how these ends. I'm never worth it, Joe, I'm never the first option or the best one. I'm the one who gets dropped once I let them in."
"Then let me in!" Joe exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Just fucking let me in, Val! Don't jump from hanging out with me at two AM to ignoring me for a week! Let me in, let me show you how much I want you!"
The brunette took a step back just as Joe stepped towards her, shaky breathes escaping her lips as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I can't let you in. I can't let anyone in."
"Why not?" Joe demanded, his fingers moving to tug on his hair.
Valoria gave him a sad smile, "I bring out the worst in people. I'm toxic chaos, I will never be worth it. You told me I didn't see the prize like you did, but that's because I'm not a prize Joe."
Joe shook his head, grabbing one of her hands. She almost instinctively pulled away, hugging her arms to herself. Valoria could see the pain she was causing Joe, but she knew it was better for him.
"Val, you aren't a prize. You're so much more than that." Joe gazed at her, a hurt and torn expression painting his face.
Valoria shook her head. "I'm a mess, Joe. I will never be anything more than that." She took in a sharp breath, wiping at a single tear that slipped down her cheek. "I want you, God Joe, I want you, but that's the terrifying part. You don't deserve someone like me. I'm toxicity, I'll destroy you. You don't deserve that. You deserve a princess who will be good, not someone who has as much fucking baggage as I do."
"What if I don't want all that, and I just want you?" Joe whispered weakly, causing Valoria to let out another bitter laugh. "I won't allow that."
With that final sentence, Valoria headed back into the party and headed straight to the bar. As she ordered a drink, she heard Finn approaching her.
"You know you're not allowed, right?" Finn spoke, his tone coming off demanding.
"Let me fucking live, Finn." Valoria said spitefully, picking up her drink off the table and downing it. "You're not my keeper."
"But I am your brother, and I care about you. You know you can't do this, you've been sober too long to destroy it."
Valoria turned to Finn, her vision blurred with unshed tears. "I don't care, Finn! I'm sick of this all. We all know I'm a fucking mess and there's no solution. Now, go celebrate with your friends. We'll take a cab to go home or something. I'm not your mom and I don't need you to take care of me."
Finn stared at his sister for a moment, his brows furrowed in a mix of sadness and annoyance. "Well," he said in a low voice, "you and I both know that you're better than our mom."
With that, her brother stalked off, leaving Valoria a tearful mess. She downed another drink, prepared to gesture for another one till a pair of arms wrapped around her.
"I think you need to come with me." Natalia spoke into Valoria's ear, causing the brunette to stand up and follow her friend. Once they escaped into the bathroom, Valoria broke down, loud sobs echoing through the bathroom as she cried into her friend's shoulder, who did nothing but rub her back and whisper comforting words into her ear.
(note !)
i don't think the end of the chap makes sense, but i wanted angst oops

YOU ARE READING
worst in me | joe keery (1)
FanfictionWORST IN ME. ❝ maybe its the worst in me, that's bringing out the worst in you. ❞ in which an actor falls for his co-star's older, messy sister. (social media !) (completed - 12/11/2017 ! ) (highest ranking:...