A Pirate's Life For Me

Chapter 11 - Hope You're Happy

BAILEY

Thank god for Brett. Without him, I don't know what I would have done.

I told him I'd pay him back the bail money, but wasn't sure exactly how. I had no job, an MIA husband and two sons to take care of.

Well. Not exactly.

"My god, is that Olive?" My brother's soft, deep voice jarred me from my thoughts. He pointed out the window of the waiting room at a woman walking toward the building. I shook my head, certain that this woman could not possibly be my little sister. "Are you sure?" Brett squinted out the window. Before I could say anything up, he was standing up and running to the door. Only then did I realize that the woman was in fact Olivia.

Why couldn't she just dress like a normal person? Oh, god, she looked so . . . so pirate-like. When the words floated through my mind, I shuddered. Pirates. What did that even mean? "Pirates" my ass.

Either way, she looked different from when I'd last seen her a few days ago. Her skin had tanned even more, her blond hair windswept. She wore boots and a bandanna. I didn't know what to think.

What surprised me even more than her appearance, though, was the fact that the moment she saw Brett, her face crumpled into tears. Brett embraced her, stroking her hair with one hand.

I hated being jealous of Olivia, but their relationship had always been something special. Brett was a year younger than I, and although there was a seven year age gap between he and Olivia, the two of them had always been closer than anyone in my family. Growing up, I'd even felt left out sometimes, like they loved each other but didn't love me.

Of course, that was just me being a melancholy teen, decidedly rejected by the world.

I think they got closer, though, when Olivia was diagnosed with bipolar. Her case was "mild" but severe enough to affect all of us. Sometimes Brett was the only one who could calm her down.

That being said, Olivia didn't cry often, so I was shocked to see her break down in the middle of the sidewalk. Sure, she'd cried when we were kids and I accidentally pushed her down the stairs. She'd teared when my parents told us they were splitting up. But over all, Olivia didn't cry. She just didn't.

However, she dried her tears quickly and pushed open the door. The moment our eyes locked, I wished I hadn't called her in the first place.

She glared at me with a hostile glint in her eyes. The moment I met her gaze, I regretted it. Her eyes seemed to burn through my soul, like she could see right through me.

"Olivia--"

"Where's Peter?" She cut me off.

"I'm going to pick him up in a couple of minutes, If you want to come," Brett answered for me, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her toward him. Olivia didn't take her eyes off me, but she nodded. "Alright, I guess we should be headed out then." Brett gave me an apologetic frown before they left, trying to pull Olivia away before she could shoot me any more withering glares, but she pushed him away, swinging by me on her way out.

"I hope you're happy. I know you did it."

When they were gone, I sighed to myself.

What was wrong with me?