Sean lay awake restless; staring at the ceiling and longing for much-needed sleep. His gaze moved to his bedroom window, following the call of an owl that drew his attention to the tattered curtains that covered his windows. He could see the stars peek through them; a luxury he would no longer have once he returned to the hustle and bustle of Toronto. Sean sighed and turned his head to look at the alarm clock to the left of his bed. 2:48 A.M. At this point, sleep seemed a distant possibility for the young man. He opted instead to check on his sister in the next room.

On his way there, he caught a glimpse of his parents; each passed out on their own couch. The room smelled of hard liquor, making Sean's stomach churn. He rolled his eyes and carried on down the hall to his little sister's room.

"Knock, knock," he said, barely above a whisper, as he tapped his knuckle against her door gently. It was open slightly, allowing Sean to peek in.

"Jesus Christ!" He cried, closing his eyes and turning is head away at the sight of his little sister straddled over some guy.

The man in her bed was shirtless; only wearing a pair of grey sweatpants. She practically flew off the boy and through the door, following her brother into the living room.

"He's supposed to be gone at 11:00, remember?" Sean growled.

Alice smirked, "and who's going to enforce that rule?" She scoffed, reminding her brother of their unconscious parents who laid practically lifeless next to them.

"I will." He replied, his face emotionless.

The unknown boy came out from the bedroom then, with his shirt balled up in his hands. He passed the siblings on the way to the door, where he was greeted with an angry glare from Sean as he exited the home.

"You're an ass, you know that?" Alice squinted her eyes at her brother, before storming past him in a huff.

"Come on, Al," he sighed, following her back into her room. "I'm your big brother; it's my job to keep you away from scumbags like him."

She rolled her eyes, "he's not a scumbag. If you'd only take the time to get to know him, I think—"

Sean's laugh cut her sentence short, "'Get to know him? Shit, Al, you don't even know him."

Her anger toward her brother intensified, "just because you're still bitter and hung-up on that redhead from Toronto, doesn't mean you can try and ruin everyone else's happiness, too."

Sean's jaw clenched, as his eyes glazed over with both hurt and anger. Alice immediately knew she hit a never within her notoriously hot-headed older brother. She instantly wished she could take her words back as he turned to storm out of the room. She was chasing him now, a few steps down the hallway and into his room. As he slumped down on the end of his bed, she leaned her shoulder against his doorframe. The look in his eye remained as his vision drifted from his worried sister, down to the floor in front of him. The siblings stayed in silence for a moment, until Alice stepped softly into his room. She stopped just right of the door, where a giant hole had been punched through the wall.

"I remember when you made this one," she ran her fingers over the tattered drywall, "I've always been the best at pissing you off."

Although almost silent, Sean's exhausted chuckle didn't go unnoticed by his sister, as she slowly made her way next to him on the bed.

"I shouldn't have said that…" she sighed, lowering her head. Sean's eyes remained in the same place, "it's just… ever since Darren and I broke up, I've been so lost."

Sean nodded in agreement and spoke monotone, still refusing to make eye contact, "that's why you're coming with me this time."

The pair were set to head back to Toronto the very next day.

This time, Sean turned to this sister, his eyes sincere, "You need to be out of this mess of a home, and you need to find yourself again."

Alice nodded slightly. She hated when her brother was right.

"But what about you?"

He searched her eyes. Since coming home, Alice always worried about her middle brother. He wasn't the same guy she remembered before leaving for the big city; before the shooting, before leaving behind his girlfriend…

"What about me?" He raised his brow.

"You've been so distant. I worry about you, Sean…" her voice trailed off, the tears that threatened her eyes causing her to pause for a moment, "you haven't even gone on a single date since she left—"

"Going back to Toronto is not about Ellie," he scoffed, cutting his sister off mid-sentence, "I just want to open my own repair shop and be the first Cameron to graduate high school. Girls are the last thing on my mind right now, Al."

His eyes once again sincere, he let out a breath, his voice barely above a whisper, "promise me you won't worry about me anymore, okay?"

She nodded, staring at the skin on her finger that she picked at nervously. In the back of her mind, she still couldn't help but believe there was something else still looming over her brother.

He looked over at the side table where his alarm clock sat. It was now almost half past three in the morning and Sean gasped.

"Shit," he chuckled, "I guess we should get to bed soon, huh?"

Alice's gaze darted to the clock, too; her eyes widening. 3:24 AM.

"You're probably right," she breathed a laugh and placed a hand on his shoulder, "you're going to be okay?"

He nodded, "I'm good. Now, go get some rest."

Alice did just as she was told. As she headed back toward her room, she peered into the living room at her parents for a moment. She couldn't help but think of how grateful she was that this would be the last night she'd ever have to watch her parents drink themselves practically to death. A smile formed at the corner of her mouth as she realized in a mere few hours, her life would be more different than she ever could've imagined.