You got into your car and started the engine, blasting the heat up. Gosh, it was cold. You'd gotten used to that Californian weather and forgotten just how brutal February was back home. While you waited for the car to warm up, thanking your lucky stars that you had been the one to drive the two of you to the airport when you'd left, you fished out your phone, your fingers hovering over the screen hesitantly. Eventually you typed in <<landed safely. i know you've got more important matters on your mind right now... but please call me when you can, i'm worried. and i miss you.>>
You hadn't heard from Harry in almost 2 days. He drove home using the rental and it was unspokenly agreed upon that you'd get back on the flight you'd already booked for Friday. You had to travel next to an empty seat, no one to hold your hand while you were freaking out during take off or landing, but that was the least of your concerns right then.
You finally drove off when he didn't reply and before you knew it, you realised you were driving home. You could've just gone to your actual home, and driven for 2 hours into the next town, but something made you drive to your parents'.
You were totally in the dark about everything. All you knew was that Emily had gotten in some sort of trouble that required the help of a lawyer, at least that much you'd heard Harry say over the phone to his daughter that Wednesday night. And then he told you that he'd better not get his hands on Derek- meaning your brother had some involvement. But that was the extent of it, you knew nothing else, and it was driving you crazy.
You'd refrained from asking Harry anything about it, and when he announced he'd be driving home that night using the rental because he couldn't find any flights that would get him there sooner than the 11 hour drive, you didn't question it, you didn't try and fight it or tag along.
You just got out of the way.
But then, you stayed up all night worried about him driving home alone for such a long stretch, and when he didn't even let you know whether he'd made it safely you couldn't help but feel hurt- not to mention you were worried out of your mind. Surely he'd had to stop for gas at some point. And surely he'd stopped to sleep for at least a 2 hour power nap, right?
Right?
And then Thursday rolled out with no word from him, and you had to refrain from texting or calling so many times. You were worried, but he needed space to deal with whatever was happening. And you felt guilty; your brother was involved, and knowing Derek, it was probably really bad. You felt like hiding under a rock out of pure shame, solely for being his sister. You couldn't help but feel indirectly responsible for whatever he had done.
You killed the engine as you parked in your parents' driveway and reluctantly dragged your body out of the car, leaving your luggage in the trunk in case you'd need to make a run for it. You never knew what would be awaiting you when it came to your family and you weren't planning on hanging around, you'd probably be gone come morning.
"Look what the cat dragged in!" your mother chimed sticking her head out of the kitchen. Not quite the warm welcome you'd hoped for, but then again, you remembered they were probably resentful for the way you'd "skipped" Christmas.
"Hey, mom" you hugged your torso in lieu of hugging her. Your family didn't do hugs. "What's up?"
She sighed dramatically and you braced yourself as she was wiping dishes dry and putting them away into the cupboard "A whole lot of trouble, that's what's up. Remember that girl Derek brought home for Thanksgiving?"
"...Yeah?"
"Oh right, didn't you drive her home that night? And ended up sleeping over after they stalled you? Brian!" she shouted after your father
"Stalled me? They asked me to stay for dinner. It was Thanksgiving, they were being hospitable" you deadpanned but your father made his way to the kitchen sooner than you'd finished your sentence
"Well, well, well" he gave you a once over "Remembered you had a family, did you? Not even a card for Christmas- your mother cried, the house empty for the holidays, Y/N Y/MN"
"Derek didn't come either... and you didn't even tell me he wasn't going to come, and--"
"She knows her father" your mother interrupted "She met him when she drove the girl home"
"That's right!" your father's eyes widened "You've met the prick, then"
You furrowed your brows "...What? Emily's father? Why is he a prick?"
"Your brother's in trouble with these people" your mother grimaced "We were nothing but welcoming to her, how could we not... she seemed so sweet. But as they always say... never judge a book by its cover. Turns out she was dealing drugs" your mother near whispers, averting her eyes and your jaw effectively drops
"She what?!"
"She's a junkie and bad news, that's what she is! Little bitch had us all fooled with that coy show she put on! She and your brother were driving home Wednesday when police pulled them over and she got busted, they found pot on her and quite a bit of it too!"
"Imagine your brother's shock! Imagine our shock!"
Nothing matched your own shock, of course. This was absolutely insane.
"What?! Wait, wait. Driving home? With whom?"
"Your brother got a car, and he's still getting used to it of course, went a little above the speed limit, he pulled over thinking he was going to get his first ticket and ended up watching his girlfriend being taken into custody"
You just stared at them, dumbstruck. What could you even say to that? Not to mention, Derek got a car? ... Just like that, huh?
