AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Better,” I mutter as “The Taste of Ink” by The Used kicks on. I shove the headphones up over my ears, and crank up the volume so there’s no chance of me hearing my phone should it start vibrating again, and I close my eyes.
Eventually I must drift off—the anti-anxiety meds finally kicking in, and doing their thing—because I startle when the bed dips, my eyes flying open to find my sister looking down at me. I fumble for my iPod, hitting pause halfway through “Send the Pain Below” by Chevelle.
Sliding my headphones off, I scoot up against the headboard, my melted icepack sliding off my chest and onto the bed.
“Hey,” I mutter.
Izzy searches my face. “Hey. Did I wake you?”
I give a little shrug.
Her lips purse, and I let my gaze sweep over her. Last I saw her she was standing up against a pissed off, spaghetti-drenched Ethan who’s a good six inches taller than her, and twice as wide.
What a good brother I am, running away, letting my sister fight my battles.
Bitterness gnaws at my insides, with regret and anguish not far behind, when I see the bruises on her swollen knuckles.
“Your hand,” I murmur.
She shrugs. “It’s nothing. You should’ve seen the other guy. All that blood gushing out…”
My eyes bug, and she giggles.
I open my mouth to say something, when the distinct sound of a phone vibrating over carpet fills the room. Izzy’s eyes dart behind me, to the other side of the bed. “You gonna get that?”
I shake my head. “It’s no one.” I gesture at her hand. “What about piano?”
She scowls. “What about it?”
I stare at her.
Rolling her eyes, she tosses the ice pack on the floor, and flips on to her back, joining me up against the bedframe. I wiggle to make room for her. Grabbing a pillow with her good hand, she holds it to her chest, and stares down at her swollen fingers.
“The nurse said I should be good as new in a couple days.”
“You could’ve done some serious damage.”
Another shrug. “Yeah, but it would’ve been worth it.”
“No. No, Iz. I’m not worth that.”
She whips her head toward me, brown hair flying. Glaring at me, she says, “You’re worth everything.”
My heart stutters at that.
“God, JJ,” she breathes, and I kind of die inside. “How did I not know? Why didn’t you say something?”
Shaking my head, I say, “It really wasn’t that bad for a while. It did stop. I thought…I thought maybe for good. But…”
“But what?”
I inhale deeply, then release it. “I don’t know. I guess they got bored. Missed me.” I laugh bitterly, the sound rusty like it’s been a while. Maybe it has.
“Maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe—”
