54. Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Three
Lisette
M y head is pounding and I try to sit up, but my entire body feels weighed down. I press my palms to my eyes as I suck in a breath in pain. I try sitting up more slowly now as I look around the soft-lit room. I scan the room carefully and this isn’t my house. I try to retrace my steps, and when I notice the emerald couch I’m on, reality hits me like a truck.
“She’s awake.”
I go still at the sound of August’s voice and glance out at the balcony. For a split second, I contemplate making a run for it, but I won’t make that jump, and dying in order to avoid this talk is too dramatic even for me.
I lay back down as August comes around the couch, a huge smile plastered on his face. “Good afternoon.” He hands me a cup but I don’t take it.
“Is Sire here?” I whisper and when he nods I close my eyes in defeat.
I hear a few more footsteps before the couch dips a few times. Forcing myself to get this over with, I sit up and look around at the twins and Sire. I expected more people so I’m choosing to be grateful this isn’t an actual intervention.
Sage smiles over at me, her eyes glossy with tears. “You scared me.”
I shake my head at myself. I fucking hate making this girl cry. “I shouldn’t have come here, Sage, I—”
“No,” she quickly cuts me off, sliding down to take hold of my hand, and I hate how affectionate she is, but I let her hold me. “I’m glad you came here. You can always come to me.”
“You know,” August speaks up and I turn my attention to him next. “I’m a bit offended I was the last to hear about this, but this isn’t about me, so I’ll suck it up.” He puts his hands up in surrender and a smile tugs at my lips.
“ This as in me relapsing or me dating Sire’s best friend?”
His brows furrow before he turns to our brother. “Since when have you been calling Jackson your best friend?” He doesn’t let him respond. “ I’m your best friend.”
I glance over at Sire and he shakes his head at him. “This isn’t the time for this, August. We—”
“No,” August objects. “This is the time. Are you seriously going around telling people Jackson is your best friend? You’ve known the guy for what? Seven years? I’ve been here since you were still wetting the bed.”
I stifle a laugh, but pretend to cough when Sire glares at me.
“We’re brothers, August. Besides you, he’s my best friend.”
August’s jaw drops. “You can’t have two best friends. That’s why it’s called best. ”
Sire’s eyes narrow on him. “You’re seriously going to make me pick between you two?”
August folds his hand over his chest and Sire mumbles a curse.
“You’re not going to say anything about Lis dating him?” He tries to turn this to me now but fails.
“That is not what we’re talking about. If she’s happy then I’m happy, and if he hurts her, then we’ll hurt him, but you need to tell me right now if he’s your best friend.”
“You’re unbelievable,” Sire mumbles.
August’s jaw drops. “You’re really picking him?”
“Of course not, August.” Sire rolls his eyes at our brother. “I’ll always pick you. I didn’t think calling my closest friend my best friend would be an issue since we’re brothers, but I guess I was wrong. Can we go back to what this conversation was supposed to be about?”
A smile grows on August’s face.
They all turn to me and I feel my mood plummet but hold it together.
“Let’s get this over with.”
Sage gives me a knowing look, but I don’t apologize for the attitude. I don’t like being cornered and I want to get out of here.
August sits on the coffee table in front of me, his usual lighthearted expression gone. “We’re worried about you, Lisette.”
“I’m—”
“Don’t say you’re fine.” He sends me a weak smile. “We’ve been through too much together. We know you too well. You’re not fine, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. We just want to help you.”
“Okay, thank you. Is that all?” I try to stand but go still when Sire lets out a scoff, a smile tugging at his lips. “Is something funny?”
His eyes meet mine and a bitter smile is on his face. “I told them we were going to have to do this the hard way and they wouldn’t listen.”
I glance around the three of them. “What’s the hard way? Because I’m not going to rehab and you’re not—”
“We’re not going to force you there.” Sage takes hold of my hand again. “If you don’t want to go, then we won’t force you.”
I focus on her before pulling my hand away. “So what’s the hard way?” I push.
Sire leans his elbows on his knees as he focuses on me. “Let’s skip the ultimatums, Lis,” he starts. “You’re going to be on a cute little house arrest for the next few weeks, rotating between all of our houses until we decide you’re okay on your own. We’ll go to meetings like a happy family and you’ll start therapy. In three months or so, you’ll be so happy you decided to listen to us.”
I let out a laugh, but when none of them smile, I realize he’s being serious. “You’re joking.” My laugh sobers as I look between all of them.
“I wasn’t asking.” The weight of his words hang over me and I shake my head at him before standing.
“I don’t need a babysitter.”
“You do,” he counters.
“I don’t need therapy .”
“You need to be severely medicated if you actually believe that.” He rolls his eyes at me.
“Sire,” Sage bites out as August shoves his arm.
