Jess POV

I was no idiot. Thankfully, of course, neither was my twin, Kim. Sarah may be the planning mastermind of the family, but we knew that she was battling her own troubles right now. And besides, Kim was set on helping her get through those, but I knew Sarah was only going to be able to do that herself.

"I just don't get why, Jess! We're so much closer to her, now, and Lorraine is never around, lately. She only visits from New York like once every blue moon!"

"They still talk, Kimmy." Kim sighed as she flopped onto the bed next to me.

"I know Jess. I'm just saying. We should try and help her." I snorted. The last time we offered our help to Sarah, she told us to shove it. Granted, I know she's just shutting us out, like she's doing with Jake so none of us get wrapped up in it, but I knew her actions were going to get her in trouble.

There was someone else I was worried about though, someone who I knew Kim was definitely not concerned about.

"What about Mark?" Kim turned over on her stomach and propped her head up with her elbow.

"What about Mark, Jess?" Kim repeated back.

"I think he's doing drugs. Have you noticed he's been hanging out with Andy and Travis? They're not good people, Kimmy." Kim nodded thoughtfully.

"But why would he be with them? They have zero interest in animals and science. The odds are near impossible that he'd be doing drugs, too. Remember? Last year he got an award for his presentation about drugs and the human body, and how similar they affect rats and mice. He's so against that stuff!"

"Yeah, Kimmy. That was last year. Last year the only boys Sarah hung out with outside of lacrosse was her brothers and Elliot."

"But mostly Elliot," Kim chimed in. I nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm really worried about Sarah, y'know? But she's got Jake and Mike and Charlie. And Lorraine, whenever she's on Skype. If Mark's really in trouble, who is going to help him?"

"Hasn't he been hanging out with Mike and Jake, thought?" Kim questioned, "They're a lot closer." I sighed.

"Kimmy, you know as well as I do that Jake's only focus right now is Sarah. He and Mike, yeah, they've been good to Mark. But when it comes down to it, they'll always be part of the infamous trio. And that trio includes Sarah, not Mark. They'll help us, sure, but only when they're sure Sarah's not falling into oblivion."

"But Jess," Kim pointed out quite correctly, "Sarah is falling into oblivion."

I nodded unhappily.

"I know. So right now, Mike and Jake need to focus on Sarah. And us, Kimmy? We're going to focus on Mark." Kim nodded.

"Okay, I'm in. Let's do this."

Jess POV

No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen, I thought – I was panicking now. Kim laid a reassuring hand on my arm but I shook it off. There was nothing reassuring about this new situation. If only I hadn't touched his jacket, I closed my eyes in frustration, fighting the urge to scream.

"Hey Mark! Where've you been?" I asked casually. Kim shot me a look, letting me know it wasn't as casual as I thought. Oh well.

The boy in front of me shrugged. "Nowhere, really." Kim and I fell into step with him as he tried to make his way back to his room.

"Mark, listen. We need to talk." Of course, subtlety was not my twin and I's forte. We were more of the debate and hash it out type. Mark was definitely not that type though.

"About?" He raised his eyebrow slightly, but his face was cloudy and annoyed. He couldn't focus on Kim, on me, or on anything.

"About you, actually. We're worried, Mark." I laid my hand on his shoulder.

He snorted, shaking me off. He tried turning in a different direction, but Kim and I sidestepped to stay next to him.

"Really, Mark. We're afraid something bad is going to happen to you! Please, just listen, okay?"

"NO!" He all but roared at me, and shook Kim off with enough force to push her backwards. She hit the wall hard and slumped to the floor. She was stunned and hurt: Mark had never been mean to her, and she just didn't understand how to take it.

But Kim was also angry, because ever since last year when the bullying got worse, she never let herself cry. She stood up indignantly.

"Fine Mark. Let yourself waste away on those stupid drugs. See if I care." She said hotly before storming up the stairs, nursing her left elbow.

He simply stood, staring up at her. He swayed a little, blinked a few times, and his mouth pulled into a small frown.

"I didn't mean to hurt her." I sighed, pulling a deep breath into my lungs.

"I know you didn't, Mark. But don't you see? This is what we're talking about, you've changed. And not for the better." He looked at me, slightly disbelieving.

He stumbled backwards. "It's not like that." I reached out before he could away again, but he was already too far back for me to grab his arm.

My fingers gripped at the edge of his coat, to keep him there. I needed to make him see reason. He just needed to listen. I pulled him towards me, gritting my teeth.

"Mark, please! Just listen!" My voice had escalated, and with a grunt I pulled as hard as I could to get him to come closer. But he was backing away, trying to run, trying to leave.

His jacket ripped. I yanked half of it off of him and stuff went flying from the pockets. He stared down at the floor in horror, switching between looks of disbelief and anger.

"Look what you did Jess! What the hell is wrong with you?" He scooped up his stuff angrily. "Shit! Where is it? Shit, shit, shit! It's somewhere here!" His glasses had gotten knocked off in the fray, and I knew he was struggling to find the pot that lay only centimeters from my foot.

"What is the matter with you two? I swear, this house is a circus! What's the problem… Mark! Put that down, right now!" My mom was staring at us, horrified. Mark had found his pot, he was on his knees, trying to stuff the bag into one of his shorts pockets.

"Hand it over, right now mister." My mom looked angry (but mostly disappointed) when she realized that one of her younger sons was dappling in the druggie world. I felt a pang of fear for whatever Mark was going to be punished with.

"Mom," She turned to me, her anger barely concealed.

