Saying Goodbye

chapter 22

"what happened?" tobiah asks.

"his mom died about 10 minutes after i got there." i sigh.

tobiah walks up to me and hugs me. i hug him back as tears gently fall from my face. he pulls away slowly.

"you wanna talk about it?" tobiah asks.

"no. i really just want to lay down." i sigh.

he nods his head and leads me to the couch. he sits down and sits me beside him. he pulls me close to him.

"you gonna be ok tonight, kiara?" isaiah asks.

"i don't know. there was a lot going on. i still have to check on sean and erica." i sigh.

"come on. let's get you to bed." tobiah says. he holds me as he stands up from the couch.

"are you sure tobiah? i can take her if you-" dad starts, but tobiah cuts him off.

"it's ok. i got it. it'll give me a chance to try to be a good big brother." tobiah replies.

tobiah leads me to the stairs. we walk past isaiah's room and into mine.

"change clothes, ok. let me know when you're done." tobiah says. he looks me in my eyes. i nod my head.

"ok." i sigh.

he shoots me a small smile and walks out of my room, closing the door behind him.

tobiah pov
"ok. i'm done." kiara says as she knocks on her room door.

i open her door and walk inside. she gets under her covers and snuggles against the sheets. i sit at the edge of her bed. she looks to me expectantly.

"i'm not really good at this big brother thing. i honestly don't know how i'm supposed to deal with this, so, bare with me." i take a deep breath. she watches me, waiting patiently as another tear makes its way down her face. "times like this are gonna be hard. all i ask of you in a situation like this is to stay strong. it's ok to cry sometimes and it's ok to be vulnerable. you may not want to, but you have to talk about these things. you have people who are willing to take care of you if you need it."

"thanks, tobi." she smiles weakly. i chuckle.

"that's what mom calls me." i smile.

"really?"

"yea. i'll make an exception for you though." i nudge her with my elbow slightly.

the both of us laugh as we take in the moment between us. i smile at her as she smiles at me.

"you gonna be ok tonight?" i ask.

"no. i'm not." she laughs shyly.

"you want me to stay?" i ask.

"just until i fall asleep." she says, using a high-pitched tone.

"scoot over."

i smile. she smiles back and scoots over in her bed. i climb under the covers. she scoots closer to me and cuddles me.

"is it ok if i cry?" she asks.