Close Your Eyes, Mr. Player

Close Your Eyes, Mr. Player ~ Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It didn't take long for Rosie to fall asleep after dinner. She had always been known to pass out early anyway. Chelsea and Stacey disappeared into the backyard to play, and Skipper stayed holed up in her room. I walked up the stairs after cleaning up the kitchen, and found Skipper sprawled across her bed, yapping away on her phone. 

"You missed dinner," I said from the doorway. 

She jumped up, nearly falling off the bed, and quickly turned off the phone. "Dammit, Melody, stop that! Do you ever just leave me alone?" She threw her phone on the bed and cocked her hip to the side, looking at me through her overgrown bangs. 

I stared her down, taking a step into the room. "You missed dinner," I repeated, my voice stern and emotionless. I guess talking to Skipper did that to me.

She scoffed. "Your point being?" 

"My point being, your tough girl act isn't fooling me," I said, taking a few more steps toward her. She was about to turn away, my hand lashed out and grabbed her wrist. She stared at me in shock, trying to wrench her arm free, but I pulled her towards me, being careful enough so I wouldn't hurt her. "You can't keep acting like this, Skipper. Sooner or later, you're going to have to let someone in again," I said. I slid my wrist down her arm to reveal the scars on her skin. "I don't see how this makes it any better."

She ripped her arm from me and tucked it behind her back. "You don't know the first thing about what I'm going through, Melody! It doesn't bother you, because you're older and 'more mature'. How do you think this is for me? And Stacey, and Chelsea. And Rosie! She's only three, and she barely has a mom anymore," Skipper said, her face not portraying any remorse. Only anger. 

I shook my head. "You're only fourteen, you wouldn't understand!" I shouted back, my hands gripped her shoulders. "Skipper, ignoring everyone in the world isn't going to solve anything!" I said, forcing her to look at me.

"But that's all anyone does, ignore me!" she said, her voice loud enough to definitely attract attention, now. "I'm nothing in this house! You're the golden child, mom and dad love you enough and trust you enough to leave you here and look after us, as if we don't need more that that." Tears were spilling from her eyes now, but her face still held no other emotions. 

"I know you do," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I know you need mom and dad, but they clearly don't care about any of us enough anymore to be around," I said, still holding Skippers arm. I gently released it, thankful when I saw no red mark. 

And before I knew what was happening, Skipper was in my arms, sobbing into my shirt. I clamped my arms around her tightly and placed my chin on her head. The sound of her tears echoed through the house, and suddenly I got the biggest realization. 

These past three years, I always thought I'd been having the hardest time with life. But really, Skipper was struggling too. And I hadn't taken the time to realize that my sister was hurting. So I sat down on the bed, rocking her back and forth in my arms. I felt my own tears fall down my cheeks as I sat there and listened to the sound of her sobs ringing in my ears. "Sh, Skipper, it's okay," I said, rubbing her back in soothing motions.