Save Me.

Carol Sykes' heart sank at the sound of aggravated shouting coming from her living room. She was sure her boys had sorted their rift out, mended bridges. She was tired of having teenagers back in her house.

Letting out a relieved breathe when she entered the room she smiled softly to herself. Both her children were sitting side by side on the couch, game controllers in hand, their respected characters running around on the television screen, as they nudged each other with their elbows, taunting each other.

Everything paused when Thomas' phone started to ring, leaving the room to answer in privacy. Carol noticed her eldest follow his siblings movements before his attention turned to her, a soft smile across his face. She hadn't seen him so pulled together and acting like her son in a long time.
"Y'alrigh mum?"

Carol shook her head coming back to reality from her day dream at Oliver's voice, his face etched with concern. Merely smiling at him, she made her way into the room and took a seat at his side. "Jus' happy you two've made up"

Oliver slung his arm around his mothers shoulders, letting out a large breathe he had noticed he had been holding in. Everything had sorted itself out. Routine starting to fall back into place. Previous events seemingly been forgotten, yet always present in the back of everyone's minds.

"Yeh know I'm sorry for.."

"Don't," Carol never moved as she cut off Oliver explanations. "I don't need answers, yer my son Oliver, nufink you ever do or don't do will ever change that"

His mother always had a way with making him feel better with her words of wisdom, but recently her power had seemed to vanish, leaving nothing but doubt and worry. He was sure she never meant it. That didn't make it hurt any less though.

Thomas froze as he walked back into the room as soon as matching brown eyes darted up to his face. A worried expression crossing his face at the thought of might have take place in the short amount of time he had left the room for. His mother and brothers similar faces watching him.

"So who was so important yeh had to stop the game?"

Thomas shook his head at his brother, taking the space on the couch next to his mother. "Jus' Mattie askin' when I'm goin' to Brighton"

"He goin' too?" Thomas could hear the hurt disguised in Oliver's voice. He'd be lying if he said it didn't bother him. No one could blame Oliver for his actions. No one denying that he could have handled the situation better. Oliver was his brother. That was never going to change. No matter what he done, Thomas would never abandon him.

After the accident, Alexa had vanished. Left the group without a second glance. Her phone disconnected, her parents refusing to let him see her. No explanation. No nothing. Exactly what he had done to his brother. Ignoring the situation in favour of selfish feelings. Everyone so quick to jump on the band wagon that Oliver was in the wrong that no one knew what was happening to him. No one seeming to care.

"No, jus' me"

Carol removed herself from the room, sqweezing each boys shoulders, a comforting act from their childhood making them both relax slightly. Oliver was silent, playing with the fraying denim at the hole in the knee of his jeans. He wasn't expecting an invitation. Wasn't waiting for one. He just wasn't sure how he was supposed to act when the subject was brought up. He knew he was wrong. Knew he'd lost any hope of making up for anything he had done. Just wished he could move on without it constantly looming over him.

"Yeh know its not meh place to say come?"

"I don't wanna come"

Thomas should have expected a brash answer. Defence being Oliver's only means of coping. It still never made anything easier.

"Never said yeh did" Thomas sighed at Oliver's refusal to acknowledge him. "Jus' don't want yeh to think I'm dismissin' yeh"

The Sykes brothers had always been known for their stubbornness. It was a family trait passed down through the males for generations. A grudge could be held for years between the two if their mother had not forced her way between the problem.

"Everythin' will work out" Thomas spoke quietly. Carefully. Watching Oliver intently for any tell tale sign of what was going through his head, what he was feeling. Anything. "Regardless of if it's the way yeh want it to or not"

*****

"Fanks for helpin'"

Mattie looked up from the brown cardboard box he was elbow deep in, rummaging around for hidden treasures, to Oliver's tired face. His friend was leant against the kitchen counter top, hands running over his tired face as he looked around the empty room.

"Yeh don't have to say fanks yeh muppet, its a obligation init" Oliver smiled lazily over at Mattie as he went back to his search. If there was one person outside his family that Oliver was truly thankful for, it was Mattie.

"So, how come yeh never went with Tommeh?"

Mattie stopped his digging again as he straightened up, hand rubbing the back of his neck as he averted his gaze to the wooden flooring. He wasn't sure what to say. He had never lied to Oliver, never kept anything from him. He never would. He just wasn't sure how to word it.

Oliver never asked about anything that could lean towards talk of Georgia. He wasn't sure if good news or bad news would be worse. The selfish thoughts of her doing better without him broke his heart. The darker thoughts of her being worse of never bore thinking off. He was dying inside, but no one would ever know.

"I'm not mad, jus' don't get why yeh never went, their yer friends. No one has to fall out jus' 'cause of meh"

"Yeh know Sam," Mattie sighed, taking a seat on one of the bar stool. Oliver wasn't so sure he did any more. "He does nufink but worreh about Gee. He jus' doesnt want too many people around her"
The two men were silent for a long time. The calm and soundless noises of the flat irked Oliver. He needed a change from his old home and his parents house. Needed to be by himself. At least he thought so. Know that he was actually there, a new building, a new start, he wasn't so sure.

"What's she like?"

Mattie watched Oliver carefully. Looking into deep eyes. He had never seen his best friend so empty. He had watch Oliver pull himself back together, build his life back up from nothing. Writing a new album had seemed to do him the world of good. Mattie knew Oliver, knew where this was heading, back down the self loathing and blaming route. Somewhere that was never going to help any situation.

"She's not Georgia any more"