Page 87 of Survival

ANNIE

Slowly, I opened the door to my bedroom and peeked inside, something in me sensing where Izzy would be. She was curled up in her old bed, her back towards me, and even if our tether hadn’t sent an ache throbbing in my chest, I knew it was bad.

I’d heard what happened from Tucker earlier, and Uncle Blake filled me in about what happened with her and Mom when I got home. Not to mention the vibe from just setting foot in our room. Gentleness was crucial.If only I could borrow some from Jet.

Easing the door shut behind me, I used the light from my sister’s nightlight to cross the room.

“Izzy?” I stopped by my bed.

She didn’t reply. She just lifted the covers, and I hurried over to crawl in behind her. We didn’t say anything. I just wrapped my arm around my broken twin, sending all the soothing vibes through our bond that I could.

“Sis?” I eventually whispered when I felt her start to cry.

“I’m fine.”

I sighed, not wanting to push. But I’d been stepping back for too long, aiding and abetting my sister’s depression,and I just couldn’t do it anymore. Too much was on the line now with Tucker’s ultimatum. Part of me wanted to be mad at him, but then I remembered that day that we’d caught a glimpse of his pain. He was hurting, too. They were both broken.

“Izzy…don’t try to lie to me. Don’t shove everything down. That’s the problem. I know what happened tonight, and I know you’re not fine. You’re not even remotely okay.”

“I’m about as fine as I’m ever going to be again.”

“Don’t say that.” I refused to believe I’d never get my sister back.

“It’s true.” Izzy turned into her pillow, tears still clear as she mumbled.

“No. You have to find a way to get past this. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.”

“Yes, I can,” she argued, her words muffled in the pillow.

“No, you can’t,” I insisted, drawing on the last drops of patience I had for my sister’s stubbornness. “Zoey is gone. Tucker’s still here.”

“For now,” she choked out.

My heart squeezed in my chest, hating this pain that I couldn’t take away from her. “You don’t have to lose him.”You’ll never recover if you do.

Izzy shifted, turning her head to glance towards her shoulder where I could hear. “Tell me how to fix it,” she pleaded softly.

I really didn’t know. Izzy had pushed me away in so many ways these past months, clinging to Tucker. He was the key, I knew, but something was missing. I didn’t knowwhatto suggest that she hadn’t already tried.

But has shereallytried?Not as hard as she could. She was too busy stashing away memories that she couldn’t bear to forget but was too afraid to pull out, deal with, and remember.

My eyes widened, the answer coming to me like a shot, and I hopped up to kneel and reach under the bed. Brushing away the dust bunnies as I pulled it out, I dropped the box on the bed at my sister’s feet. “This is how you fix it.”

I clapped my hands together to rid them of lingering dust and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. I couldn’t wait to wash my makeup off.

TUCKER

“Thanks, man,” I said, leaning with my back against the side of Jet’s car with Nic. “Again.” Jet was walking Annie home, and after everything that had gone down tonight, I wasn’t in a rush to get home.

Nic stuck his hands in his pocket, his gaze on the ground. “I think I should be thanking you. You’re the one that noticed the police cars approaching a party full of underage drinkers. Bad news for the guy who’s already twenty-one.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet. You stopped Emma and I from drinking, though.”

“Y’all had a rough night. I know the consequences.”

I looked over, surprised at the tone in his voice. His gaze was harsh as he stared off into the dark. It almost looked like he wasn’t really there.

“Your birthday’s coming up, right?” I tried to ease the conversation, and Nic slowly nodded his head. “A few days after Jet’s.”

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