Without You

She quickly looked back at me and shook her head. “No, it’s my fault. This is all my fault.”



I didn’t know why she was saying that. “Libby, Luke has never given you any real reason to think he has feelings for you. This is not your fault.”



She quickly wiped away her tears. “Where is he? I need to talk to him.”



I pushed my hand through my hair and stood up. “He, um…he’s gone.”



She jumped up. “Gone? What do you mean, gone?”



“He came home, and he was really upset. He said he was heading home. He took his last final earlier today, and…well, he left.”



Her hands came up to her mouth, and she began crying again.



I pulled her to me. “Shh…it’s okay, Libby. Let’s just get you all packed up and out of here, and we’ll be home in a few days. You and Luke can talk then.”



She nodded her head. “Let me splash some cold water on my face, and we can start taking some stuff to your truck. I’m all packed up, except for a few things.”



I watched my sister slowly make her way to her bathroom. I let out a sigh and sent Lex a text message.



Me: With Libby. Packing up her stuff. She’s moving into the house. She’s a mess. She and Luke need to have their damn heads smashed together.



Lex: I know! This summer will be different. Things will get better. I can feel it in my bones!



Me: I hope you’re right. Talk to ya later, baby.



Lex: Okay. I love you! Hey, don’t forget that Grace and I are going to a party here. It’s the last party of the year, and we want to say good-bye to a few friends.



Me: Right. Just be careful.



Lex: Always! I’ll text you or call you later.



Libby smiled. “That’s the last of it. My dorm is cleared out. I guess I get first pick of the other rooms!”



I laughed. “You and Lauren are bunking up, right?”



She nodded her head. “Yep. I can’t wait. Grace is going to be pissed ’cause I’m picking the room with the balcony!”



I laughed and sat down on the sofa.



Libby fell into a chair and let out a sigh. She looked at me and said, “Thank you.”



I smiled. “Libby, I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. You’re my sister, my life. You and Lex will always be first and foremost in my mind.”



She went to say something when the front door opened. I looked over and saw Luke walking in.



He didn’t even bother to look at us. “I fucking forgot my laptop and everything else in my rush earlier. I made it all the way to Austin and had to turn around, and—” He stopped talking when Libby stood up.



“Luke,” she whispered.



He stopped walking and looked at her. “What are you doing here?”



She swallowed hard. “Will helped me move all my stuff in, and I…well, I want to talk to you.”



For one brief second, it seemed like Luke was relieved.



Then, he frowned. “We don’t have anything to talk about, Libby.”



“I think we do, and if—”



Luke shook his head. “Listen, it was wrong of me to stop by there. It was a mistake. I know you’re happy with Zack, and—”



Libby took a few steps toward Luke. “If you’ll just let me—”



Luke held up his hand. “No, Libby. I’m happy for you that you found someone.” He quickly made his way upstairs.



Libby stood there. I was just about to tell her to go after him when she bolted up the stairs.



I got up, made my way to the kitchen, and grabbed a root beer. Not two minutes later, Luke was coming down the stairs. He looked at me, and the sadness in his eyes surprised me. I figured Libby had gone up there to talk to him, but here he was, leaving.



“Luke…dude, where are you going?”



He stopped and looked at me. “Home. I have no idea after that.” He opened the front door and left.



I stood there, stunned. I wanted to run upstairs and ask Libby what had happened, but my phone rang. I looked down to see Grace was calling me.



“Hello?” All I could hear was commotion. “Hello? Grace! Can you hear me?”



“Will!” she screamed.



I dropped the root beer and held on to the counter. Something happened. Lex is hurt. Oh God, please let her be okay.



“Grace…”



The front door flew open, and Luke looked at me.



“Get in my fucking truck now. Libby!” Luke yelled out.



Libby came running down the stairs. “I just got a text from Grace. Something about Lex being taken away in an ambulance?”