Oh why you look so sad
The tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now
Don't be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
Cause I've seen the dark side too
*February*
Ty walked up behind his little sister as she stood staring blankly out over the ocean, the freezing cold not effecting her in the least.
"Hey." He said, stopping right next to her, bracing himself against the wind.
"Hey." Lo replied, trying—and failing—to keep her voice from cracking.
"You wanna tell me what's wrong?" he asked, seeing the tears that was forbidding herself from letting falling.
"Not really," she sniffed, "You wouldn't understand."
"Oh, really?" Ty raised an eyebrow, "I think, aside from Broseph, I am the only person who would understand completely."
When she didn't even attempt to smile he said, "Talk to me. Let me in. Let me help you."
She turned to face, the tears starting to fall, and lunged herself into his open arms.
"What happened?" he whispered into her hair, rubbing her back soothingly.
"Me and mom fought." Lo sniffed, "She wanted me to go back into modeling after she saw the photo-shoot for the resort. I mean, there was a reason I quite it the first time and I really don't want to do it again."
"I don't want you to do it again either; and neither would dad or George. We almost lost you because of it." Ty replied, hugging her tighter as memories of Lo's modeling career washed over him.
Because of the pressures put on her by their mom and her manager, she had developed an eating disorder—which their mother had told everyone not to worry about, even though she looked like a walking skeleton— and had collapsed on the runway. They found out at the hospital that she was only a few days away from starving herself.
She had seen the worst of what that world had to offer and she never wanted to go back, especially since she was still recovering.
"Come on," Ty gestured toward the hotel, "Let's get you inside and warmed up. Rosie's making cookies and George is out tormenting Broseph with Grommet."
When she didn't make an effort to move, he continued, "You'll die if you stay out here much longer. Come on, I'll watch whatever movies you want with you."
"Any movies?" Lo asked after a moment.
"Yes, anything to get you out of this cold!"
"Okay."
With that, they walked back to the hotel and up to the Penthouse, where Ty promptly wrapped ten blankets around his little sister and had Rosie make a large cup of extra hot chocolate.
When the night falls on you
You don't know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less
*March*
Ty walked past Lo's room and heard sniffling coming from the dark room.
"She's been in there since we got she got home from school." George informed him, "She hasn't stopped crying and it's making coming up with new ways to torture her really hard."
"Yeah." Grommet agreed, "Every time we come up with something good, she'll start crying again and it makes us feel guilty and the idea is thrown away."
"Guys, why don't you leave her alone for a few days." Ty replied, before walking into the dark room and closing the door.
"Lo?" he asked, walking over to her shaking form, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." She sniffed from the bed.
Ty turned the bedside lamp on and was greeted by the sight of his baby sister with her make-up running down her beautiful face and trying to keep the tears— that were continuing to collect in her eyes— from falling.
"Come on," he sat down next to her, "tell your big brother what's wrong."
"I love him," she choked out, resting her head on Ty's shoulder, "I'm in love with my best friend, who would never look at me like that."
Ty kept it to himself that Broseph definitely saw her like that, and wordlessly hugged his sister when she began to cry again.
They stayed like that until she had eventually cried herself to sleep. When her breathing evened out, he tucked her into her bed and turned the lamp off. When he got to the door, he looked back at his baby sister, who looked so peaceful, and whispered, "Sweet Dreams, Lauren."
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
*April*
Ty grew angier and angrier as the rumors about his sister flew around the school. Her former best girl friend—Trisha—had decided to declare war on Lo because Broseph choose her over Trisha. She had started various rumors throughout the week that had resulted in various trips to the counselors and principal's office. This one was about a non-existent drug problem Lo had developed while modeling two years before.
"Trisha." Ty greeted, walking over to the younger girl's locker, "we need to talk."
"I was wondering when you would come to your senses." Trisha smiled flirtatiously at him.
"Quell the rumors, now." He replied, his voice hard.
"And why would I do that?" Trisha laughed.
At that, Ty caught a glimpse of Broseph ushering Lo out of the school to prevent everyone from seeing her mask fall.
"Because Lo is my baby sister and no one hurts her."
Ty turned and made his way out of the school to the bleachers, where Lo was sitting with Broseph.
"Oh, Lo." Ty sighed, sitting down next to his sister and wrapping his arms around her as Broseph left, knowing that Ty would be the only one able to fix this.
"You don't believe them, do you? Because if I disappointed you, I don't know what I'd do." Lo asked in a broken voice.
"You could never disappoint me, Lo."
Lo smiled slightly, feeling so much better knowing that Ty was on her side.
So if you're mad get mad
Don't hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide
I get angry too
Well I'm a lot like you
*May*
Lo walked out of the staff house, slamming the door behind her and causing the Groms to flinch at the force.
"So not a good way to try to win Ty." Broseph informed Emma, who was the cause of Lo's storm out.
"I didn't know she would react that way!" Emma tried to defend. She had asked Lo to help her with her plan to finally win Ty's affections after falling to do so last year. When Lo said no, Emma brought up all the things she helped Lo with then proceeded to call Lo a selfish bitch for not helping her. Lo responded by yelling that Ty the girl Emma was trying to convince Lo to help get rid (Catie) of was the first of Ty's girlfriends to actually be nice to her and George; and that Catie was also the first girlfriend Ty had ever said "I love you" to and meant it. Lo said that she cared too much about Ty to try to ruin that. Emma then threw more insults at Lo and that's when Lo stormed out.
