𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 ☼ 𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯

𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯〔 𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘺 〕

𝘈𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝

"Where were you the night before last, Adelaide?" Peterkin asks me.

"At a party" I answer truthfully.

"A party at the boneyard, right?" She adds.

"Right" I nod.

"Did anything out of the usual happen?" She questions.

"No" I lie.

"No?" She hums, unconvinced "You see, that's odd due to the fact there has been statements made that suggests someone fired a gun"

"Really? I can't remember that happening. Maybe they're confused" I shrug nonchalantly, sitting back in the chair.

"Adelaide, I know" She sighs.

"You know what?" I continue to act dumb.

"I know that you were the one with the gun" She answers and my heart drops but I don't let it show.

"I don't know what you're talking about, ma'am" I tell the woman.

"Listen, girl. Don't play dumb with me when we both know exactly what happened" Peterkin snaps.

"Then you tell me what happened" I demand.

"You were angry, and frustrated, and desperate, so you picked up the gun and done a very stupid thing" She explains "I can't keep covering for you and your brother, Adelaide. This anger that you have festering inside you is going to get you in big trouble one day, and you're not a kid anymore. You're gonna end up in prison"

"I appreciate what you've done for JJ and I, I really do. But I can deal with my anger on my own" I state and the woman lets out a tired sigh.

"Have you ever thought about speaking to a professional about what you're going through?" The Sheriff asks.

"What are you talking about?" I frown.

"Where your multitude of bruises come from. Your mother leaving without a goodbye when you were a child. Raising your brother when your father wasn't up to it. Dropping out of high school to work extra jobs. Living with an addict as a father" Peterkin rants "Your near death experience after overdosing-"

"That was an accident" I snap unintentionally "I didn't mean for JJ to find me like that. It was just a stupid accident"

"It would be okay if you told me it wasn't" Peterkin assures me and I look down at my lap in shame "Adelaide, you've been through a lot of trauma in your life. Things that I can't even begin to imagine going through, especially as a teenager"

"I'm fine" I shrug.

"It's okay if you're not" She says.

"It's not okay" I retort.

"Why not?" She asks.

"Because I'm the big sister. I'm supposed to be a role model. I can't not be okay, I have to be okay. For JJ" I explain to her "Hell, even for John B, and Pope, and Kiara. I have to be the one that's okay"