Chapter 110
“Then let me-”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight!”
“You can’t be with me twenty–four–seven, Spring; that’s not how it works.”
I scoff. I know she heard our conversation, but I can’t believe June is throwing Nathan’s words back in my face.
“I’ll make it work.”
June huffs. “So, what, you’re just going to suffocate me for the rest of my life?”
I blink rapidly. “What?” I whisper. “You think I suffocate you?”
“No, I-”
She sighs heavily, and something tightens in my chest as I watch my little sister struggle to find the words to explain why she wants to leave me.
“You were eighteen when Mom and Dad died, Spring,” she says, and I freeze. Why is she bringing that up now?
“But even before then, you practically took care of me. You were the one who took me to doctor’s appointments; you came home on the weekends to meal prep for me; you called three times a day to make sure I got my shots on time.”
June was only six when all that happened. I can’t believe she noticed and remembers.
“And then they died, and you stepped into the role of father and mother effortlessly. You should have been enjoying your college years, making reckless decisions, being a teenager.”
She sighs. “Instead, you were being a parent to your sick sister. You let your whole life revolve around me. Lou invited you to parties, but you wouldn’t go because of me. You didn’t date boys because of me. And I know your school work–and scholarship–is suffering because you work too much.” She sighs again. “Because of me.”
I reach out to take her hand. “Summer, I love you. All of that pales when it comes to you.”
“Exactly.” She sniffs. “It shouldn’t be that way. You’re my sister, not my mother.”
The words aren’t necessarily hurtful, but they carve at me anyway. Maybe because I see June as something of my child. I mean, I’ve been her sole caregiver since she was six; doesn’t that count for something?
June continues, “I love you, Spring.” She squeezes my hand. “And I’m so, so grateful I’ve had you all these years, but I hate that you’ve put your life on hold because of me.”
“Summer, I don’t ca-”
“I care,” she says earnestly. “You’ve sacrificed so much, too much. And I-” Her voice breaks. “I hate it. I hate watching you run yourself ragged between your jobs and college just so you can afford my medication. You’re a twenty–one–year–old single mother, you know that, Spring?”
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Chapter 110
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Tears brim in my eyes.
“So, what? You want me to stop caring for you?” I ask shakily. “If I don’t, who will?”
June shifts closer. “I don’t want you to stop caring for me, Summer. I want you to start caring for yourself.”
“I can do both,” I whisper.
She shakes her head. “Not very well. You take care of me and neglect yourself. Like now, you’re ready to leave Nathan behind for me. You’ll sacrifice your happiness to keep me safe.”
“Because that’s what sisters do!”
“When is it my turn?!” June says. “When do I get to sacrifice for you?”
“It’s not your job!”
“Neither is it yours!”
“So you’re telling me you’re okay with getting hurt? You’re okay with dying just so I can marry a boy I like?”
June sighs. “Don’t be dramatic.”
“June, I had your blood on my hands. You could have died!”
“Maybe I should’ve died!”
My eyes widen, June’s words stunning me to silence.
A tear slips down her face. “At least if I died, then you would be free.”
Chapter Comments
טל
Visitor
7 days ago
That breaks my heart.
♡ 4
