"Give it back—!" Those were the first words that came out of Sky's mouth. No apology, no regret - only pure, raw anger. "It's mine! You had no right to take it!"

She ripped the bottle from Dad's hands—

Only to realize how light it was in her grasp, how there was no sound of pills rattling in the bottle. Her heart turned into a cold lump, it almost stopped beating.

The pills were gone and with them any hope she'd had.

"What did you do?" Panic and despair made her voice tremble. "What did you do to them—?"

Dad looked at her with such sadness and disappointment in his eyes that at any other moment, it would have shattered her.

"Flushed them down the toilet."

"No—!"

"They are gone. And you are not getting more."

Despair hit Sky with the force of a trainwreck. She started crying, still gripping the empty bottle in her trembling fingers. Her knees gave in as she fell to the floor, threw the bottle into the opposite wall, and buried her face in her hands.

"No! I need it, I fucking need it!"

The scrapes on her knees ached as they rubbed against the carpet, tears burned in the wounds of her palms - a reminder of what had happened in school, of Kyler pushing her down the stairs. And with Kyler, always came the memory of Hawk, of his mean words that had started all this and that still lived in her head every minute of every day. She was a slut and a bitch, her heart was broken, she couldn't breathe, she didn't want to face this moment, this reality where she was broken and worthless, where all hope was gone. She didn't want to face Dad who had taken away the only thing that helped, the only thing that was keeping her alive.

Ragged sobs broke through her aching chest, but Dad didn't sit down next to her, he didn't comfort her as she kept crying. For a long time, he just stood there in the doorway, his silence falling around him like a shadow, and when he finally spoke, his voice was harsh, cold, alien.

"Get up," he said, and the tone of his voice made Sky look up through her tears.

She had never seen Dad like this, tense like a string, his face pale, almost gray, his lips a tight, hard line across his face.

"I said, get up." Dad repeated, not meeting her eyes. "And pack your bags."

"What—?"

"You heard me. Pack your bags."

Sky could only stare at Dad, at his clenched jaw, his stricken face, the complete lack of warmth, love, and acceptance she had always seen in him, and suddenly the truth hit her like a punch in the gut, knocking the air out of her lungs.

After every stupid stunt she'd done, after every fight, every drunken night, every suicide attempt, and more - Sky had wondered if Dad's patience was endless, if it was as vast as a limitless ocean, if his love was bigger than life, if it was as neverending as the universe itself - or if a point existed where it ended.

Now she knew.

"Dad—" she gasped but then stopped mid-sentence.

He looked away, as if he couldn't bear to see her, and in her heart Sky felt something breaking.

"Just do as you're told." Nicholas spoke, his voice thin, stretched. "Can you—- at least this once, just do as you're told?"

The tone of his voice forced Sky up to her trembling legs, as his words slowly sunk in. He had told her to pack her bags. Was he—

Was he kicking her out?

"Where— where are we going?"

"I'm not going. You are," Dad stated, still not looking at her as if her mere presence was too much for him. As if he couldn't even look at her without breaking to pieces.

Sky started sobbing again, the salty taste of the tears was choking her. She couldn't take the way Dad acted, it hurt too much. Had she truly lost him now? The one person who had always been there for her, always taking care of her, always loving her unconditionally—

First Kat, then Hawk, then Dad. She had lost everyone, and she only had herself to blame.

"I swear, Dad—" she sobbed. "It was just— just a couple of pills. It's not— not that serious—"

"Enough!" Dad yelled, his voice breaking. "Pack your bags, or do I have to do that myself?"

He yanked open the door of her closet, grabbed a couple of bags, and threw them onto her bed. With wide eyes, Sky looked at him, as he opened her drawers and started pulling out piles of T-shirts, leggings, and hoodies, and when his arms were full of her clothes, he threw them on the bed next to the bags, his chest heaving.

"Pack. Your. Bags." Dad seethed through his clenched jaw.

Sky did as she was told.

Hoodies, leggings, sweats, jeans—

She didn't know what to pack, or where she was going, but she didn't trust her voice enough to ask. She was scared of this stranger in her room, the stranger who wore the face of her Dad, but who otherwise didn't resemble him at all.

Underwear, socks, hairbrush, toothbrush, lip balm–

She didn't bother with dresses or skirts, or even makeup, but she took Kat's old T-shirts, a photo of the two of them she kept on the nightstand. Wherever she was going, she knew she didn't have the courage to go without Kat.

"Where am I going?" she asked silently when she had finished packing.

"Rehab," Dad replied, his voice still raw and hard.

