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“Are you okay?” I ask as I reach for the shifter.

“I’m fine,” she assures me. “Sorry about that call earlier.”

“You’re fine. That’s what I’m here for. But I’d like to know what’s going on. I’m headed to your house right now so you can tell me what’s up when I get there.”

“No, Harper, stop,” she insists. “You don’t need to come here. I’m fine now. I was just a little stressed out because we’re having this party tonight and I have a lot of things I need to do to prepare for it and the kids were crying and I… Well, I’m fine now.”

I pause, rewinding over her words, and the tone of her voice. She sounds calm. No, it’s more than that. She sounds numb.

She’s high.

I put the phone on speaker and start to back out of the parking space. “I’ll just come over and help you get ready for the party then.”

“No,” she replies in a clipped tone. “I mean, thanks for the offer, but I don’t need your help.”

I let my foot up off the gas, both concern and irritation pricking through me. “Where’s Liam?”

“He’s out back, getting stuff ready,” she asks. I can hear banging in the background. “Why?”

I chew on my bottom lip, well aware that the next words that leave my lips will piss her off, but I need to ask. “Can you give him the phone?”

“What? Why?

“Because I have to ask him something.”

“What?” she presses again.

“Something… about your birthday.” I am a terrible liar sometimes, but I need to double check that he’s home, so I know the kids aren’t home alone with her while she’s high.

Silence stretches by. I’m not sure if she believes me, but I don’t care.

“Fine,” she mumbles. “Hold on.”

The line grows quiet until I hear a door open up. Then Liam’s voice rises from the background.

“I thought you were getting started on the cooking?” he shouts over the banging.

“I am in a few minutes,” she replies. “The phone’s for you.”

“Who the fuck is it?” Liam wonders with annoyance.

She hesitates. “Harper.”

“God, why is your family so damn annoying?” he grumbles, then into the phone he snaps, “What?”

“I just wanted to say hi to my brother in law,” I say dryly. “And now that I’ve done it, I’m saying bye.”

“You’re so damn annoying and weird,” he mumbles grumpily.

“Cool.” I hang up the phone.

Huffing out a breath, I shove the shifter into drive and pull back into the spot. Then I turn off the engine, climb out of the car, and start back toward my dorm room. Rain is trickling down on me and without a jacket, goosebumps are dotting my flesh. I should run, but my feet feel heavy—everything does.

Instead of going back into my door room, I sink down onto a bench that’s underneath a large tree. The seat is wet, but I don’t give a crap. I sit in the rain, wishing it could wash away all of this, what’s going on with my sister, the past—everything that’s happened over the last couple of years.

I want it to all go away.

I want her to get better.