Change Is Yesterday.

Chapter 29 (Part Two). THE END.

“Connie please, don’t be sorry. You weren’t to know, how could you possibly have had any idea?! How unhappy would you have been if you had come with us? Seriously, staying in England was the best thing for you, in more ways than one. I couldn’t have coped if you had to go through this too.”

“Yeah but, I’ve only just started to be happy, Drake. Alex is the only reason I’m smiling every day, he’s the only reason I get up every morning. Everyone might say that about their fiancé, but I have nothing else Drake. My life has actually been really miserable, I needed my brother… But he took you from me.”

My fists curled at the images of the beginning of my sadness. I knew I’d be okay when mum died because I had my dad and my brother, they’d take care of me. But a week after her funeral, they left. Within the space of a month, Alex had left, my mum had died and my brother and dad moved to a different country. How I stayed alive at the tender age of six years old, I can only put down to Josh. He saved me. His family became mine, not that they had much choice, since I was dumped on their doorstep. They didn’t have to treat me like their own, but they did. I looked at them and saw the family I wanted so much.

“Don’t blame him for taking me Con; I could have just as easily stayed. I was just a coward.” Silence followed. Silence had sat between us for thirteen years, but this time it was different, we welcomed it now. Because this time, the silence came with promise.

“I love you sis. I needed you more than you could imagine. And I miss you so much, can I see you? And Alex? I want to apologise to him too.” My heart swelled. He called me his sister, he still thought of me that way, he still wanted to be my family. If I wasn’t getting married to the most amazing person I had ever met, I would say this moment was the best of my life. But it was tinged with the memory of him.

“Drake, don’t be stupid! You don’t have to apologise for the things he’s said. They’re his problems, and you shouldn’t be shouldering the blame for him! It’s not right, Drake.”

“I’m not ‘shouldering his blame’, not as such. I just want to make things right again, that’s all. It just so happens, unfortunately, that the things that need fixing in this family are the things he’s broken. And Alex is family now, not that he hasn’t been since you two met!” How had I ever thought ill of him? I was kicking myself at being so foolish. I’d hated this person so much for most of my life, and he turned out to be one of the most decent people, ever.

“Where are you staying?”

“At Uncle Shannon’s house, he came home this afternoon to check on me. Plus, I think he needs a little break from dad, tensions have been running a little high between them lately. Uncle Shannon had no idea what was going on, and then he found out last month and practically dragged me out of there! He’s been a real hero actually.” My heart jumped into my mouth, panic gripped my lungs, freezing any breath that dared to venture there.

“You walked out?! Drake, are you crazy!” The latter sentence wasn’t a question, I knew it was fact.  He’d walked out on his abusive father, and went to live at his brother’s. Smart move!

“Well I couldn’t stay could I?! Uncle Shannon’s is the safest place for me to be right now. I have no-where else to go Con.” Those familiar words that I’d spoken and thought so many times acted like a catalyst, and spurred me on to be the sister I’d always wanted to be.

“Stay with me. InEngland. Although I might not be living here for that much longer, I don’t know yet. ButBaltimoreis far away fromL.A., you’ll be safe there!” I heard him chuckle.

“That’s really kind of you Con, but I’m fine here, really. Plus, how could I live with a newly engaged couple? That’s just not fair!” We both laughed at that one. I guess he did have a point; however, I would have still loved him to live with me. It would have been like we were making up for the time we would have been living under the same roof. I really did miss him, surprisingly so.