"And now her father is trying to pin it all on Derek!" your mom's voice cracked towards the end, and she left the kitchen, visibly distraught. You looked at your father who was opening the fridge and picking up a beer bottle, pointing it at you
"Go comfort your mother, she's been through enough these days. Make yourself useful for a change"
Instead of letting it sting like it usually did, you snapped out of your own thoughts enough to ask "Where's Derek?"
"He's out with friends, trying to get his mind off of how that bitch is trying to double cross him"
Of course.
You made your way to your own room, where you plopped on your bed and just stared at the ceiling for God knows how long.
What the fuck was even happening?
You needed to talk to your brother, you couldn't sit by and let Emily take the fall for it alone. He had to come clean, it was only fair. You'd suspected he was into some shady stuff ever since you found out he'd lied about that money he borrowed from you (and never returned, of course). But if Emily got busted, then clearly they were in over their heads with this. Poor girl surely was dragged into this by your no good idiot brother, ever the bad influence, and you could only imagine how upset Harry must've been over this.
You first noticed the ceiling lightning up as you sat in your now dark room, then heard the ringtone. You hadn't even realised it'd gotten this late. You squinted your eyes looking at the caller ID "Harry?"
"Did you make it home safely? Waited for two hours so I wouldn't call you while you're driving" his voice sounded so strange, almost as if it wasn't even his. He sounded so distant and tired... you wanted to scream.
"No, I mean. I'm at my parents'. I... I needed to try and make some sense of what happened, and you weren't talking to me and... Harry. I'm so sorry"
He sighed audibly and there was a long pause before he cleared his throat "I'm sorry if I worried you. My mind's all over the place. I miss you too, baby. So much. I hate that our trip had to end like that and I hate that I had to leave like that, and I've just been... trying to solve this round the clock ever since I've bailed Emily out, I guess"
Your heart fluttered at his words and for the first time in two days you felt like you could breathe again. Maybe he wasn't terribly upset with you for being part of this god awful family, after all "Don't worry about all that... it's fine, I get it. I knew you needed your space. I was just... extremely worried. Didn't even know if you'd made it home alright. But I'm so happy to hear your voice, you have no idea. Harry... I think it's really brave of Emily to take all the blame for it, but I'll talk to Derek. She shouldn't be the one to take the fall, he's responsible too. Hell, he's the one who probably talked her into this, knowing him. He shouldn't walk away from this unscathed, it's not fair"
There was a long pause before Harry cleared his throat "What do you mean?"
"I'll talk to him, have him go in and give a statement that he was in on it too. That'll lower the severity of it, right? What did she get, community service? That should humble him. And they'll split the fine"
"Y/N" Harry interrupted you incredulously "I don't know what you think happened here, but Emily was obviously framed"
You stammered after repeating his words in your head a couple times making sure you'd heard him right "Framed?"
"He obviously freaked out when they got pulled over and planted the drugs on her, in her hoodie's pocket. Thankfully only a little bit over what is usually overlooked as just possession. They couldn't really prove that it was going to be distributed and seeing as she's only 18 they went easy on her and I could bail her out. And she spent a whole night in custody for it, which is something she never should've gone through and I'll never forgive myself for not making it home sooner. Her mother didn't have that kind of money and there was no way to wire it to her as late as it was. She's not paying any fine and she's sure as hell not doing any community service for something she's entirely innocent of!" he'd gotten so worked up by the end, that he was downright shouting by the time he finished
You could hear him try and regulate his breathing trying to calm himself down and you found yourself asking before you could even process it completely "Did she tell you that's what happened?"
"Of course that's what happened!" he snapped
"But did she tell you as much? Harry... my brother is a piece of shit and god knows I've tried to keep the extent of it to myself but... he wouldn't do that! He wouldn't just blame it all on her like that--"
"Are you fucking kidding me right now, Y/N?!"
"Answer the question, did she tell you Derek did it and that she had no involvement in it?!"
"Of course not, because she's a fucking saint and she thinks she loves him and wants to protect the bloody idiot! She doesn't realise this is going on her permanent record and she's just throwing so much away for someone who doesn't even deserve to look her way!"
"Harry! Slow down! Take a step back and try and be realistic about this. They're a bunch of kids, right? Kids make mistakes. Yours as much as any other, I can assure you she's no saint as much as you want to believe that--"
"Y/N, stop right there. Just stop. I'll not have you throwing around accusations about Emily like that. You don't know her. But you know your brother. And I know your brother. And I've known things about him that you don't for a while now!"
