The Sound of Silence (Previously I Know What You Did Last Summer)

{Twenty-Seven} I Don't Care

           My fingertips grazed the soft red fabric as I caressed it, trying to think back to the somewhat normal night I had with Colton.

    Tonight had been the only night in a long time I'd seen a little glimpse of light flicker in the dark confinements of my head.

      Now that was gone. The heavy weight in my head and chest had returned, as had the sick, twisted feeling fueling and churning in the pit of my stomach.

     "Ave?" My brothers soft call was followed by a knock at the door. He shut the door gently behind him after he let himself in, his eyes roaming the dimly lit bedroom as if it was the first time he'd ever been in it.

      He crossed the room in a quick motion before sitting down next to me, his hand resting on the comforter inches from my leg.
 

       We both remained silent for a minute before he buried his face in his hands. I could feel years stinging my eyes the second he reached out and took my face in his hands.

   "I've given you you're space, Avery. But I can't keep seeing you this way. What's going on? You know I won't judge you, you know you can tell me anything."
  

 I dropped my jacket onto my lap, shaking my head in response to my brothers question. He reached out and pulled me against him, his hand slight trembling as it fell against my back. 

"Please, Ave. Talk to me. What's going on?"
 

 I breathed out shakily. "You have to promise me you won't do anything stupid, okay?"

He eyed me curiously for a moment before nodding for and making a gesture with his hands for me to continue.
     

"I... Someone hurt me, Landon. "
   

      There was a long silence between us before he sighed. "I know."
  

 I opened my mouth, my response already on the tip of my tongue, the slowly shut it as I comprehended his unexpected answer.
 

    "What do you mean?" I whispered, still feeling in shock of his words.
   

He stayed quiet for a while, as if he were processing what he was going to say, before he touched his right hand to my shoulder.
   

            "Ave, I know you better than you know yourself. Sure I wasn't exactly sure what it was that was bothering you, but I saw a change in you at the beginning of the summer." He paused, then went on.     

       "And I sure as hell didn't believe you got that nasty ass gash in your side from Isabelle's dog. Then I noticed how you were reacting to my touch, to Colton's. It helped my case when you left your laptop open on a support group website. I put two and two together. But it wasn't my place to press you on it, Avery. I understood that you would talk to me when you were ready, no matter how much I hated watching my sister dissipate little by little."

That was all it took for the tears I'd been holding back since he stepped into my room to escape.
 

 "Colton didn't tell you?" I asked in a choked whisper, scratching at my tear stained cheeks. "Why did you treat him so shitty if you knew?"
 

   "Of course not, Avery." He smiled sadly. "You trusted him, and if there's one nice thing I can say about the idiot it's that he knows how to keep secrets. I'm glad you had him to lean on, I really am. I'm glad you weren't all alone in this, able to find someone to hold you're hand through it. At least as much as they can. I just. . . I've been struggling through a lot of my own problems and you trusting him with such life changing shit over me hurt."
      

He brushed his knuckle under both eyes the forced me to look at him. "Now promise me you'll try to stop drinking. You're going to end up hurting yourself both physically and mentally, Ave, and it's not anything but a quick fix."

There was so much I wanted to say, but no worse slipped passed my trembling lips. Once my brother realized I wasn't going to respond, a sadistic smile started to inch it's way across his face.

"Do you want to tell me who the piece of shit was that did this to you?" He said through his teeth.

I shook my head, averting my eyes. He grasped my chin between his fingers and turned me back toward him, eyes expectant.

"It's not going to help any." I finally whispered. "You know how these things go. Nothing will be done."

I paused momentarily then went on. "And you'll do some really stupid shit if I tell you, Landon. Leave it alone."

"The piece of shit is going down one way or another, Avery."

I dropped my head. "Two wrongs don't make a right, Landon."

"Don't start with that bullshit. Who did this?"

I only stared blankly at the comforter under me until my brother spoke again.

"Please, Avery." He pleaded.

I knew there was no way I could force the words passed my chapped lips. I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and pulled up the picture of Kevin's destroyed Mercedes-a photo that had been trending for the last forty-eight hours.

I hugged my knees to my chest as my brother pried the phone from my trembling fingers, resting my chin on my crossed arms as I watched every inch of my brother's expression change.

After what seemed like hours he finally glanced up from the phone with an unreadable expression.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore, Avery."

I laughed through the tears silently running down both cheeks.

"But that's the problem, Landon, and you won't ever understand it. I'll always be afraid, always look over my shoulder. God, I wish I could just live a normal life, but I'll never be able too. I'm not the same girl I was, Lan," I paused his image blurring in front of me, "and I never will be."

***AN***

Hey guys sorry for such a short chapter! I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!

Let me know what you thought!

~ChasingMadness24