Broken Promises

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

It had been a total of two weeks since my brother was sent to rehab, and one week since I heard that haunting voice message. Oliver didn't try talking to me any the past couple of days, and rumors about my brother were still circulating around school. Melissa and I had hung out a couple times, and I went over to Brody's house once in the past week and a half. Other than that, nothing else major had happened, and life was pretty much normal. I stayed home most of the time, and there were no more calls from unknown numbers.

It was still hard to believe any of this was happening in just a short period of time, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling anxious. More like on edge. It felt like someone was watching my every move, plotting something against me. So maybe everything wasn't completely 'normal'.

In all honesty, I didn't start feeling this way until I heard what was left on my brother's phone. So maybe it was all in my head and I was being paranoid. But it still didn't keep me from checking all my surroundings.

It was a Sunday, and my parents wanted to go out for lunch. But honestly, being around people didn't sound so appealing to me. I just want to be left alone, so I opted out of going to lunch. It surprised me, though, when my mother didn't force me to go. It was so unlike her. Then again, she was never mad at me. It was always Adam.

When they kissed me on the cheek, they told me they'd be back later and left. Once the door closed, I went upstairs to my room and pulled out my notebook. Whenever I was bored or wanted to get things off my mind, I would always start sketching. My drawings weren't the best, but they weren't awful either. Adam and I used to draw together to see who came up with the better picture. Mom and Dad would always judge, and we both won and lost an equal share amount.

A smile played at the corners of my lips when I remembered the first drawing contest we had. We had to draw a picture of an animal. My brother thought it would be a good idea to draw a picture of a dog, and I remembered the look of admiration when I went above and beyond and drew a cat jumping over a dog. It was a silly picture, but he loved it and told me he loved my imagination.

I was only nine at the time, and he was eleven.

A tear slid down my cheek, and I wiped it away with the back of my head. No more crying. I told myself I wasn't going to cry anymore when it came to Adam.

But god did it hurt thinking about him. I missed him so much.

Pushing all thoughts concerning my brother into the back of mind, I grabbed a pencil and began sketching. I wasn't entirely too sure what I was going to draw, but as I shaded in some lines and doodling, I realized what I was drawing.

A house, with a family standing right in front of it. There was a younger girl, standing in between an older woman and man, and a boy kneeling down in front of them. They were all smiling, excitement flashing in their eyes. The picture I drew was us. Me, my parents, and Adam. A family picture that showed the happiness and closeness of what they were. And now they were broken all because of a stupid habit one of their decided to choose over his own family.

I ripped the page out and crumbled it up, tossing it in the trashcan underneath my desk.

Adam and his damn stupidity.

I wanted to hate him for this, yet I couldn't find myself to be able to. Despite all this, I still loved and cared about him, and I wished he wasn't in this predicament. I wished I wasn't in this miss, either.

The sudden beeping of my phone caused me to jump, and I looked down to see that it was a text message from Brody. He told me to look outside. With a sigh, I stood up and waltzed to my window, pushing aside the curtains and pushing my window up. Sticking my head out, I looked down at the driveway where my boyfriend stood, leaning against his car. He waved at me with a smile. When did he get here? Did he honk his horn or knock on the door and I didn't hear?