"What-- what things?!"
You could hear him pacing the room he was in and could even imagine him running his hand through his dishevelled hair "When Emily called me on New Year's to go pick her up after he just left her at those cabins, I knew your brother was up to no good. I could just fucking feel it. But I didn't wanna jump to any conclusions, right? I gave him a fair chance. I hired a PI"
Your mouth fell agape and now you were the one pacing frantically "You what?!"
"Good thing I did, too. Not only was I right about him but it's actually so much worse than I'd suspected. Honestly I was expecting to find out he was cheating on her. Only to find out he was dealing. And the pot they found on Emily? That's child's play compared to what he's been involved with. Don't even wanna think about where we'd be now had he planted cocaine on her, or worse"
"Jesus fuck, Harry" you nearly whispered "Why didn't you say anything, then?! Why did you let it go this far?! You've been sitting on this for how long, now?!"
After a long pause he finally replied "I've had Emily promise me she'd break up with him. I didn't tell her why, didn't wanna break her heart. Let me be the bad guy, I'd have rathered her be upset with me than find out the guy she'd fallen for was this stranger she didn't even know. And she did... she promised... and I believed her" he trailed off seemingly talking to himself more than you and you just stared incredulously into space waiting for him to go on explaining himself but he never did
"Harry! You knew my brother was involved with this shit and you never told me! And now you're, what? Threatening to use all this dirt you got on him if he doesn't take the blame!? When were you even going to tell me all of this?!"
"... I can only imagine what you'd thought about me hiring an investigator on a hunch. I want you out of that house and as far away from all of them as possible, Y/N. This should've never affected you"
"Yet it is! Look at me now, Harry! I can't believe you never told me! He's... God fucking damnit, he's my brother! I would've done something... maybe would've prevented all of this from happening"
"Do you really believe that?"
"I..." you felt tears roll down your face and then your voice finally cracked "I don't know. But at least I could've tried. At least..."
"Baby--"
"Don't baby me! Don't, Harry! This is on you, too! You could've said something sooner and maybe this whole mess could've been avoided! I can't believe you knew this about my own brother and decided to just keep it to yourself like that. I can't believe you'd do such a thing! He's a kid! He's throwing his life away getting involved in stuff like this, I could've done something!"
"Nothing is going to happen, alright? This can all just be a wakeup call for him. He just needs to come clean, and I'll never use any of it against him!"
"...Is that a threat?" you asked incredulously
"Of course it's a threat! My lawyer tried reasoning with your father and he won't listen, he's adamant your brother is innocent, kept throwing around slur words about Emily which, let me tell you, I will not stand for! My lawyer will reach out again this evening, this is his final chance to get his act together. Derek needs to go give a statement tonight or I'm taking him to court. And that's final"
Before you could even make sense of what you were doing you found yourself hanging up. You just couldn't take any more. It was just too much to process.
But if you knew one thing about Harry it was that he was a man of his word, and he wasn't just throwing idle threats around. He was absolutely going to take Derek to trial if he didn't fix this while he still could.
All he would be looking at now was a fine and community service. But if Harry took him to court with the evidence that he had on him, he'd end up serving a serious sentence.
You made your way out of your room, and could hear your brother's voice right away. Good, so he was home. You had to talk some sense into him, and fast.
"Fucking cunt... I knew I should've never gotten involved with her. To think that she's trying to pin this all on me, dad"
"That's women for you, son. Let this be a lesson to you" your father chuckled to himself, taking a swig of his beer and you watched it all from afar, the way they just sat there in denial like that.
"Hey, you didn't say you were coming home" Derek caught you staring. His voice was slurred and you could tell he'd been drinking with his friends more than the usual amount
"Yeah, your sister decided to make a guest appearance"
"Hey, Derek? Can I have a word?"
He stared at you and cackled "I'm not getting off this couch, so you better speak up"
You crossed your arms over your chest "Fine. Uhm. Did that lawyer call?"
He focused his hazy gaze on you "What are you now, psychic? Yeah. He did. Fucker..."
"What did he say?"
"What did he say, dad?"
You turned towards your father expectantly "Doesn't matter what he said. Dunno why he thinks his bluff is gonna work with us. We're not splitting the fine with that little bitch, much less pay it ourselves so he can shove his threats up his ass"
"Bluff? Can you just... what did he say?" you asked again impatiently
"He says he's not at liberty to divulge matters that will constitute as evidence in court against Derek but that they have proof that the girl is innocent and that he can assure me it will not fair out well for my son if he doesn't change his statement before the day is over"
You stared at the both of them as they looked at eachother and feigned concern before clicking their beer bottles together amusedly "What makes you think he's bluffing? Huh?" before you could make sense of what you were doing you were snatching your brother's bottle out of his hand "Derek, for fuck's sake! Did you ever consider that maybe this guy really does have some dirt on you? How can you just sit there when you know you're guilty?"
