Landslide

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

A Week Later

Landon's POV:

"Your sister is worried about you, more so than usual," Lisa tells me, doing most of the talking, as always. "You understand why, right?" When I refuse to answer, she does it for me. "It's because you've been in more fights than usual this last week. Why? What triggered it?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

Yes, I do.

Sarah won't pick up her damn phone. It's annoying being ignored. She's stonewalling me as if I've done something wrong. And for some stupid reason, I miss that soft-hearted blonde with the pretty smile.

"You're regressing," she adds, pulling me from my thoughts.

"I know."

And I don't even care.

"Then do something about it," Lisa surprises me with her hostile tone.

I scowl at her. "That's why I pay you," I remind her. "Don't forget that."

"Fix it, Landon Kitler," she adds fiercely, refusing to pay attention to my threats. "Only you can."

"Again, your job," I reply angrily.

"I can't act for you, Landon. Believe me, I wish I could but I can't. Every decision you make and action you take is on you. Not me," she argues, shaking her head at me while remaining completely calm. "Life is not always going to suck. People are not always going to be out to get you. Open your eyes. You're the only one keeping yourself from a happy life. The choice is yours and so is the consequence or reward."

Lisa's by far the worst psychologist of them all, and that's saying a lot considering that I hate them all.

*~*~*~**~*~*~*

"Lan, are you okay?" Em asks me for the hundredth time, following me around the garage while I'm busy working on a Ferrari.

"I'm fine," I repeat, attempting to throw the wrench into the box but missing. I groan and stare up at the ceiling when the wrench lands under the shelf I've just managed to fix. I fixed it by building it into the wall – that wrench is gone.

"You're my brother, I know when you're lying to me," she replies, refusing to leave me alone. My sister is as stubborn as I am.

"Get a job, Emma. I'm tired of you leeching off of me," I say, losing my temper. I'm not even angry at her. I'm just angry and I don't even know why. I just need her to leave before I say more things that I'll regret. "It's time you grow up. I've sheltered you enough from this world."

"What the flip, Landon?" She asks me, her face going as red as her hair – an indication that she's mad. "I pull my weight around the house by winning races."

"I meant a real job, one that you're actually good at," I reply coldly, feeling indifferent to everyone around me.

"You know why I love racing so much," she says, poking me on the chest, "so don't you dare say that it's not a real job."

Memories of my dad fill my mind against my will. He's left a gap in my life.

When I don't say anything further, Emma stares up at me as if I'm a stranger to her, as if she doesn't know who I am anymore. "You're turning out to be just like her."

Her last comment stings. I helplessly watch her walk away from me, already feeling guilty for letting her take the backlash from me. I don't want her to be my punching bag. She's my little sister, the most important person in my life.