Missing [ST]

Eighteen

No one spoke.

Steven hated standing in the spotlight of blame, even if it was deserved. He couldn't deny his atrocious actions, and the reality of keeping secrets for so long could only ever have come back to bite him.

"How do you..." Brad looked up from the article, voice deceiving with shock. "How do you know it's her?"

Steven didn't have an explanation ready. Everything was jumbled words, thoughts, and memories, and he already sensed breaking civility.

"I...we-"

Joey dropped his feet that had been crossed on top of the table with a loud thump.

"I can't tell if you're shitting us right now, but well done for remembering what you did."

"I'm being serious I swear, it's just-" Steven chose a defensive mindset, unappreciative of the disrespect. "You're wrong- I didn't forg-"

"Don't worry, she's still alive if that's what you're interested in," Joey continued, drowning out the stuttering. "Yeah, whilst you and Joe have been fucking off, we've actually, you know, made sure she lives."

It snapped a nerve, one that was supposed to keep him calm.

"I didn't mean for this all to happen!" Steven was raising his voice, hands landing on the back of the empty chair he stood behind. "What's happened still doesn't feel real, and I just never got-"

"Never got round to it?" Joey finished, chair creaking as he leaned forward. "How long would it have taken, if it wasn't for this?"

The paper was flicked into the centre, a further condemnation to the very man responsible.

"Because it's been four days, Steven. Have you even noticed that it's been almost a week since we've had someone else living with us? Confused and scared out of her mind? I mean I'm guessing no, because you haven't even been here."

Jaw clenching and unclenching visibly, Steven could only take out his humiliation with a strong grip to the wooden frame. Patterns dug into his palms, but he didn't feel the pain. He was receiving too much verbally.

"Getting high doesn't make the problems disappear, and certainly doesn't-"

"Bullshit!" It was Joe who disapproved, no longer leaning so casually against the wall. "We've always got high to forget about stuff."

"Can you not see the circumstances are different?" Joey shot back, jutting out his chin. "And who are you to tell us what we can and can't say to Leah? I expected better from you- take our side at least."

"What?" Since the abuse was no longer directly on him, Steven found a way to accuse. "You did what?"

"What?" Joe was looking at him now, intense hurt weaving its way into an outburst. "I was fuckin' angry at you. Everyone listens to you when you talk shit ninety percent of the time, and look where it's gotten us!"

"So how does that explain your behaviour? You really think going with Steven helped?"

"Who else was going to keep him in check? You guys decided it wasn't going to be you, four days ago."

"Because we have Leah!"

Steven rocked the chair against the floor, putting a stop to the increasing tension between Joey, Joe and Tom, who was throwing in his first input into the mix.

"Will you just let me fucking speak!?" The right tone of his voice, when all his patience had disappeared, could easily silence a room. "I didn't come here to be lectured about getting high!"