Ignoring him didn't end as well as I thought it would, matters are worse than I thought.
"You have to await trail." I whisper, his eyes go wide, glistening with unshed tears.
"Y-You can't let that happen Rosie." He stutters, I shake my head feeling the same tears come up.
"You are over eighteen Logan, you are considered an adult." I tell him, his mouth opens and closes, speechless.
Guilt and fear swirls in his blue eyes, "What were you thinking?" I ask lowly, not having the power to raise my voice.
"Rosa–"
"Did you lie to me? Us? Dad?" I cut him off, he shakes his head, his locks moving along with it.
"I didn't, I'm not using anymore that's true. I've been attending the meetings yes. I was just caught at the wrong place, at the wrong time."
I want to believe him, I do. But the lies I've come across over the years can make the devil seem like an angel.
"They are sending you to the state prison, where you'll be waiting fourteen days for trial. I'll see if I can get a lawyer for you." I stand up and nod towards the guard.
"Rosaleigh." He tries again but keeps quiet when he sees me walk away. I stand outside the car door, taking a long intake of breath to calm myself down.
I can see my reddened eyes in the tinted windows, and the heavy bags under my eyes making me look past my prime.
I enter the car and buckle myself in, "Where to?" I keep quiet for a second.
"Office."
*~*~*~*
It's almost seven p.m and I've successfully completed most of the work I needed to do. Only five things left, I've moved the rest of the meetings to tomorrow.
So tomorrow I will be busier than ever, I pack up the work I need to do and my things then call Aaron to meet me downstairs.
When I get there, he's already waiting. We share a nod then he starts driving.
Halfway there my phone rings, I look at the caller ID then put my phone on silent. I'm honestly not in the mood to be interrogated by him.
A few minutes later, my work phone rings. Again I out it on silent and stare out the window, not long after another phone vibrates.
Aaron meets my eyes in the rearview mirror, groaning I reach my hand out and he hands me the phone.
"Yes?" I answer.
"Why aren't you answering your phones?"
"I didn't hear them." I lie, I can hear in his sigh that he doesn't believe me.
"Are you ready to tell me what is bothering you, that you'd ignore your own boss's calls?" He asks.
"I told you, it doesn't concern you." I snap.
"Had Nicholas not been there, you would've failed to remember to collect my daughter because of your personal problems so I think it can concern me." I hear his tone getting harder, and voice nearly rising.
Sighing I end the call and hand thr phone back to Aaron, the phone rings again and I give him a look not to answer it.
For the rest of the twenty minutes, the drive is silent and awkward. The moment the car stops in the driveway, I bid Aaron a goodnight and head to the house.
Entering the passcode, I enter and do the same to lock the house. The house is silent, it's close to quarter past eight meaning Noelle should be asleep right now and Lucia doing something until her curfew.
Quietly I head upstairs to the home office, I manage to finish an hour's work before a soft knock comes at the door.
Nic enters, "hey." He smiles softly, I try to smile back but can't find myself doing so.
He closes the door behind him and sits in by the couch. He keep silent for a second looking at me intensely.
"How bad is it?" He asks finally.
"What makes you think it's that bad?" I respond, he shifts forward resting his elbows on his knees.
"You came alone, and if I'm being honest you look ten decades older. Stress doesn't suit you." He jokes lightly, I crack a small smile.
"He's going to trial and now I have to find a lawyer for him." I start, he doesn't say anything and I don't mind because I think I just need to take all of this off my chest.
"He just turned nineteen, and now I'm scared that they might take all his previous tracks into consideration as they come to a decision.
"I'm kind of lucky that since he turned eighteen he had been smart enough to evade any trouble with the cops at all because I feared this outcome.
"He told us he'd been in rehab since six to seven months ago, and we trusted him. I was happy for him, but when this happened I can't help but feel as if he had always been lying to us." I stare at the door with no concentration on it at all.
A faint play of our childhood comes to my mind, "I partly feel like I'm three reason he ended up like this. Lucia was eight, I focused a bit more on her because she was the youngest.
"Katrina was eighteen with a two year old baby, I always ensured that she and Kyle had everything they needed. And James has just disappeared off the face of the earth.
"Dad, was taking it as well as anyone who's just lost their soulmate. Horribly. I guess between everyone, I just forgot about him. I figured since he was never really a person who showed weakness, he was fine.
I didn't notice the nights he would disappear, bunk school, have random outrages. I might as well have neglected him."
I don't remember how I ended up next to Nicholas, holding a tissue in my hand and wiping away the tears that never want to stop.
"Do you want to help him?" He asks, I frown.
"Of course I want to help him!" I almost yell, shocked that he would even ask me such a question.
"Whoa. What I meant is, do you want to help him or do you feel obligated as his older sister to help him?" He elaborates, my mouth forms an 'o' and I settle back into the couch slowly.
Do I want to help him?
It shouldn't be a question that has me doubting, but it does. I think over it for a minute before nodding.
"I want to help him, yes he's f*cked up but he could only get worse if he goes to prison. And I didn't help him when he needed me but I can now." I answer him, he nods.
"Then help him. You may blame yourself but it isn't you fault, you had so much to deal with as the eldest sibling. I don't think Logan blames you, because he would've tried to get your attention but saw you were already doing so much." He consoles.
"What if him doing everything he was doing, was his cry for attention. Help?" I ask lowly.
"Then his cry is finally being noticed." I rest my head on his shoulder humming.
Seconds of silence pass, "Promise me you keep this between us." I whisper.
"I told you I won't tell anyone but Xander will find out one way or another." I stay silent.
"Thank you for listening." I speak again, I can feel his smile as he pats my back softly.
"I'll always be here if you need me. Consider me of you friend than boss." I nod yawning, my eyes droop close and before I know it.
I'm out.