"Excuse you?" the humour died in his throat as he sat up abruptly, losing his balance for a split second and then snatching his beer back "What exactly are you accusing me of, Y/N?"
"You know you're not innocent, far from it. Are you really willing to risk your freedom to prove a point? Grow the fuck up! Just admit you planted that pot on her and move on!"
Your father stepped in "What's this, now? Whose side are you on? That's no way to talk to your brother!"
From your peripheral vision you could see your mom lurking in the hallway watching this play out with concern
"I'm on his side, and you would be too if you would stop for a second and see how serious this really is and how badly it could escalate! Just get your fucking pride out of the way for once--"
And there it was. It hadn't happened in a while, but he slapped you right across the face with enough force to turn your head to the side, and straight towards your mom's line of vision. Of course she just sat there, though, like she always did. Never stepping up to come to your aid. You never really blamed her, knowing she would most of the time be on the receiving end of his wrath just as badly. Hell, she probably blamed you in turn for the beatings she took throughout the years- after he'd warm up on you, he'd turn to her.
But you managed to summon what little dignity you had left and pushing your hair out of your face, you inhaled shakily trying to hold back your tears while looking your father dead in the eyes, your voice small yet steady "You know what? Fuck it. Fuck this family. I don't care anymore" then turning towards your brother you added "Go to jail for all I care. I know you're dealing, and not just pot, and it's just a matter of time until the police figures it out too and you'll wish you'd listened to me for once"
Derek's brows furrowed and he visibly stammered to say something while your father turned his full attention to him, and you extricated yourself from the living room, walking right past your mother in the hallway and out the front door while your father began questioning your brother for once in his life.
You were never stepping foot into that house again.
Struggling to see through your tears that were running down your cheeks without you even registering you were crying, you sat in your car staring into space for god knows how long before you finally drove off and although you knew it was probably really dumb to try and drive home in your condition, you wanted to get as far away from there as possible.
Even on autopilot though, you noticed Harry's lights were on when you drove by his house and even though you fought the urge for several blocks, you found yourself fumbling with your phone, eventually calling him.
"Y/N..." he sighed in relief "Listen... Let's not fight, alright? I'm sorry I raised my voice at you earlier--"
"Do you... do you think you could step out for a minute? I'm sorry--" you stammered, trying to calm down "I'm not trying to pry you away, I just need to see you, even if it's just for a minute. Please..."
"Baby, what's happening? Where are you? Are you driving?!"
"Yeah... I was heading back home, but I drove by your place on the way and I just couldn't help myself. Please, Harry, I know Emily's there and I don't wanna make this difficult for you, I just need to see you a minute, that's all, then I'll be back on my way home" your voice cracked towards the end
"Turn around. Emily's not even here, she's with her mum-- Y/N, turn around, baby. C'mon. Eyes on the road, ok?" his voice was calm yet serious and you knew he was worried as much as he tried to hide it
"Just for a minute, okay?"
"C'mon baby, I'll be waiting right outside. Eyes on the road for me, alright?"
You tried your best to turn the car around safely, double checking just because he asked, and you were pulling into his driveway in no time. Just finally seeing him felt like such a huge relief, you couldn't even believe he was really there.
He opened the door to the car before you could even kill the engine and pulled you into his arms, hugging you tightly "What happened?" his voice was stern but his body was soft, and warm and reassuring
"Nothing..."
"Y/N" he pulled away a bit searching your eyes but obviously your face must've told a different story, his eyes widening and his hand gently caressing your still sore cheek "Was this him? Or your father?" he asked in a low voice and you closed your eyes tightly, a fresh set of tears breaking free from in between your lashes
"I just wanted to reason with them... make them see how serious this really was..."
Harry hushed you and pulled you back into his arms, cradling your head and holding you tight, letting you cry into the nook of his shoulder "You'll never have to see them again. This I promise you. Ok? Never. I'll never let them look at you much less lay a hand on you. Never again"
You clung onto his shoulder blades crying in earnest now. This wasn't just about this one slap, it felt like you were crying for everything your father had ever done to you "I'm sorry, Harry. This is the last thing you need right now..." you mumbled into his neck "I'm sorry. For my brother, for what he did. For ever even thinking Emily could do something like that... I didn't know how serious it was. I'm sorry"
"Hush now. You've got nothing to feel sorry for. Let's get you inside, hm?" he kissed the top of your head "C'mon, sweetheart"
You heard the tires screech before your brother's voice and the passenger door slam "Un-fucking-real! You dumb fucking bitch!" he almost sounded amused and it took you a moment to realise what was happening as you were pulling yourself out of Harry's arms and looking back to see your father's car pulled over, and your brother walking towards the two of you while your parents were staring at you and Harry in shock from inside.
