Chapter six
by Punk

(Corey's POV)

This place sucks. I feel like a prisoner. I don't want to be here, I want to be home, I want to be with my brothers and my sister. I want my bed, I want my skateboard, and I want my drum sticks. Thank God I'm allowed to have some stuff in this place. They were nice and let me have my cell phone and my laptop. Cole and Chris made sure I had a bunch of my favorite clothes, and they snuck me in a bottle of nail polish and some eyeliner. It's hidden under my mattress right now, how I'm gonna be able to use it without them knowing I have no idea.

They were here earlier, they both looked like hell, and it's all my fault. Ever since we were infants we felt what each other was feeling. We know each other better then anyone else on the planet knows anyone. Hell, we're so connected we chip our nail polish in the same places. There aren't many differences between us. Cole's eyes are a darker blue, he spikes his hair, and he's the pro skater with a steady girlfriend. Although it's Chris who has the skater aura around him, skate shirts and ripped pants, messy hair that curls around his ears and neck, and that bad boy charm of his. He denies it but people often think it's him who's the pro skater, I guess 'cause Cole has a hard time blending into the skater clique, Cole's like our mother, a Goth who can skate. Chris isn't as hardcore as Cole is, he reminds me lot of uncle Bam. He's also a girl crazy flirt, he can't keep a steady girlfriend. And then there's me. The drug addicted fag with a needle in his arm and a dick up his ass.

I won't lie, my boyfriend introduced me to heroin. My addiction started with us shooting up together after sex. He was just so amazing, he did things to my body no girl has ever done, he made me scream till I was hoarse and I was always sore for days afterward. So I did drugs with him. Because I love him that damn much. I miss him the most. I wish he'd come and break me out of here, but of course he can't even get in to see me, let alone get me out of here.

Hanna called me not that long ago. We talked about our addictions, I tried to comfort her. She's was a coke addict, she just didn't get caught. Lucky bitch. I tried hard not to be bitter. In truth I am a little bit. But there's no way I want her to go back down that road and get caught. Cole told me Aila was coming, so I knew Hanna was sad about that. She and Aila are close, almost as close as Cole Chris and I are. We talked for a while. It felt good to talk to someone outside the family for the first time in days, and also to someone who understands what I'm going through.

I'm having withdrawals again. I curl up on my bed and start sobbing as I shake and cough. I bury my face in my pillow to muffle the sounds. There's no way I want that nurse coming back in here. I hate her, I hate this place, and I hate myself. I get dark thoughts in my head and glance down at my shoes. I can't even have fuckin' shoe laces. I glance around and then down to my bed "Corey..." I warn myself as my hand moves down and start ripping off the sheets. I try to stop myself but I just can't. I rip the sheets, and tie them together. Standing on my bed I throw one end over the beam and tie the sheets tightly in a knot around it. By now I'm crying and shaking so hard I can barely see and keep my hands steady as I loop the other end around my neck. I tie it tightly around my neck. " Mom, Dad, Josh, Cole, Chris, Jey, Jacey, I'm so sorry I did this to you guys." And I jump.

(Josh's POV)

The Nurse opens the door to Corey's room and I gasp and run in. The Nurse starts calling for help. Amy nearly faints and slides against the wall holding her pregnant belly. "Is he?" She sobs as I get my brother down. I rip the sheets from his neck and start CPR.

"Corey, don't you fucking do this!" I scream violently trying to get my brother breathing. Finally after what seems like an eternity Corey coughs violently and I pull him into my arms. "Cor, why? Why would you do this?"

"Josh?" He comes too and he starts crying my name in pain and he pulls back and looks at me. "Josh!" He hugs me and I hold him tight. Amy comes over and gets down next to us. She puts her hand through Corey's hand and around at his back. He pulls away and looks at her and then to her stomach. He hugs her and cries into her shoulder. "Amy." He cries over and over. We both hold my brother as that nurse comes back. Corey starts crying harder seeing her.

"He's fine now. You can leave." I tell that nurse and she does which surprises me. Of course this is rehab and not a mental institution. I look at Corey crying and shaking in my arms. "Do you want to leave?" I ask him. He looks at me and nods before burying his face in my chest.

Seeing my brother like this reminds me of my own addiction. Corey was too young to remember it and I thank God every day for that. Rehab didn't work for me ether. I guess maybe it's because of our mother, she never went to rehab, and she had a "I'll get over it by myself in my own time" attitude toward her addictions to heroin and cutting. It must to genetic or something because as soon as everyone left me alone about my addiction after I tried stopping it got just that much easier to quit knowing there wasn't anyone looking over my shoulder. I wasn't so nervous I'd screw up, need a hit and get caught. Maybe that's all Corey needs, just for everyone to back off and let him deal with it himself.

Amy looks at me and I look back. "Let's take him home." She nods agreeing with me. This is one thing I love about Amy; she's always willing to try anything. No matter what people think about us being together, I could never imagine myself with anyone else. I love her so much, and watching her help Corey up as I scramble to pack his stuff, I remember over and over why I fell in love with her in England. She's carefree and serious at the same time. A natural beauty and so kind. She wraps an arm around Corey and he lightly touches her stomach. They share a small smile and she hugs my brother as we leave.

Driving home I know all hell will probably break lose when we get there. Dad most likely won't be happy to see us with Corey, meaning my only hope of keeping him from trying to take Corey back is convincing Mom rehab is only gonna kill her son. I hope I can. Amy reads the look on my face and puts her hand on my knee. She rubs my leg. "It's gonna be okay, Josh. It's gonna be okay." She glances back and smiles. "He's asleep. His withdrawal symptoms must have subsided." I nod and give her a smile. "It really is gonna be okay." I love how she's so convincing.