Pillow Talk

4~ I Can't Hear You

I couldn't move.

My whole body had grown stiff, and the first thing I did out of instinct was push River toward the bathtub, holding my finger to my lips to signal him to be quiet.

"Scarlet? I'm coming in!" I felt the knob turn again and gave River a glare, gesturing toward the bathtub. He took a deep breath and climbed into the tub pulling the curtain in front of him before tossing out the towel that had been around his waist on to the floor.

"Are you taking a shower?" My brother asked, knocking again. I moved closer to the shut baby blue curtain and took a deep breath.

"What? I can't hear you!" I yelled, pretending I couldn't hear a word he had said.

"Never mind." He shouted. I waited a minute to let out a sigh of relief and lean against the wall.

That had been extraordinarily close.

"Is he gone?" River asked, peeking his face out from behind the curtain. His black hair was plastered on to his face, sending droplets of water down his cheeks as if they were tears.

"Sounds like it." I whispered, stepping away from the shower. "I'll wait in the bedroom." He nodded, watching as I slipped out of the bathroom and back into my own room. I found River's Letterman in the middle of my bed, a sticky note on top of it.

Scarlet, I don't know what you're doing or hiding, but you better keep it more of a secret around Caleb

I could feel all energy drain out of me at the words on the stick note. Steven knew something was up, and it was all River's fault. He had left his jacket in plain sight, where any one of my three brothers could have found it. He had been lucky it was the brother that woul cause the least amount of harm.

"Is the coast clear?" River was stepping out of the bathroom, in nothing but a pair of boxers. I quickly adverted my eyes and nodded, throwing his jacket at him.

"You need to be careful, River. Do you know how close that was? What if it had been Caleb or Collin that found your jacket? Don't you realize how much trouble I'd be in?" I hissed quietly, shaking my head at him.

"Guys!" I froze in front of my door at the voice. They were back already?

"Mom? Dad?" It was Caleb, his voice sent River back across the room, his eyes wide as he cocked his head to hear better.

"Caleb, sweetie!" My mom slurred. I sighed, leaning against my bedroom door.

So it's only Mom that's home and she sounds drunk as hell. Where's Dad?

"Mom, it's almost midnight. Where's. . . are you drunk?" I stiffened at my brother's question, ready to pull the door open and walk out to join him.

I knew how Mom got when she was drunk. She started out as a fun drunk, all giggles and jokes. Then she went and started talking about how much she hated Dad and the world, about how much she'd love to live anywhere but here.

"Where is Scarlet? Is she here?" My mom asked, her voice closer now. I straightened out and sent River a worried look over my shoulder. He only held his index finger to his lips, signaling me to keep quiet.

"No." Caleb lied, "She's at Daisy's tonight. Come on, Mom. Let's get you to bed." I heard the sound of a door slamming shut and I knew what was about to happen.

"You should leave." I whispered to River, gesturing toward my bedroom window. "I'm sure if you sneak out back they won't notice you." He started to shake his head, one of his hands planted in his messy hair.

"I have no where to go. Plus, I've been here through one of their fights before, Scarlet." He replied, sitting at the edge of my bed. I only leaned back against the door, my eyes burning as I heard my dad start yelling outside the door.

"Carrie-Anne, stop! Scarlet doesn't need. . ."

"Oh, Stephen, she isn't even here! She probably ran off like a little whore." My mom said with a cold laugh.

"She is your daughter." My dad growled in response. I recoiled, tears finally escaping my eyes as I waited to hear the rest of the conversation. I honestly just wanted this night to end already.

"Leave Scarlet out of your fucking problems, all right?" Caleb was louder then both of my parents, "I am so tired of you dragging her into all of your problems. She is your daughter, not some hooker on the street." I wanted to cry even more at my brother coming to my defense.

I don't know why I was so surprised by it though. My brothers had always been my guardians, through everything. From the first time I fell off the slide at the park and scraped my knee to my first crush, they had always been there to support me. I couldn't say the same about my parents.

I remember as a child I used to read books, books that had the parents that were never in them. It was unrealistic in my eyes, that these kids went on huge adventures without their parents knowing. But me, well, I wished that were the case.

My parents had always been here, they were just never parents exactly. No, they left that to Collin.

"Scarlet. . ." River started, only a few inches behind me. I could see the pitiful look in his eyes and fought the urge to hit him. I didn't need anyone's pity, especially not River freaking Moore's.

"Go to your room, Caleb!" My mom finally snapped, her words barely audible. I shook my head, feeling guilty for my brother getting yelled at.

"Fine, but one of you needs to leave." I heard my mom let out another croaky laugh before the sound of her heels clacking against the tile echoed through the house.

"Gladly!" She yelled before the front door was slammed shut so hard that I saw one of the picture frames on my wall shake.

"Don't." I hissed, whirling around to push River's hand away, "I don't want to hear a word from you." I threw myself down on to my bed and buried my face against my teddy bear, momentarily ignoring the fact that my first crush was standing in the room looking down at me acting like a three year old.

"Carl-"

"I told you not to call me that." I whispered, glaring up at him, "Why don't you just go sleep in the bathroom?" I pointed toward the open door, sniffling.

I felt like a child the second he sat down on the bed beside me, letting out a sigh.

"Scarlet, I've known you almost my whole life. I know that you aren't one to sit here and cry over your parents fighting." He nudged me gently with a crooked smile, and in that moment, I felt as if we were back in middle school. When he had scared off the jerks that would pick on me all the time, even more so then my own brothers, which was amazing because they threatened to kill a few people.

"Smile, Carls. Your mom was drunk, she didn't mean what she said, I promise." I stared across my room at the picture frame hanging off the wall.

"Why are you trying to comfort me? I don't need you, River." I replied.

"That's what I hate about all of you Grey's, Scarlet. You fight anyone that tries to help you, you deny that you need help. But, Carls, everyone needs someone there to talk to. Even you." I wanted to deny what he said, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right.

Everyone in this world needs someone there to vent to, to talk to. Even if it happened to be your brother's nemesis.

"And you want to be my psychiatrist now?" I tried to joke, but my voice cracked. He laid down across the end of my bed, his head propped up on his hand.

"Yep." He shoved my feet away from him, "Now tell me all your little secrets, Scarlet." 

****AN***

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~ChasingMadness24