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JAY
Idrive over to Hannah’s place, annoyance fueling my foot on the gas pedal.
I love my sister, but she’s always had a tendency to involve herself a bit too much in other people’s lives, especially mine. Her call to Violet tonight is a perfect example. I know she means well, but she needs to understand that Violet and I need to handle this on our own terms.
We’re already struggling enough. Violet having one of the people she should be able to count on berating her for her choices is too much. I need to talk to Hannah without Violet present.
I park outside Hannah’s apartment complex, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. This conversation could go a lot of different ways, and I need to stay calm and focused. I knock on her door, and after a few moments, she opens it, looking surprised to see me. She’s no longer on the phone, so she must have finished her conversation with Violet.
“Jay? What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk, Hannah,” I say, stepping inside as she moves aside to let me in.
“Okay… about what?” Hannah shuts the door behind me and makes steady eye contact. We’ve gone toe-to-toe before, and I intend to win this time.
I take a deep breath. I don’t want this to come out too harshly, but it needs to be said. “It’s about Violet and me. And about you getting involved in things that aren’t your business.”
Her eyes widen, and she crosses her arms defensively. “I was just trying to help, Jay. You know I care about you both. And everything I said was right. You can’t even argue. No one wants to get pregnant from a one-night stand. Seriously, ask for a show of hands. None would go up.”
I snort and shake my head. “The problem is that Violet is already dealing with enough trying to process this. Your judgment doesn’t help. At all. There’s a difference between caring and interfering. Violet and I need to figure this out ourselves. You calling her and pushing her about the pregnancy... it’s not helping.”
She looks hurt, but I can see the defiance in her eyes. “I was worried about her. About both of you. This is a big deal, Jay.”
Charlie comes out of the bedroom to see what’s going on, but my issue isn’t with him. I continue to stare at Hannah as we stand in the doorway of her apartment.
“I’m not an idiot, Hannah. I know it’s a big deal. But Violet is freaking out. She’s lost her dad, her home, and now she has a whole pregnancy to deal with. She needs support from you, and if you can’t give that, then maybe you should just shut up and give her space.”
“How dare you?” Hannah says, her tone rising. “I’m her best friend. And it’s your fault she’s even in this situation to begin with.”
I snort. “Okay. Say that all you want if it makes you feel better.”
“It’s true!” Charlie comes over and starts rubbing his hand in circles on Hannah’s back. He’s probably trying to get her to calm down, but she’s not about to do that. “You know you’ve never been Mr. Committed. You’ve always slept around, and you’re lucky this hasn’t happened until now. But of course, when it does, it’s with my best friend!”
Charlie squeezes Hannah’s shoulder but doesn’t say anything.
“Judge me all you want, but you have to let us handle it. We’re adults. We need to make our own decisions, even if they’re hard ones. Be supportive or don’t be there at all. But the negativity isn’t necessary.”
She shakes her head, frustration evident on her face. “And what if you make the wrong decisions?”
“And you know what the right decisions are? Last time I checked, you were working a dead-end job that you hate at the community center. So–”
Hannah throws me a hateful look, and I know I’ve gone too far. I know I have to be the bigger person here and extend a peaceful hand, but goddammit she’s pushed me too fucking far.
I take a deep breath trying to bring my tone down. I’m supposed to be helping the situation, and right now, that’s not the case.
“We’ll ask for help if we need it, but you have to trust us to handle our own lives. We can’t have you stepping in every time we’re dealing with something. It’s not fair to us, and it’s not fair to you.”
Hannah lets out a heavy sigh, her arms dropping to her sides. Charlie takes her hand in his and squeezes it. “I just want to make sure you’re both okay.”
“I know you do, and we appreciate it. But there are boundaries, Hannah. You have to respect that.”
She looks down, her expression conflicted. “It’s just hard, you know? I care about you so much, and I don’t want to see you struggle.”
“We can’t have a perfect relationship. You know I’ve dealt with commitment issues in the past. Well, now, I have to be committed because a kid who has my DNA is going to be relying on me. This isn’t going to be easy. But we’re figuring it out. Violet could use your support, not your demands.”
There’s a long silence as she processes what I’m saying. Finally, she looks up at me, and it seems like she’s finally getting it. “Okay. I’ll back off. I’ll let you and Violet handle this. But if you need anything, anything at all, you come to me. Promise? And please don’t keep secrets.”
“I promise. Thank you, Hannah.”