"Really thought you got me into trouble huh? Well, you're never getting out of this one, Y/N! Tough luck 'cause dad is gonna have a field day with this new revelation" Derek laughed approaching the two of you "And what about you, not so tough now, huh, old man? Caught you right in the act, your dirty little secret is out!" he got really close, right up in Harry's face
"Go inside" Harry glanced at you
"What?-- No!" you whisper-yelled as though Derek wasn't right there, up close and personal
"She's not going anywhere" your brother chuckled, grabbing your arm and pulling you away from Harry "She's coming home, where she belongs, and where we're heading. See, we were driving to the station. Sounded like a good idea to give a statement after all, but now I'm thinking that won't be necessary anymore- unless you ever want your sweet little Emily to find our her dad is fucking someone her own age"
"Get your fucking hands off her, right this instant" Harry took a step closer, their chests nearly touching and his voice low and more menacing than you'd ever heard it "I'm not gonna tell you again"
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" your brother tilted his chin upwards looking down on Harry and you just couldn't believe what was happening. But when you saw your father get out of the car you forcefully pulled yourself out of Derek's hold and scurried behind Harry
"Get inside, Y'N" Harry reiterated, gritting his teeth
Derek then pushed Harry, hard. And he almost didn't even budge, so he pushed again, harder, almost knocking you out had you not stepped to the side when he lost his footing this time "C'mon, old man. Fight for your little fucktoy. If she's even worth it. What, thought you were all high and mighty, threatening to take me to trial. At least fight for your daughter, then. Would've thought you'd like a swing at me after all I've put her through. Broke her little heart" he leaned in closer, right in Harry's face, whispering amusedly "... and her little pussy"
You shrieked at that. Expecting Harry to finally cave in and absolutely tear Derek limb for limb, yet he was still standing his ground, although visibly tense- you could sense the tension roll off him in waves "Derek, stop! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
Your brother grimaced in disdain "What do you even see in this loser, he won't even stand up for his own daughter- all talk, no game. Is that how he is in the sack too?" he laughed "That's sad even for you, Y/N"
But before you could even say anything, your father finally reached you and grabbed your arm, pulling you away from Harry's side "Enough! Y/N, I'll not have you turn us into the laughing stock of this town! Have some god damn decency!"
"Decency?!" Harry snapped, turning fully towards your father, towering over him and disregarding your brother completely "Decency?! Look at her! Look at what you did to her! Look at your son! Look at what he's yelling to my face" he gritted his teeth "But he's just a kid and doesn't know any better especially with a shit father like you for a role model, and unlike you I'm not in the business of beating children. So where do you get the nerve to talk about decency?!"
"How fucking dare you-- who the hell do you think you are, anyway?! Mind your own god damn business. Maybe if you disciplined your daughter she wouldn't be in this situation. A girl's gotta know her place. And clearly this one forgot what that was, huh?" he turned his attention to you, and when you looked away from him he grabbed your chin, turning your face to look at him forcefully "Whoring out with a man fit to be your father, gonna beat some sense right back into you when you get home, just you wait--"
The force of the impact nearly pulled you in as well, as your father didn't let go of your face completely by the time he took the fall. Harry knocked him straight out on his back before he even got to finish that sentence. In the distance, you could hear your mother scream from inside the car, and you half expected your brother to do something but all you could hear was Harry's laboured breathing as he clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to compose himself, visibly holding back from doing more.
There was no need to, though, as you all watched your father lay unconscious splayed on the pavement, and when you heard a frightful "Dad?" you glanced at your brother, but realised he hadn't been the one to utter the word, as he was still visibly in shock over what had just happened.
Looking past him though, your eyes widened watching a very distraught looking Emily take this whole scene in, with who you recognized to be her mother to her side. Looking back at Harry, your heart sank reading on his face a myriad of emotions run through him upon hearing his daughter witness all of that.
...How long had she been standing there?
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A/N: been building up to this moment ever since i started writing this. damn. feels surreal that we're finally here! I TOLD Y'ALL YOU WEREN'T READY 💀 also it's freakin 4:30am once again fmllllll
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