Song: Don't Cry- Like a Storm

Carter:

"What's going on with your sister bro?" asks Daniel as we sit at one of the table by the pool. I look over at her and she is laying down in one of the lounge chairs and I think she actually might be sleeping.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out. Natalie said she has been acting strange all week too."

"She looks sick bro. I just hope she's not doing anything stupid. I think I saw her talking to Harley yesterday, hope she's not on any of that shit he sells."

I nod my head slowly in agreement with him. Hopefully she has not gotten into something like that. "I know right."

"I'll be back bro." I get up and walk over to my kid sister. She has on a different bathing suit today. This one is a one piece and it has a little shirt with it so it covers her up more. Thank goodness, I hate knowing guys look at her that way. Hell I know even my friends look at her at times but I try not to let it get to me.

I reach over to touch her and she practically jumps out of her skin. Something is bothering the hell out of her but she refuses to talk about it. I'm done playing this stupid game with her and I want to know what the hell is going on.

"What's going on with you?" I ask her.

"Nothing why?" she groans.

"Seriously you can tell me or I will find out so spill."

"Nothing go away." She tries brushing me off.

"Coralie I know you, something is wrong you been acting weird all week, like way more than usual."

She sits there and laughs it off like I have no clue what I am talking about, what the hell. Then she precedes to ignore me like I am not even there.

"Fine don't tell me but when I find out you better be talking."

She lies back down, turning her back from me. "Whatever."

I get up and walk back to Daniel. He throws his hands up in the air. "Well?"

"She's not talking but I know something is wrong."

We watch her pick up her phone and she is texting someone. Ten minutes later she gets up and walks in the house. Dad stops to ask her where she is going and she claims she has to go to the bathroom. The pool house is so much closer so I don't know why she wants to go inside. I give her a few minutes and when she doesn't come out I go in looking for her.

I search the whole damn house and she is not here. Where the hell did she go? I'm in my dad's office when I hear the front door open and she walks in and heads to the bathroom. I make my way towards the door and wait for her. When she comes out she is surprised to see me.

"What?" she asks sounding annoyed with me and I can't help by th way she rolls her eyes when she get really irritated.

"Where did you go? I saw you come in from outside."

"To use the bathroom, duh."

"I meant the front door; where did you go?"

"Nowhere, I thought I heard someone knocking."

She is lying to me and I really don't like it. "Yeah whatever."

She walks pass me. "Carter you are really getting on my nerves."

"Yeah...well that's what older brothers do so..."

Dammit she keeps on walking away from me. I follow her back outside. She goes back to her chair and lies down. I walk back over to my friends on the other side of the pool.

"So anything?" asks Daniel.

I plop down in the lounge chair and stare at her. "Whatever it is she's lying about it...I'm going to find out though."

I sit with Daniel and we are talking about bullshit stuff that really doesn't mean anything to either of us. Suddenly she jumps in the water and starts swimming down to the other end and then back. She seems happy again and she is laughing and smiling. I just can't figure her out.

Daniel sits up and places his elbows on his knees with one hand under his chin like he is thinking about something. Then he looks over at me. "Bro... she is either bi-polar or she's on something. I've never seen anyone change moods that fast."

I sit up and watch the way she is acting. "You really think she's using?"

"Uh! Yeah bro...look at her."

I have seen several people take shit believe me I've been too several parties and I see what that shit does to people. As I watch her, she shows all the classic signs. Shit. I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure it out. That's why she's been sleeping every day. I know when that shit wears off your body crashes and she has been crashing a lot. Man dad is going to be so pissed.

I want to make sure before I say anything, so I plan on following her the rest of the week. If she's getting it at school, it's form Harley. There is no telling what he is making her do for it and I really don't want to know. I heard rumors of things that girls will do just to get their fix. Just thinking of my kid sister with him makes me hurl.

Monday morning when I get to school I see him sitting outside with his friends acting all cool. The guy is a joke. My sister walks right past him and I think she waved at him but it's really hard to tell from where I am sitting.

Harley gets up and goes inside and I just know he is meeting up with her. I follow him in and watch him go to the boy's locker room. I wait outside pretending to be occupied by talking to some of the guys from the team.

Then holy shit, she comes out of the locker room. What the hell. I don't let her see me and when she is halfway down the hall I go into the locker room. I find him by the sink. I don't bother calling out to him. When I get right behind him, I jerk him around throwing him against the hard concrete wall.

"What the fuck bro?" He barks back and I know I struck a nerve.

I push my hands up against him and stare him down. "I'm not your bro; what are you giving her?"

He looks around and has that look in his eyes like I am the one that has lost my freaking mind. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"My little sister, Coralie....I seen her come out don't play like you don't know what I'm talking about."

His glare changes in his eyes and he forms a half smile on his face. I so want to hit the shit out of him again. "Dude she came to me; it's not like I seek her out. I didn't make her do anything."

I shove him again. "Stay away from her. If I find out you are selling her shit so help me."

"Bro like I said..."

"Don't." I shove him hard again against the wall. I want to punch his face in but I don't. I can't risk being kicked on the baseball team.

I find her later at lunch and she is on something. She is acting really weird. I wait till we get home to say something to her. I don't bother knocking on her door and when I go in of course she is crashed out on the bed. I sit down on the edge and shove her gently enough to wake her up.

"What?" she growls

"Get up we need to talk."

"Can't you see I'm sleeping go away Carter." She rolls back over to ignore me again.

"Get up Coralie." I say harsher. This time I lean over and pull her by her arm.

She shrugs and brushes me off. "Go away..."

"I'm not leaving until we talk."

"Seriously...." She forces herself to roll over to look at me.

"I talked to Harley today." I tell her and that gets her attention fast. Her eyes go wide and she sits up and scoots over to the edge of her bed.

"WHAT? WHY? What the hell did you do?" Panic is in her voice and she seems almost scared.

"I told him to leave you alone; if I see him around you again I'll kick his ass."

"What the hell....you can't tell people what to do."

"Yeah...I can when it comes to my sister and whatever this shit is your doing it needs to stop now or I will say something."

"Carter you don't understand....you just don't get it..." her voice drops heavily at the end. 

I turn my whole body towards her to give her my full attention. "So tell me. I'm here. I'm listening."

Her eyes start to water up and she looks away from me. When she starts to talk her voice comes out like she is about to start crying. "I can't tell you....not right now."

"Coralie I swear if I see you talking to him...if I find out your still taking shit so help me.

"Okay, I'll stop...just please don't say anything and leave Harley alone."

"What does he have on you? I know he must have something...what did you do?"

"Nothing....just please...."