"Just so you know, she will be telling Ty." Lance said, "and even if she didn't we" he gestured to Ripper, Broseph, and himself "would. No one gets way with treating Lo like that."
Broseph texted Ty that Lo was at her spot and went up to the guys' room.
Ty hurried to the special spot on the beach where he could always find Lo when something was bothering her. When he found her, she was just standing there
"What's up?" he asked, walking up to her.
"Nothing." She spat out on accident.
"Don't keep it bottled up; you know what happens when you do that." Ty's face clearly showed his concern, "You can tell me anything."
"I'm just angry."
"Hey, I can relate." Ty laughed, "We have the exact same tempers. Now," Ty sat down in the sand and pulled her down next to him, "tell me everything."
And just like that, Lo spilled about everything that had happened that week; from a fight with their mom over a dress she would have to wear to the big gala at the end of next week, to the fight with Emma. Ty listened as she ranted and offered her words of advice, encouragement, and thanks.
"I'm so glad you like Catie." Ty smiled after a while.
"Well, for now." Lo smiled, "She likes you, so something has to be wrong with her."
Ty laughed and hugged his little sister tightly.
When you're standing at the crossroads
And don't know which path to choose
Let me come along
Cause even if you're wrong
*June*
"Ty?" Lo asked from the door of his room.
"Yeah?" he replied, setting his video camera aside as she entered and sat down across from him on the bed.
"I need some advice."
"Okay."
"Me and mom and dad were talking today…about my future. They said that since I'll be a senior in the fall, I need to think about my future. Dad says that since you're doing both film and business school—so you can take over running the resort when daddy can't anymore—that I should go to just business school—so I can help you when you take over. Mom thinks I should be a fashion designer, go to a fashion school in Paris or Milan."
"But you already know what you want to do."
"I want to go to art school at University of Vancouver… with Broseph."
"I think you should do what you want to do. I know you won't be happy if you do those other things."
"You really think I should got to art school?"
"Yeah, I really do."
"But what if I can't do it? I mean, Business school would be safe."
"Since when have you ever done anything because it's safe?"
"When you put it that way…"
"If it turns to be the wrong choice, I'll help you go another way. I promise."
"Okay, thanks."
"I'll tell mom and dad for you." Ty smiled, "Now, don't you have a date with Broseph tonight."
"Yeah. I should go get ready."
Ty smiled as she left the room, picking up his book. He couldn't wait until she got home tonight. After all, Broseph had summoned up the courage to come to Ty on Monday and he had had to keep Broseph's plan a secret all week and he couldn't wait to see the big smile that was sure to be on her face when she got home.
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Take me in into you darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you
*July*
Ty was cleaning out the hall closet when he came across a bunch of photo boxes.
"Lo!" he called down the hall.
"What?" She asked walking over to him.
He replied by handing her two of the boxes and taking the remaining three and leading her over to the couch as George walked in.
"What are those?" he asked, walking over to his two older siblings.
"Photo boxes." Ty replied opening the one with the earliest dates as George sat down on the other side of Lo.
The three siblings went through all the pictures, reliving the memories that the boxes contained. Ty picked up a picture of a five year old Lo, a bow the size of her head holding her long hair back, and smiling brightly up at him. He had always done what he could to protect her, he always would, but it made him extremely proud that when she did need comfort, she came to him first. He put that picture—along with multiple others of both Lo and George—aside with the mental note to pack them with his stuff when he left for school next month.
And when, when the night falls on you, baby
You don't know what to do
You're feeling all alone
You won't be on your own
*May the following year*
Ty watched proudly as she walked across the stage, accepting her diploma. She had made Valedictorian and he couldn't be more proud of her. The year had been hard for her. She had a huge falling out with her core group of friends, so the only person she had in town was Broseph, but she had still felt completely alone. She didn't have Ty there to track her down and make her talk about it. When she called him to tell how much she missed him and how alone she always felt, he had assured her that she would never be alone because he would always be there. But in the fall, she would be joining Ty in Vancouver for school with her fiancé, Broseph—though she was not living in a dorm; Ty had a apartment and she would be living there so that she would never really be alone with Broseph.
"I'm so proud of you." Ty whispered as he hugged her tightly after the ceremony.
"Thank you." Lo replied, "For everything."
"You're my baby sister," Ty laughed, "You wouldn't be able to get rid of me if you tired."
Lo laughed brightly and hugged him again, "I love you, Tyler."
"I love you, too, Lauren." Ty replied before she was pulled away by Lance and Ripper—who congratulated her with hugs, which was very uncommon for them. Even Baumer had showed up for the ceremony—claiming, of course, that Mr. Ridgemount had forced him to go.
Ty couldn't help the feeling of pride he felt when he saw Lo, so happy and so successful at everything she did. She was so strong, but when she had her weak moments, she knew she could always rely on Ty to catch her and be her strength. And her made sure she knew it.
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Take me in into you darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you
Oh I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you