“That’s not better! How long has it been going on?”
“Seriously, Mum? All of the times I said I was staying at Sophie’s...” She trailed off. I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop. And to stop fucking around with Kai.
“You were with him? Are you stupid?” Alison yelled. Tegan walked off. “Tegan!” Alison reaching out to grab her as she walked past but she dodged to the side and ran upstairs. Shit, she was more complicated than I first thought.
Alison took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face. “I’m so sorry you all had to witness that. I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
All? Sure enough, everyone but my dad was standing around, watching the showdown. Perfect.
Ava hugged her mum as she sobbed harder. I felt so sorry for her, she had to deal with losing her husband as well as a difficult – and that was putting it lightly – daughter. I had no idea what to do either. I thought I could help Tegan and while I was still determined to do just that, I had a feeling it was going to be a lot more difficult than I imagined.
“Are you okay, Lucas?” Ava asked, pulling back from her mum a little so she could face me.
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”
“She doesn’t really like him, you know. We all know why she’s doing this.”
We all did know why she was doing it but we couldn’t just stand around and let her anymore, no matter how much she wanted to push everything and everyone away.
How the hell had I become so deeply invested in someone else so quickly? But Tegan wasn’t just any girl, both of our fathers saw to that.
I clenched my jaw. Screw this, I was pretty much falling for her already and I wasn’t about to let her push me away, too. “Well, she needs to stop.” No one stopped me as I followed Tegan’s path. That wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Someone had to try, though.
I could hear music coming from her room as I approached. She didn’t hear me when I knocked, or she was ignoring me. Well, if I was really trying…
I opened the door and walked in. She was sitting on the bed with a bottle of vodka in her hand. It was only just after four in the morning. What the hell was she thinking?
I stormed over to her and grabbed the bottle out of her hand. ”What do you think you’re doing?” I growled.
“I was having a drink,” she snapped, empty eyes narrowing.
Keep your cool.
Sighing, I sat in front of her. “Why are you doing all this?”
She frowned. “Doing all what?”
“Kai.” I spat out his name. “Getting drunk, fighting with your mum, pushing everyone away.” Her face hardened and she turned away from me. “Let me help you, Tegan, please? Your dad wouldn’t want this.”
Her body tensed at the mention of Simon. She looked at me like she hated me. “Leave.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I don’t want you, Lucas. Why can’t you understand that?” That didn’t feel good. It wasn’t just her words that kicked the air out of my lungs; it was her tone, too. “Seriously, just go.”
I stood up and walked out of the room, taking the vodka with me. Ava and Grace were talking in Ava’s room as I passed. They looked up at me with matching sympathetic smiles.
“Lucas,” Grace called as walked past. Groaning, I turned around.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry for what she said, she didn’t mean it,” Ava said.
Since we were having this conversation, I walked all the way in and sat on her computer chair. “Didn’t she?”
“No, of course she didn’t. You mentioned Dad. That makes her flip out, especially if she’s already in a bad mood. She just says the most hurtful thing to get you to stop. She’s done it enough times to me and Mum.”
“I have no idea what to do,” I replied, taking a swig of the vodka. I was in no better position than Alison.
“Neither do we. Ever since Dad’s funeral she’s completely changed. I just want my happy, loud, dancing, singing, piano playing, annoying baby sister back.” She blinked back her tears and took a deep breath. “I hate the cold, hateful person she’s become.”
“I’m sure in time she’ll be okay,” Grace said. She always was blindly positive. It was actually one of the things I loved most about my twin.
“Yeah, hopefully,” I replied, trying to sound like I believed her. “I’m gonna go to bed, see you guys tomorrow.” I got up and left, not wanting to talk anymore.
I was staying on the sofa bed in the study, which was, thankfully, upstairs. I didn’t want to see anyone else. After removing my jeans and t-shirt, I got in bed for some much needed sleep. I’d not slept in about twenty hours so I should’ve been tired. My mind was buzzing with thoughts of Tegan.
Chapter Nineteen
Tegan