A/N: Seriously, thanks so much to everyone reviewing! Totally an ego boost! Also, I know this chapter is really short, but I'm hoping to get to some longer ones in the next few days. I've had to work though and you just have to bear with me until the weekends. Thanks!
Tyler and Pogue were at the house when Reid and Jamie arrived home. It was late, and Jamie was hoping that they would be in bed already. But wishes don't always come true.
"She left?" Tyler exclaimed as Jamie walked in the front door. He was making a bee-line for his baby sister. "How could you not tell me she left? You said you came back because of some guy!"
"I never said it was because of some guy." Jamie threw her bag and keys down and flopped onto one of the uncomfortable formal couches in the living room. She studied the tacky material it was made of and decided it was definitely time to suggest her dad hire an interior decorator, pronto.
"Heartbreak? Heartbreak? Jamie, she left you in the middle of the night!" Tyler was now pacing the living room in front of where Jamie was lying on the couch. Reid had silently sat in a chair across from Jamie.
"Yeah, she left Tyler! What do you want me to say? It did break my heart!" Jamie screamed. She sat back up and pulled her hair into a ponytail to try to cool down.
"Jamie, why didn't you tell me?" Tyler just couldn't understand what was going on with his little sister. He heard horror stories of the things she did in Miami. She was caught smoking, drinking, hanging out with creepy guys all the time, and was always in trouble at home and school. She'd become a smart ass. She had been grounded for staying out for days at a time without calling more than once. And ever since she'd been back, his sweet, shy, polite, and adorable little sister had been rude, deceitful, and more than a little moody.
"Because Tyler, this is hard for me! My mom left me without even saying goodbye! And worst of all, it was my fault she left." Jamie couldn't stand to have that conversation with Tyler. It was too hard. At least with Reid, he and his mom didn't get along well. Tyler and his mom were always hanging out together, even though she couldn't stand his dad anymore. She was even nice to Jamie when she saw her. His mom was so great. How could Tyler possibly understand what Jamie was going through?
Jamie stood up and walked upstairs to her room. She was through fighting with Tyler for the night.
"Jamie," Tyler called as she walked away. She didn't acknowledge him at all. "Jamie!" he shouted louder. He wasn't mad at Jamie, he was just worried. He had always worried about Jamie. Mostly, it was caused by the way her mom treated her. He hated when her mom would tell Jamie how everything wrong in their lives was Jamie's fault. She would make so many jokes at Jamie's expense. Normally, it wouldn't have been so bad, but Jamie had always been so sensitive. Besides, she'd never had an ounce of confidence—at least not until she'd moved to Miami—and her mom only made matters worse.
At school, Jamie had always been picked on by the other kids. They had all heard the rumors about the families, that they were witches. The thing was that everyone assumed that when the stories talked of witches, it was talking about the women of the families. Jamie was teased, the victim of countless practical jokes, and generally hated by everyone at school. Tyler tried to look out for her—and he always worried about her—but he couldn't always be there to save her.
This time, with Jamie's mom leaving, he was determined things would be different. He was going to help her through this. He had to.
Tyler didn't waste any time making his way to Jamie's room. She had already shut and locked the door. He decided to wait for her to cool down some before trying to talk to her again. He would wait until morning. He headed downstairs, back to his own bedroom.
Jamie paced back and forth in her bedroom. She didn't know why she was acting this way. Why couldn't she just talk to Tyler the way she used to? Why couldn't she be more like the Jamie she used to be? Well, a little more like her at least. She didn't miss the ridicule or the way she felt about herself. She hated the way she had looked when she was younger. But she did miss the relationships she had had back then. She missed having Tyler there anytime she'd needed him. She missed staying at Reid's house for the night when she couldn't stay at her own.
It was too much for Jamie to think about for one night. She was exhausted. She pulled on her pajamas and curled up on her bed to go to sleep.