Cookie's Sister

Chapter 5

I told mum everything.

Whether it was out of anger or sadness, I just wanted Jamie to stay. A part of me thought that if I told mum exactly what Jamie didn't want me to tell her, then he would stay.

Mum sat on the sofa with a cup of tea, tapping the sides of the mug with her rings. I was curled up on the armchair in the corner with a puffy face from crying.

Jamie came home.

"Jamie, love, can we have a talk please." mum said calmly, the sort of 'calm' that you need to be wary of, the sort of calm that you can tell is trying to hide anger or disappointment, or both.

Jamie stared at me, and trust me, if looks could hurt, I would be dead.
" You didn't!" he said to me through clenched teeth, exaggerating every. single. syllable.

I felt tears starting to fall down my face again.

"Hayley, sweetheart, go to your room." my mum said to me not taking her eyes off of Jamie.

"YOU TOLD HER! DIDN'T YOU! YOU BIT-"

"ENOUGH!!" mum snapped causing every one to fall silent.
I ran upstairs and slammed my door.

I jumped on my bed and reached for my phone and headphones. Tears staining my clothes and bedding.

I slid my headphones on and turned my music up loud, David Bowie flooded my head. "When your thoughts are too loud, turn the music louder",I lived by that rule.
I could still hear muffled shouts from downstairs, I felt awful, I caused this.
I eventually fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning and my face felt tight from crying last night. My eyes were sore and red.
I got ready for school and headed downstairs.

An eery silence flooded the house. No sign of Jamie, so I just leave for school.

_/\_/\/\_

I wait after school for Jamie, like usual. I wasn't sure whether he would show up, but after all, he's my brother, so he's worth the wait.

Just as I'm about to give up and walk, I notice Jamie's car, I wave him down, but he didn't stop. He drove straight past me. I briefly saw alex look at me with a confused expression.

Maybe my own brother doesn't care about me after all. After all those years of telling each other stupid shit that would make anyone else think we need to go to a mental hospital, he ignored me. He doesn't really care, does he?
I fell back into a pit of depression.

When I could no longer see the car in the distance, I began to run. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, thankfully in was a runner so I had no problem. I eventually arrived at matts garage, the door was open so I stood at the entrance. I saw Alex put out his smoke as he noticed me. I could feel beads of sweat of my forehead from running, it was just over a mile to get to matt's house. I stood there breathless, waiting for a response from one of the boys. Or even an apology from Jamie.

"er Jamie, mate" matt said as he saw me. I saw my brother fiddling with his guitar, trying to ignore me.
He eventually looks up at me and he death stares me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I've got nowhere else to go, Jamie!" I said with a lump in my throat.

"Get out." he said sternly

"Jamie, where would I go?!" tears started to fall, I tried to wipe then away as quickly as possible but they just kept falling.

"Why the fuck did you tell mum?! YOU ARE NO SISTER TO ME ANY MORE! YOU CAN FUCK OFF AND DIE! OR PERHAPS FUCK OFF MIGHT BE TOO KIND!!"

"alright! I'll just go and kill myself if that's what you want. If you would rather not have a sister at all. It was nice knowing you all!" I said through sobs. I turned around to go home.

"Jamie you can't talk to your own fucking sister like that!" alex said sternly through clenched teeth.
I turned around to see alex stepping towards Jamie.

"You what mate?" Jamie said surprised at Alex's statement

"I said that you. Can't. Fucking. Talk. To. Her. Like. That!"

In that very instant, Jamie tackles alex to the floor.

"JAMIE STOP!!" I scream through more tears.
Matt and Nick rush to try and separate alex and Jamie punching and hurting each other.
They bring them to their feet, but they're still trying to attack each other. I run forward to help separate them both, but Jamie took a swing at Alex, but instead of hitting alex, he hit my across my face. I fell back onto the floor, I could feel a warm liquid trickling down my face, my vision went blurry and then black.

I woke up to Alex cradling me with nick and Matt by my side. We're still in the garage so I can't have been out for long. There's no sign of Jamie anywhere.

"Where's Jamie?!" I ask and try to sit up "Oww!" I pin a hand to my head in order try and combat the pain.

"Heyy! Hey! Hey!" Alex said softly, "Jamie left after he punched you, matt can you pass me that ice please?"
I studied Alex's face as he gently placed the ice on my busted lip and bruised cheek. He had a black eye and a busted lip too. He also had a small amount of blood trickling down from his forehead. I winced at the cold stinging sensation from the ice.

" Alex I'm fine!" I reassured him took the ice from his grasp,"but are you OK?" I ask and place the ice up around his eye.

"I'm fine, love" he smiled softly. He stood up with me still scooped up in his arms, and he carried me through to matt's kitchen and sat me down the on the counter. He leaves for a second and reappears with a first aid kit. He unzips it and pulls out a medical wipe.

He steps forward in between my legs and started to gently wipe my face. I watch his face as he does so, he looks so calm. His eyes are deep, brown pools or chocolate. He has slightly pursed lips, his gelled quiff flops just over his forehead that is slightly deshevelled from the fight.

My mind flicks back to Jamie, tears start to roll down my cheeks as the the thoughts reappear. I suddenly feel a pair of long, warm arms around my back, and I nuzzle into Alex's body and also wrap my arms around his torso. I let out some small sobs.

"he hates me doesn't he?" I muffle into Alex's shirt.

"No, he doesn't. Shhhhh." he rocks me gently side to side and pulls back.

"alex, what am I gonna do?" I sob, more tears streaming down my face.

He places his hands either side of my head sending shivers down my spine and butterflies in my stomach.
"First of all, your gonna stop crying" he stated and uses his thumbs to wipe away my falling tears, he continued to clean me up and passed my some pain killers and a glass of water.

He continued to clean me up, "all finished!" he said softly and lifted me down from the counter. He reached for a new wipe and started to clean himself up.

"Let me do it" I say as I grab Alex's arm and turn him to face me.

I reach the wipe he was using and start to wipe his face very gently being cautious of the nasty bruises.
I can feel his eyes on mine and my eyes flicker between his and his wounds.

"You're all clean"

"What's wrong?" he asks

"Nothing"

"Tell me what's wrong, Hayley"
He sits himself on the counter and then grabs my waist, sitting me on his lap, "spill" he says

I sigh, "I'm sorry alex"

"Sorry for what?"

"for this" I gesture to his wounds, "if I had just pissed off and not come to practice then non of this would have happened."

"look, Hayley, I was the one that fought back with Jamie, it's not your fault"

"But... Why did you fight back?"

"Cos he was talking shite to you."

"but why d'you care?"

"you're not just my best mates sister" he lifts me off his lap.

"What?"

Alex just chuckles to himself and kisses my forehead before walking out.  I stand there confused, what the hell did that mean?