The Party Scene Saga: Stories Yet To Unfold

Part 32

Jack

Lily's been acting strange for a while now. For the entirety of spring break, she was gone every morning by the time I got up and didn't come back until well into the afternoon. She always said the same thing: "I was with Kara and Lisa. Get off my back."

"She's had a stressful time recently," said May. "Maybe this is a delayed reaction to it."

"But why suddenly turn on me?" I sighed. "When she snaps, it makes me feel so shit for even caring."

"You don't get it do you?" May suddenly got quite harsh in her tone. "Girls worry about everything under the sun. Surely you learnt that having me as a sister? Lily's just been through a lot. She's finding it difficult right now, but she just needs you to be her shoulder to cry on, her ears when she's ranting and a punching bag when she's pissed. And the reason why she smiles in the mornings."

"I try but," I sighed. "I just feel like she's constantly pushing me away."

"She just needs time." May said calmly.

Hours passed and I still hadn't heard anything from her. She eventually came home, just as we started putting the dishes away from dinner.

"Oh lovely Barakats!" she sang through the house; great, she was drunk.

"Kitchen." my mom shouted out to her, but not in her usual, slightly friendly tone.

"I am so sorry I missed dinner, Mrs B." she slurred, relying on the counter to keep her steady.

"Well maybe if you weren't so busy drinking underage, you wouldn't miss a family meal." mom spat; she never got like this. "I'm all for you staying with us, Lily, but if you want to be one of the family, start acting like it."

She quickly left the room and went upstairs, followed by May. A door slammed and there was pure silence, only interrupted by the TV.

"What was that all about?" scoffed Lily, helping herself to leftover scraps.

"What the hell is with you?" I spat. "My mom welcomes you into her home with open arms and you just keep throwing it back in her face! You treat this place like a fucking hotel, Lil, and it's not okay."

She glared at me. "I'm going to bed." she said, trying not to slur.

"IS THAT IT?!" I yelled after her. "Is that fucking it? No apology? No explanation? Am I not worthy enough of your words now?!"

"Excuse me?" she half-laughed. "Stop acting like we're a married couple, Jack! I don't have to explain shit to you! It's my life and I'll live it how I please! I thought you were going to be so supportive of me, but it turns out you're just like the rest of them!"

I didn't realise she was crying until she was halfway up the stairs and let out a loud sob. I immediately scrambled after her, barely managing to slide into the bathroom behind her.

"Baby I'm sorry," I said quietly, trying to pull her into a hug. "I just want you to be safe and happy."

"How can I if you keep smothering me?" she sniffled. "I mean, not just you: your mom, May, Zack...I can't cope anymore. I need to get away."

I nodded, smiling a little. "No problem. We can go away for the weekend, just the two of us."

Lily let out an exasperated sigh. "No, Jack," Lily said sadly, cupping her hand around my cheek. "I need to get away. Being around you...you just remind me of Zack. I'm always thinking of the band when we're together and then I focus on Zack which brings me down. The reason I've been with Kara and Lisa so much lately is that I've been looking at apartments with them. They're looking for when they go to college; I'm just looking for a getaway."

I physically couldn't speak. If I'd had even the slightest idea that this was her plan, I'd have stopped her sooner. "Oh." I eventually murmured.

"I know it's a lot to take in," she began, looking away from me while she twiddled her thumbs. "But I need this, Jack. We need this."

What she was saying took a long time to sink in. I wanted to reach out, to grab her and never let go. But I knew she didn't want that; I knew deep down that she wanted to be free. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry." I choked out, but I didn't cry; I refused to let her get upset again.

Lily sniffled loudly as she looked up at me, utterly confused. "Why are you apologising?"

I finally pulled her into the smothering hug I'd been dying to give her since she ran up here crying."For holding you back. I've been so overprotective over you, I just..."

She narrowed her eyes. "You just...? Just what?"

"I love you so fucking much, Lily." I confessed, finally letting my tears fall. "And I know we've said that before, but I mean it. Lil, I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. I mean, when both of us are ready, that is."

She let out a tiny chuckle. "And I love you. No, I fucking adore you. I worship the ground you walk on. But I think we need a break. Just for a while."

"Understood." I nodded.

For a few hours, we lay on my bed holding each other tightly. We'd agreed to end it, for at least a little while anyway, but remain on good terms. Maybe this could do us some good; things are really starting to take off with the band, and the girls are looking at college. Maybe we just need to mature a little bit. Okay, maybe a lot, but we'll get there in the end. Me and Lily, we always do. We'd been in bed for so long that she ended up drifting into a deep sleep. A low snore rumbled from her, staying consistent in volume, and I couldn't help but smile. I missed watching her sleep; she looked so peaceful, even if her dreams were the most awful things in the world.