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“Don’t say that, Liz,” I warned, feeling my heart crack clean open in my chest. “Don’t you ever say that again.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s the truth.”
“If anything ever happened to you, it would destroy me,” I admitted, unable to make the tremble in my voice. “You are my whole world, Lizzie Young, so don’t you dare talk about not being alive.”
“I love you so much,” she sobbed, chest heaving violently. “I love you, Hugh. I do, I swear I do.”
“I know you do, and you know I love you back,” I croaked out, hating the way my eyes were starting to water. “Listen, Caoimhe’s babysitting Gibs tonight. Why don’t you come home with me? Your sister can pick you up after she’s finished.”
“No.” Sniffling, she wiped her eyes. “I don’t want your sister to see me like this. Claire hasn’t started her period yet, and this’ll just scare her.”
“Claire lives on cloud nine,” I tried to persuade her. “She won’t notice a thing, I promise.”
“I think I’ll stay home.” She sniffled again, but this time she forced a watery smile. “Just to be safe.”
“You okay, bud?” Caoimhe asked on the drive home later that evening. “You’re awfully quiet.”
“I’m worried about Liz.”
“Why?”
“She was bleeding a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her period.” I shifted in discomfort. “It was a bad one.”
“Ah, the joys of womanhood,” Caoimhe mused. “I thought she was due on. She was complaining of cramps all day.”
“Yeah, except that she’s not a woman, Caoimhe,” I shot back, still peeved with how dismissive she was of her sister’s nightmares. “And she’s been going through this crap since she was nine.” I sighed heavily. “It’s not fucking fair.”
“Well, aren’t you a walking green flag,” Caoimhe teased with a chuckle. “Listen, relax. By this time tomorrow, we’ll be basking in the sun and Liz won’t have time to think about period cramps.”
“Will you look after her?”
“Duh, she’s my sister.”
“No, I’m serious.” I stared hard at her side profile. “Ineedyou to look after her, Caoimhe.”
“Yeah, Hugh, okay.” She gave me a puzzled look. “I always do.”
“Will you check on her when you get home tonight?” I added, shifting in discomfort from the knot building in my stomach. “Even if she’s asleep, can you just go in and make sure?”
“Don’t worry, Romeo,” she teased. “I promise to check on your little lovebird when I get home.”
DON’T DO ANYTHING STUPID
Lizzie
APRIL 5, 2000
THE SOUND OF A CAR REVVING STARTLED ME AWAKE LATE THAT NIGHT, FOLLOWED BYa second car screeching to a stop.
Confused, I remained motionless in my bed, listening in the darkness to the sound of two people screaming outside the house.
I knew from past experience that the screaming was coming from my sister and her boyfriend.
This was nothing new to me.
