Page 13 of For Three Seconds

Lunch was the highlight of my day, since all of my other classes were more of the same: more people gawking at me, zero classes with Gigi, more with Becca, but just one with Gavin.

As I drove home, I told myself I could handle it. When I walked into the condo my brother and I shared, he was already home, eating spaghetti. I smiled at my big brother, put my stuff on the couch.

After Mom and Dad died, neither one of us wanted to live in our house anymore. It was too much just for us two, but we couldn’t let go of it. For now, we were renting it out; it helped pay for this condo without us having to use our parents’ life insurance money.

Some people said we were lucky that we didn’t become homeless because our parents had a backup plan. Yeah, sure, we were lucky. Fucking lucky that Mom and Dad had crashed on a dark as shit road. No one deserved to go out like that.

Nick was twenty, and he took me in, no hesitation. Our parents’ money allowed him to keep taking care of me, and once I went to school, he could finish too.

“You’re home early.” My tone was a little defensive.

“I just wanted to be here, just in case…” My brother wasn’t one to shy away from the truth.

“I’m fine, Nick, and guess what? I didn’t get a detention.” My voice was mocking, but I didn’t need my brother hovering.

He sighed, and his shoulders dropped a little. He cocked his head to the side and stared at me. Nick and I didn’t look much alike. His hair was a little darker than mine and straight, but he kept it cut short.

“You’re my baby sister, Scarlett. I’m always going to worry about you. Besides, I don’t see you complaining when I cook.”

I grinned at him. “You are such a neat freak that you clean as you cook. It saves time.”

Nick couldn’t stand my cooking, not that I was much good at it, but I used everything in the cupboards to cook, and I meant everything. It drove Nick nuts.

Nick reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “You good?”

“Yeah,” I replied softly.

It didn’t matter that Nick and I got on each other’s nerves. At the end of the day, he was all I had.

Five

“Scarlett!”My mother’s screams echoed through the walls of the car.

I wondered what was so important that she needed to yell at me. I was tired; I just wanted to sleep. Okay, I wasn’t just tired; I was also drunk.

I don’t even know why I went out tonight. If I wasn’t feeling up to it, I knew my parents would lecture me tomorrow. When I sat up straight, I couldn’t see a thing. The bright lights blinded me.

“Scarlett.”

I felt the pressure of my brother’s hands on my shoulders. He kept shaking me, but I was too scared to open my eyes or say anything. This was it, the part I was stuck on, the part I couldn’t move past no matter how hard I closed my eyes. I tried lying in bed and willing myself to continue, but it never worked.

My nightmare wasn’t a nightmare, but a memory. To be precise, the memory of the last time my parents were alive, and I couldn’t even remember all of it.

“Scarlett!”

My eyes snapped to my brother’s face. I blinked a couple of times, taking myself out of my daze and remembering that I was with him and he needed me.

“Nick.” I cupped his scruffy cheek. “I’m awake.”

There was no point in saying I was okay when my brother knew that was total bullshit.

“They’re back.” He was referring to my nightmares.

It was one of the reasons I stayed with my grandparents in summer break: to be away from it all. And once I managed them, I assured him I was okay.

I lied.

Truth be told, I didn’t want my nightmares to be gone. Even though they were painful, they served as a reminder of that night, and eventually, the whole memory had to come back.

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