One of us is lonely

Chapter 2

✖ ✖ ✖

IT WAS WELL PAST MIDNIGHT when Red woke up from the sound of her family coming home. She had run off from the party and instead of sleeping in her own bed, she had crashed down on Finn's. It was a habit she had developed from when she was younger. She used to get bullied a lot when she was a kid. Whenever she had had a tough day at school, she crawled next to her brother in his small twin bed and he told her stories he made up on the spot. It calmed her, stopped her tears. She still did it when they were older, for different reasons and less frequent, but it was still her favorite way of dealing with a shitty day. The door to Finn's room creaked open, waking her up. Finn was not surprised to see his sister safely tucked away in his sheets. A soft smile rested on his lips, one Red couldn't see. She felt the left side of the bed softly move, indicating that Finn had sat down. She slowly opened her eyes. He had already taken off his blazer and his tie. He'd undone a few buttons of his shirt, his collar popped. His hair was a mess and he lightly smelled of a mixture of alcohol. With a groan he lowered himself, resting his head on the pillow. 

"Hey, kiddo." He whispered. 

"How was the party?" Red placed her head on Finn's shoulder, closing her eyes again. 

"It was alright. We missed you though." 

"I can't do this, Finn." She admitted. It wasn't the first time she had spoken those words. In the past two years, she had told him more than once that she was tired of pretending. That she wanted to go back. Finn always gave her the same answer. Asking her if a life of running for the law, stealing to get by, and getting beaten up for sometimes no reason at all, was really what she wanted. And every time she said the same. Maybe they weren't happy all the time, but at least they were themselves. Now they were nothing more than shadows of their former selves. As if they always wore a mask, only taking it off at night when no one could see them. 

"Is this because of PJ?" Her brother questioned. 

"He hates me, Finn." She breathed out, PJ's words were still very vivid in her brain. She could hear them echo through her head every time she closed her eyes.

"He doesn't hate you."

"He does. And he has every right to. I left him." She felt like a traitor. She ran away to the comfort of the South while he and his family barely got by. The first year they had tried to make it work, but as time went by it became more and more difficult for her to show her face in the North. And without her, she worried PJ would go down the same path she'd always tried to keep him from. Truthfully, she was not a saint either, but she'd always known where to draw the line and when not to cross it. PJ didn't have that kind of common sense. It would only be a matter of time before he'd do something reckless and irreversible and she would not be around to save him. 

"He'll come around," Finn said, stroking Red's shoulder to calm her down. "He cares for you." Finn had to give it to him. PJ cared. He'd always cared. And he knew that he would not be able to erase Red from his life, even if she was a Southsider. Finn had tried. When Red was fourteen he noticed for the very first time that she and PJ might be a bit more than friends, even if they didn't want to admit it. And he hated it. He wanted his sister to be with someone that was better than them. Someone who was a bit higher on the food chain, someone who was not a thief. He had tried numerous times to keep them away from each other but they always seemed to find their way back. They would too now. 

When Red woke up that morning it was in her own room. As he always had done, Finn had carried her from his bed to hers once she'd fallen asleep. And although undisturbed, her sleep had been restless. Images of her fight with PJ haunted her and turned into nightmares. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, sitting up straight in her bed. The sun shone brightly through her window, the white curtains barely holding back any of its light. She jumped into a bikini and pulled a pair of ripped jeans shorts and a black crop top over it, before heading down the stairs. It was Summer. For the next two months, bikini's and flipflops were what she'd live in. Her mother, Oliver, and Finn were sat outside on the terrace having breakfast. Breakfast on the North usually consisted of toast and a cup of lukewarm instant coffee. If there was one thing the South did better, it was definitely that. The table was overloaded with waffles, pancakes, exotic fruits, bread in five different kinds, fresh coffee, and hand-squeezed orange juice. The smell of coffee beans and croissants was heaven on earth. 

"Goodmorning, sweetie." Penelope greeted as Red walked out into the sun. "Are you feeling any better?" She glanced at her brother and from the look on his face, she could see that he had used the sick-excuse to explain why she'd left the party without saying goodbye. 

"Uh, yeah..." She trailed off, sitting down in the only empty chair left and pouring herself a cup of coffee. "My stomach was just not quite alright." 

"Stomach? I thought you had a headache?" Penelope lifted a brow, looking from her daughter to her son. 

"Yeah, it- uh, it started out with a headache but by the time I got home... Let's just say the toilet and I got to know each other a little better last night. Migraine, I guess." She shrugged it off as if it was no big deal and took a bite from her croissant. Lying came almost too easy by now. She was so used to lying her way out of all different kinds of messed up situations, she'd pretty much mastered it. Her mother softly rubbed her arm and gave her a warm smile. 

"So, what are you kids up to today?" Oliver asked, looking over his newspaper. 

"The guys and I are gonna head to the beach," Finn replied. Red looked up at him. This was the first she'd heard of these plans. 

"Are the girls allowed to come?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"Only if they aren't annoying little sisters." He teased, a cheeky grin on his face. Red gasped, pretending to be insulted and she threw her napkin at him. "Lucky for me I only got a really cool sister." He added, smirking. 

"You better." Finn laughed and Penelope joined as she watched her kids' playful banter. She was proud of both her daughter and her son. They had managed to stay out of trouble ever since they'd come to the South, or at least as far as she was aware. There had been no nightly trips to the police station, no angry calls from school. Aside from the frequent swearing and underage drinking, they were pretty much perfect to her. 

"I heard the Blythes are back in town," Oliver announced. "Have you met their son, Finnegan?" 

"Can't say that I have." Red stifled a laugh. Oliver was a true Southsider in heart and soul. The way they spoke had always sounded funny to Red and as Finn's full name rolled off his lips, as if it was a delicate something, she could barely hold it together. Oliver knew quite well that it was something Red found amusing and he usually would withhold from speaking as he was used to around them, but sometimes the Southside slipped out. 

"He's a fine young man." 

"And handsome too," Penelope added, glancing at Red. 

"For the love of God, mom." Red breathed out as she noticed her mother giving her the matchmaker's eyes. Penelope could not understand how a girl as pretty as her daughter did not have a boyfriend yet. Of course, she wasn't aware of the occasional hook-up with PJ, and Red would like to keep it that way. Penelope tolerated PJ as Red's friend, but that was about it. 

"I'm just saying." She teased, holding her hands up in the air in defense. Finn and Oliver laughed and Red got up from her chair, shaking her head. 

"Thanks for breakfast, as--" 

"Reed, watch your mouth!" Her mother interrupted before Reed could finish her sentence. She grinned, a soft chuckle escaping her throat. Finn, being the good brother he is, laughed along with her. "And you," Penelope hit Finn against his shoulder with her magazine. "Don't encourage her." Red made a peace sign with her fingers as she headed out the door and back up the stairs. She let herself fall back down on her bed, staring at the ceiling she let out a long breath. 

"Let the Summer begin." 

✖ ✖ ✖

I'M LOVING THIS SOOOOO MUCH. I hope y'all do too.