“You two are just as delusional.” He turns to the twins. “You’re both too damn nice and this isn’t going to work . We can’t kill her addiction with kindness and I’m honestly getting tired of this shit.”
I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but I go still at his words. “You’re getting tired of me?” I let out a scoff and he runs a hand down his face as he leans back.
“Not of you , Lis. I’m tired of them thinking this nice approach will work.”
“You said you had faith in me,” I remind him of his lie.
“I do. I have faith that this plan will work if you let us be your crutch. You don’t have to do this alone. Stop torturing yourself.” He stands from his seat but I take a step back before putting a hand up between us.
“I don’t want to be cornered, Sire. I don’t want to be monitored and hovered over. You all shouldn’t have to stop your lives to do that for me.”
“We want to,” August starts gently, rising from his seat and my panic rises as both boys walk closer to me.
“Stop!” My scream bounces off the walls and they both freeze. “Do not come closer.”
“Lis.” Sage stands from the couch next. “I promise you, we’re not going to take you to rehab.”
“So stay where you are.” I take another step back. “We don’t need to talk two feet away from each other and you don’t need to touch me.” My heart pounds in my chest as I look between the three of them frantically. Slowly, August takes a step back, but I watch Sire as he stays standing in place.
“Let me leave,” I plead.
“Absolutely not.” He shakes his head once before I make a run for the door. Just as I reach for the handle, his arms come around me.
“Let me go.” I claw at his arms, fighting for my life.
“Don’t you see how ridiculous this is?” Sire keeps his grip on me as he walks back to the couch, but I keep fighting him off. “Who’s point are you proving right now, Lis? Mine or yours?”
“Get off!” I kick him again and he drops me on the couch as he stands over me.
“You look like a crazy person.”
“Thanks for that, but this isn’t the drugs.” I roll my eyes at him as I stand, but he shoves me back on my ass.
August steps beside him. “No, it’s the lack of them, which is even more concerning,” he says gently.
“Yeah,” Sire starts. “And you’re a fucking asshole when you’re going through withdrawals, so now that the kicking and screaming is out the way, let’s come to some kind of agreement.” He glances down at the scratches on his arm before shaking his head at me.
“I don’t need you.”
He lets out a humorless laugh and I grab a pillow before chucking it at his face.
“I mean it,” I bite out.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes.” I sit up taller and he focuses on me for a beat before nodding.
“Fine.” He takes a step back and I feel my brows furrow as I watch him. “If you can last more than a week sober, I’ll leave you alone to get better on your own. If you fuck up, you’re on a rotating house arrest and I’m calling Mom.”
I bit my cheek to stop myself from agreeing, but my pride is a bitch and even if the withdrawals currently eating at me want to get high, I’ll last seven days just to prove him wrong.
“Fine.” I rise from my seat.
“Fine.” He takes another step back. “But you need to see me every day. If you miss one of my calls, I’m going to assume you’re high.”
I let out a scoff. “So much for believing in me.” I shove past him before grabbing my phone. “Fuck you, Sire. I’ll check in with the twins, you can go to hell. Don’t call me.”
“You’re really going to be like that?”
I hear him walking after me, and just as I reach the door, he grabs my arm, forcing me to face him.
“You just want to check in with the twins because they won’t be able to see through your lies.”
“Get off of me.” I try to pull away but he doesn’t let me.
“Where are you going to go?”
I don’t answer and he shakes his head at me.
“You really want him to see you like this?”
“Shut up.” I shove him but he doesn’t move an inch.
“Look at you, Lisette. You’re itching for another hit. You’re seriously going to run to Isabelle like this? Like your mom—”
I slap him across the face before he can finish his sentence, and a gasp breaks the air as the twins stare at us in shock.
“Don’t compare me to her,” I warn, and when he doesn’t say anything, I shove his chest. “Don’t ever compare me to her.” I storm out, and I think it hurts more that no one stops me.
After a solid half hour of searching for my car, I find it in front of a fire hydrant. Walking towards the windshield, I snatch the bright orange ticket and rip it twice before dropping it onto the ground. It isn’t until I pull on the handle that I realize my keys are sitting on Sage’s couch.
My head drops onto my window before a defeated sigh escapes me. “I fucking hate it here.” I’d rather lay in the middle of the road behind me than go back to that apartment.
I walk for a few blocks and every step feels harder than the last. Sire’s voice plays on a loop in my head, and the sight of Sage’s tears remains in the front of my mind. The shock on August’s face when I hit Sire flashes through my mind before Sire’s words yell at me.
I’m just like my mother. Guess everything they said about the apple and the damn tree is true.
A knot grows in my throat and I blink my tears away as I pull out my phone and order a car to a liquor store.