My famous brothers

41. Leaving

Lucy's POV

"Come in," I mumble as I hear a knock on my door. I look up and see Luke and I tense up a little. I haven't spoken to him properly since I said what I did.
"Hey, you ok? Haven't see you much since you moved." He says with a friendly smile.
"Yeah..." my mind goes blank. Why is it suddenly so hard to talk to him. I See his face scrunch up a little.
"Lu?" He says and I look at him. "Whats wrong?" He could always tell and I gesture for him to join me. He walks over and sits casually on the other side of my bed and looks at me. He's worried.
"Its just.... I.." he puts his hands supportively over mine and I take a breath.
"Lu its ok. You can tell me anything." See theres the brother I know. The one thats always cared and put me first. Who's gentle and wouldn't hurt an innocent fly. Why was I letting what I'd learnt taint that. He's my brother. He'll always be my brother.
"I learnt something about you." I say, but he raises an eyebrow and i panic slightly.
"Ok...? What did you learn about me?" He asks and then I see Ryan walk past looking alarmed.

"Lucy?" He says his voice sounding nervous. My eyes water and it only rings alarm bells for Luke.
"Ryan? Whats going on?" Luke says as he pulls me closer to him for comfort. I look up at Ryan, my tears now falling.
"Please Rye I can't keep it in any longer." I say. He just nods.
"Ryan?" Lukes voice is getting lower as his defence rise.
"I told her about your past and the room." Ryan sighs and I feel Luke tense. He never tenses.

He gently sits me up making sure I'm ok.
"Luke I'm-" Ryan starts but it's probably the worst thing he could of done.
"What sorry? You told my sister about something that I should of told her when I was ready. Now look! She wasn't ready and I wasn't and now she doesn't even feel comfortable around me." Luke says. He's angry but he's mindful not to yell. "So tell me Lucy what do you think when I do this?" He grabs Ryan by his shirt and pins him to the wall. Lukes strong so he can lift Ryan easily off the floor.
"Luke, don't -" i say but he cuts me off.
"What hurt him? Fight him? Go good old angry Luke on him?" He drops Ryan and turns to me. "I knew in this business I'd be judged. But i expected it to be the paparazzi, not my own sister." I hear the hurt in his voice. He shoves past Ryan and leaves. Then I hear the front door gently close.
"I'm sorry." Ryan says.
"Don't be, I made you tell me. Its my fault." I sigh and he just pulls me into a hug.

Lukes POV.

I'm mad. I'm confused. I'm annoyed. And I'm sad. Feels like losing my sister all over again. I walk home and go straight to the kitchen. I grab the bottle and hold it in my hand. Like an old friend.

I walk out to my front yard and chuck it in the bin and hear it smash. I then went and found every other hidden bottle and did the same. Over and over each one louder then the next. Then jake and all his roommates including Lucy came out and then I got a little stupid. I took out a lighter and just chucked it in and watched the fire burst out.
"What are you doing?" Jake yells as he runs over. I just stand there. He runs inside and grabs the fire extinguisher and puts it out.
"What the heck!" He says once's it's all out and I just scratch my head.
"I had a fire extinguisher?" I say pointing at the object he's holding.
"Yeah. Now why on earth did you set fire to your trash can." He says.
"I was testing a faster way to make s'mores." I say. "Now look I gotta start all over again." I joke.
"Luke?" Jake says and I look at him.
"I'm fine brother. Be happy that part of me is gone." I say before turning around and going back inside.

Jakes POV

I know my brother. He's not okay. I stand in his driveway contemplating whether or not to follow him. But when I go inside I don't think I was quite ready for what came next.

"Luke?" I say crossing my arms.
"Ya?" He says without looking away from what he's doing.
"Why are you roasting a marshmallow over a candle?" I ask raising an eyebrow.
"I'm considering becoming a scientist." He mutters.
"You were rubbish at science." I say.
"Exactly, all I have to do is cause a load of accidents and get the smart ones brains working then boom cures." He says.
"Luke?"
"Yes?"
"Turn, your burning it." I say looking at it.
"Cheers brother. See I'm not all crazy." He says.
"Luke what's going on?" This time he sighs.
"Ryan told Lucy about my past. She's scared of me!" This time I sigh and I'm stomach tightens.
"I know." I say.
"You what?" His voice is low.
"I knew ok. Why do you think I told you to let her come to mine." He gets angrier.
"What do you think I'm dangerous too! That I was gonna hurt my own little sister!" He yells.
"No Luke. I wanted to show her you'd changed. I made her clean the attic and see everything you've been through to recover. I was making her come to terms with your past. I was trying to help." I say trying to calm him down.
"Really?" He says sadly.
"Yes. Now eat your sad little marshmallow." I laugh and he takes a slow bite out of it. 
"I'm a genius." He mutters as he chews and I laugh.
"Come on how about we make a fire, IN your ACTUAL fireplace and roast marshmallows." I say.
"Sure, if it pleases your upper class mindset." He says smugly as he strides past slowly and shoves the rest of the massive marshmallow in his mouth and struggles to chew it but tries to hide it.

I ended up setting up the fire with Luke and just sitting infront of it roasting marshmallows and talking about what was going on in our lives. It brought me back to the days me and Luke were just staring out and had no money so we depended on a campfire to cook our meals or the microwave if we could afford it that week.

I kind of miss it. I was a lot closer to my brother back then. I hadn't realised how far we'd grown apart till now. Lucy was the only reason we'd started talking again after his drinking.

Lucy's POV

"Stacy?" I ask opening the door. "Luke's house is the other one." I say.
"I know. I'm here to see you not Luke." She says confidently.
"Oh. Then follow me I guess." I take her too my room. Neither of us speak until we're there. I sit in my desk chair and she sits opposite me on my bed.

"So why are you here?" I ask.
"Why are you scared of your brother?" She says softly.
"Because it's not every day you learn your brother went through some dark stuff like that. The brother I knew to be gentle has a temper and gets in fights and is aggressive." I say.
"Lucy that's his past. He's changed so much. He went to rehab, then therapy, he took meds for his mental health, he learnt better coping techniques and he learnt to open up to people like me. You need to start changing the 'has' in your sentences to 'had'. He's changed. He's better. Yes he gets angry and yes he gets upset, but if he were still that man he was do you really think he would've cared when you got in that crash. Cause he wouldn't of. He would've gotten angry that you snuck out and ruined a car he got you and drank his alcohol. But he didn't. He was scared Lucy. Scared he was gonna lose you, he didn't care about the materials, they were just price tags to him. But you were and still are his world. He blamed himself every day you were laying in that bed. He wanted to fight Alex but he knew it was wrong and that it would make you upset. He only ever thinks about you. Now does that sound like a monster?" I want to cry.
"No." There's a silence.

"Can you help me book a plane ticket?" I say nervously and Stacy looks shocked.
"What?" She says.
"I just wanna go visit my parents. Remind myself Luke isn't a horrible person and that he's still my brother without hurting him." I say. She pauses then sighs.
"Fine." She sighs.

And we book the plane ticket. After we're done I tell Jake my plan. It takes some convincing until he says fine. I leave in the morning. The sooner I go the sooner I can get better for my brother.