The Tattooed Devil Wears Chucks

Chapter 13: The Truth

"Tell her" Courtney shrugs sadly and walks away from us.

I can't help but to frown at my baby sister as I watch her grab her school bag and walk out the door. My dad stares at me from the kitchen and back to Courtney. She only gets mopey like this when someone brings it up.

"Shouldn't you be going to school Books?" I lean against my door and stare at the floor. I don't want to have this discussion with her. I'm not sure Courtney is truly ready for this again and I don't want to hurt her.

"Jax I need to know..." She begins snapping the rubber bands on her wrist, as if she's nervous. "Please?" she pleads.

I push my door open further and she walks back into my room. She crawls into my bed and sits in the same spot she did last night as we watched our movie.

I don't sit in the bed with her, I pull out my rolling desk chair and sit on it backwards, straddling the seat and placing my arms on the back of it. I want to keep my distance in case she's uncomfortable with what I tell her.

I stare at the girl in my bed as she only looks at the sheets. She has bags under her eyes, she didn't sleep last night either.

"Where do you want me to start Books?"

"Did Courtney get into trouble too? Why did you need to ask her for permission?" Now she looks up to me. She's confused and I can see where she would be.

I don't even know how to start. "No, she did nothing wrong."

"I guess start from the beginning..."

I sigh and rub my face. "The first thing you need to know Gabby, and I'm sure that this is why your dad doesn't like me... is that I don't regret what I did. I would do it a million times over again."

Her face hardens. I figured I should just get worst of it out of the way. This was the truth.

"You would break the law, go to jail and be put on probation again?" she lifts an eyebrow to me.

"I was home in Illinois from UNI for Thanksgiving break two years ago..." I begin.

I set my face in my hands preparing myself to spill each detail about the day that changed our lives.

"I brought my housemate home with me. He was a freshmen, I had just met him that first semester but he seemed like a good guy.  His family went skiing in Aspen over the break and he didn't want to go. Jimmy comes from big money, his dad works in politics. Courtney and him hit it off right away. You know my sister... she can be a bit forward, just like me..."

Gabby smiles and nods, knowing that I'm right.

"They sneak off together the second night I'm home. I knew they went off, I didn't like it, but I also didn't stop it. My sister has a real knack for dating losers, I liked Jimmy... so if she was going to be stupid with someone, I was cool with it. It also meant that I didn't have to entertain him the entire time I was home either."

Now I begin to feel sick, but in a rage fueled sort of way. I fucking hate Jimmy.

"Courtney was not herself the next day. She was quiet. She was pale, she didn't go anywhere near him. It was like she was afraid of him all of the sudden. My parents even knew something wasn't right with her and when they kept trying to talk to her she fucking lost it. She threw a tantrum like a child, it was like she was crying and throwing shit for no reason. I followed her to her room it took me a good hour to get her to calm down. She assured me she was fine, she was just having a bad day."