Sky swallowed, but the lump in her throat wouldn't move. Rehab. Surely it was better than just being kicked out, but it didn't feel much better. He was sending her away, and it felt like her heart was carved out of her chest.

"Please, Dad— Can't I stay home? If I—- If I promise I won't take any more pills—"

Dad didn't reply, he simply picked up her bags and walked out of the room, leaving Sky no choice but to follow.

"Please–" her voice broke mid-word as she caught up with him on the stairs. "Dad, I don't want to go–"

"I don't care."

"But— What about school? I– I've missed so much of it already–"

"School doesn't matter if you're dead."

"Dad please, I promised Miggy I'd go with him to see this new dojo—"

"The dojo doesn't matter if you're dead! Your friends don't matter if you're dead!" Dad shouted, turning to face her. They had reached downstairs and Dad stood by the front door, holding Sky's bags in both hands, with a white-knuckle grip. "Don't you understand? Nothing matters if you're dead! I've been trying to save you, Goddamned I've done everything I can think of and nothing is enough! I have given everything for you! I don't know what more to give. I can't save you if you don't want to be saved."

His words hit her hard, she felt them as a physical blow. She had never meant to cause him pain, but yet here they were again. How many times had she sworn she'd stop putting him through Hell? And how many times had she broken that promise? One time too much, it seemed. Dad had had enough, and she couldn't blame him.

She had never deserved his love anyway.

Dad drew in a shaky breath, his shoulders rose and fell sharply. He still wouldn't look at her face, and she had no words to say to him. They both knew her apologies or her promises were worth nothing.

"I can't save you," Dad spoke, and suddenly all anger in his voice was gone as if it had never existed at all, and all that remained was sorrow and fatigue. "But I can't just watch how you kill yourself. I just can't."

With those words he turned and opened the front door, walked out of it with long, determined strides. Sky followed. There was a hole in her chest, she was sure that if she looked down she would see it, would see the tear in her breastbone through which her insides had fallen out. She had never felt this hollow, she could barely stay on her feet as she walked out into the bright sunlight that felt like a violation as it fell on her face when everything in her mind was darker than a starless night.

Dad threw her bags into the trunk of his car and slammed the lid, then sat down on the driver's seat and started the engine. Without a word, her body as stiff as if it wasn't hers at all, Sky took the passenger seat.

Dad held out his hand. "Your phone."

The hole in her chest grew. Sky felt like she would be sick, even if she hadn't eaten anything all day, not since that half a Nutella toast she had forced down this morning. Slowly she pulled her phone from the pocket of her skirt but didn't give it away.

"Please Dad, my friends will freak out–"

"I don't care. Your phone, now."

"Just let me tell them what's happening, Dad, please—" her voice was thin, barely audible. She knew perfectly well why Dad wanted to take away her phone - because they both knew that Sky would only use it to get more drugs as soon as he was out of sight. But she had to tell her friends something. She couldn't just disappear. "Dad, one message. Please."

Dad let out a sigh and rested his hands on the steering wheel. "Fine, one message."

Sky opened her phone, her hands trembling. One message - to explain, to apologize, to do what? She had lied to everyone. All her friends would hate her when they found out who she really was - a pathetic, lying junkie. The only person who knew the truth about her was also the person who knew the least about her. But Sky couldn't make herself write to him either. Dad might check her phone, and she didn't want to get Cody in any trouble.

It wasn't his fault she had decided to go down this road.

"If you're going to write something, do it now," Dad said, and forced Sky to take action. Taking a deep breath, she opened the "Best Girls" group chat and typed a short message.

I'm sorry I've been such a bad friend lately

I've been doing drugs

I'm sorry I lied to u guys

Dad's forcing me to rehab and I won't have my phone while I'm there

I don't know when or if I'll be back

And after a short hesitation, she added:

Can someone please tell Cody?

She didn't wait for the replies. As soon as the message was sent, she turned off her phone and passed it to Dad, who took it and stuffed it into the pocket of his leather jacket. Maybe it was better that way - she didn't want to see what Sam, Moon or Yas would answer. Their disappointment would be bitter, and well-earned. She was likely to lose them all.

Not that it mattered at the moment. Dad drove off the driveway, their home soon disappeared behind the trees and other buildings. Staring out of the window but seeing nothing, Sky felt like she was dead already.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked after half an hour of silence, as Dad just kept driving.

"You'll see," Dad replied harshly, keeping his eyes on the road. That was the only thing he said to her before they reached their destination another thirty minutes later.

Poor Dr. O'Brian :(