proud. -n.h.

seven.

 xLeahx

"So ya just told him he could live with you?" I was sitting with Katie in her living room. After yelling on the phone, I needed someone to talk to and since I was still mad at my Aunt for not telling me about Luke, Katie was my next best option.

"Basically." 

"Are ya dumb or just plain out stupid? Leah ya don't just offer your  home like that even if it's yer brother. You can't baby him like 'tat. He dug his own hole so stop trying to fill it up with your own dirt." I looked at her for a while before I spoke again.

"Have you been watching Holes?" She rolled her eyes at my smart ass comment the moment it came out of my mouth.

"Yes but that's besides the point. Seriously stop babying him. He's never gonna learn if ya keep rewardin' him 'fer bad behavior." I sat there on her fairly soft sofa trying to take in everything she had just.

"Hey at least you didn't pay for his ticket and offer to get him a job." She let out a big hearty laugh but the look on my face soon made her stop.  She looked me dead in the eyes and saw that I was hiding something.

"You didn't."

"I did." I said quietly shrugging my shoulders. The smile on my face was clearly fake considering that the look she was giving could pierce right through me. 

"Okay you aren't dumb. You're plain out stupid." I sighed leaning back on the couch. I knew it wasn't a good idea for me to help Luke out but he had nothing. Yes I probably shouldn't have offered to find him a job. Or payed for his plane ticket. Or even offer him a home in the first place. Was Katie right? I mean he's family. He's been there for me when no one else is and now he needs me.

"I know I am. It's just that he's done so much for me Katie. This is how I'm repaying him for everything he's done for me. I probably wouldn't even be here in New York if it weren't for him." I said truthfully. 

"So what, he got kicked out of USyd! For drugs! He wasted his entire future away Leah. Ya can't reward bad behavior like this. It's crazy."

"He was all that I had back in Australia. He was the last string that kept me holding on. He kept me there. I was ready to leave my mom, my aunt, him, basically everyone. I was ready to run away from my problems. He kept me there and helped me fight it. He's the one that showed me how to conquer that flight instinct and fight instead." She look at me with her piercing blue eyes. I could tell something was on her mind. 

"Then why did you come here?" I honestly had never thought about that. How has that never crossed my mind? Why did I come here? Suddenly the answer hit me like a big yellow school bus.

"My father." I could already feel tears brimming my eyes. It was hard to talk about what happened with him to anybody. Thankfully she never said a thing. She just pulled me to her chest and almost instantly, a trail of tears ran down my rosy cheeks.

"I can talk to Niall if you want. I mean, to help Luke out." I nodded my head not being able to speak considering my throat went try. Katie reached out and ran her hand up and down my back, trying to soothe me. I never had a friend like her. Even though we've only known each other for a couple weeks now, she was the closest thing I had to a friend and I needed that now more than ever. 

"So how about I order some pizza and run to the grocery store real fast to get some ice cream and a bunch of tea and then we can stay up and watch netflix all night?" I sat back and wiped the stray tears from my face.

"Yeah that sounds great right now." I said smiling. She got up to grab her coat and keys.

"I'll be right back. You can go to your apartment if you need to get anything while I'm gone. I'll leave my apartment unlocked."She said before walking out the door.