"Go to your room Jessica. Mark and I need to have a talk, and unless you'd like to tell me that you're also doing drugs, then you don't need to be here." I stood still, unsure of what to do. All I wanted was to help, and it seemed I couldn't even do that correctly.

Mark POV

I was tired of my sisters. I was tired of my oldersisters always taking the spotlight and I was tired of my younger sisters always ruining everything. Jess and Kim were such know-it-alls sometimes.

I was shaking with anger and dread as my mom snatched away the pot. I looked at the ceiling, at the floor, just over her shoulder…anywhere my mom wouldn't be looking.

"Mark! Explain yourself." I shook my head, dazed. I wanted them to notice me; I wanted them to care; I wanted them to see that Sarah wasn't their only kid…

No. No. I didn't care about that. I wanted this. The high, the delirium, the pseudo-joy. I wanted the hype and the danger and the recklessness. I didn't want to be Fed-ex, anymore. I didn't want to be the nerdy animal boy from the Baker family. I didn't want to be dismissed anymore. I wanted someone in my family to notice me.

"Listen young man, you go to your room, right now. And don't think I won't be keeping a much closer eye on you." Mom shoved my shoulders forward a little, and I stumbled toward the stairs.

Huh. I got out of that one kind of easy.

When I woke up, Dad was yelling. Everything was a lot clearer. I came down, finally. I blinked a few times, yawned, and debated about getting out of bed.

I heard him yell my name. And then Sarah's. I heard Mom, only she was a lot quieter. My name was yelled a few more times. Figuring that I should see what all the fuss was about (I had a sinking feeling that I knew, as I remembered running into mom with a handful of marijuana.) I walked out to the landing and sat by the railing, hoping I could hear a little better.

I heard a door slam, and Mike's enthusiastic voice yell his sister's name.

I heard Dad's voice….angry, very angry.

Sarah POV

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what we're talking about!"

"Actually Dad, I don't! Why don't you enlighten me?!" I screamed back. My dad was raving and ranting and hadn't stopped in the past half hour.

"I'm talking about your brother and the weed your mother found on him! What is the matter with you? Is this some sort of petty revenge for last summer? For God's sake Sarah, just because you're mad that I caught you with weed in your bedroom you now feel the need to spread it around the house, attempting to get your siblings for the same exact thing?!" My dad all but screamed in my face.

Tears were threatening to spill over my eyes. I had done some pretty shitty things but involving my siblings in them – I had never stooped that low. I ground out the last few words I had, "How could you think that? I don't even know who you're talking about!" That part was a lie. I knew he was talking about Mark. I had seen Mark hanging out with Andy and Travis, and I have always seen Travis and Andy buying weed from the same man Nick bought from. But despite what my dad thought of me, I never ratted out my siblings. And I never, ever let them come hang out with me.

"Stop lying Sarah!"

"I'm not!" The tears were spilling down my face now, from anger or hurt I couldn't even tell anymore. "How could you think I would sell drugs to my siblings? That's what you're accusing me of, isn't it! You actually think that I would want to endanger my siblings by giving them drugs! That is ridiculous and it is a lie and I don't understand why you think I am some devil child because I'm not!" I was full on screaming now.

"Now I think we all need to take a calming breath, and settle down. Tom, we should let Sarah say her side of the story…" My mom intervened.

"NO! This has gone on long enough. Sarah, you are grounded for the rest of the school year. You will have a curfew of 8 p.m., you are only allowed to go out if one of your siblings accompanies you, I am taking your car keys, and every day after practice you are to come straight home. If you do not follow these rules or get your act together soon then I will be forced to make other living arrangements for you. Think about that." After delivering the sentence, my dad turned on his heel, walked up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door.

"He can't do that!" I stood there, fuming.

"Sarah, honey, I will go talk to your father. But you have to see it from his side, sweetheart. He doesn't know where else Mark would have gotten the drugs, and you have already been caught with weed in your bedroom…" I glared at my mother.

"You agree with him."

My mom backpedaled rapidly, shaking her head and trying to correct herself, "That's not what I said Sarah. Please, just listen…"

"No!" I screamed again. "I won't. I'm tired of you two acting like I'm this horrible person and I will admit to many, many things including all of the nights you and dad have caught me with alcohol or weed but I would never endanger my siblings or let them get in drug trouble for petty revenge and if you and Dad think that I would stoop so low then you obviously don't think much of me." My mom was reaching out for me now, in an attempt to calm me down, but I was not about to be swayed. "And if Dad doesn't want me poisoning the minds of my younger siblings, and if you and him think so badly of me to believe that I would want them to get in criminal or drug trouble, then I guess there isn't really a home left for me here." I spat the last words at my mom's face and spun around, already heading out the door.

"Sarah wait!" The plea was filled with three different voices: Mom's, Jake's, and Mike's. But I wasn't about to listen. I was hurt and confused. What if they were right? Was it really my fault. I searched my memory for any hiding place in my room that Mark would have found. I tried thinking of all the times that I had even accidentally hinted at doing drugs after school. But there was nothing. I probably hadn't even talked to Mark in days. Weeks, even. But there was still that small piece of doubt. What if Dad was right? I shook my head, telling myself to stop. But the doubt was still there…what if it really was my fault? I slammed the door behind me and ran. The door opened and I knew without looking that it was Jake, always chasing me down. I ran and ran and ran until I thought I had outrun him, until I could no longer hear him screaming, asking me to slow down. And when I was sure that I was alone, when there was no one left around me in the empty park, I knelt onto the grass and cried.