Year of Goodbyes [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 6 - Family stuff

"So... I have to tutor him today" I sighed, I was explaining to the girls what happened on saturday at Ryle's 'cause I missed school on monday; Soph was a bit sick and mom being mom was drinking, since she can't take care of herself how would she be able to take care of a seven year old?

Ava, Lily and Julia all shared a look before simultaneously bursting into a fit of laughter, I rolled my eyes. After a few minutes they all settled down and Julia spoke, "Be nice, Phoebes. He was just trying to be sweet, Ryle doesn't seem like the type to grope women in their sleep often"

"Yeah, I mean Jacob told me that he's really against all that harassment towards women stuff, remember how he was at the party?" Ava spoke. "I get that but at the same time he is Ryle West, you'd expect him to not give a single flying fuck about me, yet apparently he does"

"Okay, well, on the Ryle-caring-about-Phoebe topic, he asked why you missed school yesterday, we didn't know what to tell him" Lily shoved a slice of an apple into her mouth. "He did?"

"Mhm" Ava hummed, "So why didn't you come to school yesterday?" she continued. "Soph was feeling sick and no one could take care of her" I explained, leaving out the part about mom not being able to take care of her kid because apparently a bottle of vodka was ten times more important than her daughter.

After that the girls dropped it and I went about my day, until...

"Bee?" That was... no, he was away for university it just, it could not be him. I looked up from my desk and as funny as it seemed to see him standing there, the purpose to why he'd come here was far from funny.

The teacher spoke to him and with a pitiful look she waved me over, I left all of my stuff on my desk but Miss. Watson stopped me. "Bring all of your stuff, Phoebe" she said seriously, I was scared of what had happened. A certain someone's eyes -- Ryle -- were on me, the fast beating of my heart was far more loud for me to care about anything or anyone else.

I did as told and then walked outside with him, I closed the door.

"Weren't you at Yale?" I asked, "I wanted to surprise you and Soph. EJ was helping me but... something happened, Phoebe. Something really bad happened."

Shit, he called me by my first name.

That man was not the Noah I knew, the funny, happy older brother that always cheered me up when I felt down. No, this was a grown ass man scared or worried about something, maybe both. I never saw him scared.

"Noe, what happened?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed and without realizing, I was starting to fidget with my fingers. "It's Sophie" he sighed.

My world as I knew it stopped, my heart stopped, my breathing stopped, everything stopped, I stopped. I froze and choked out; "Is she..."

He knew what I meant but I didn't, I didn't want it to happen, she's a baby, my baby. I can not loose my little sister. I didn't want Noah to answer, I wanted to sew his mouth shut so that if it was what I thought it was, I would not hear it. Not again.