Finley 's P.O.V

I sighed deeply as I walked back inside, running a hand through my hair. I had talked to Allie for what felt like hours. She was ready to make up with Luke. She knew that he didn't mean what he said and I only hoped that Luke wanted to make up with Allie.

"How'd it go?"

My head turned to the side so fast I cricked my neck. "Oh, Dad," I said in relief. "It went well, I think. Allie wants to make up with Luke."

Dad nodded in approval. "Good. He needs a girl like Allie in his life."

"Yeah," I said awkwardly. I barely talked to my dad, just because he worked at nights and I was in school during the day.

I nodded at him and walked up the stairs, passing Luke's room, hearing Eli talking and I flopped on my bed, sighing as I did so. I stared at my ceiling, just wanting to go to sleep after my long day.

"Tired?" Eli asked, leaning against my door frame.

I sat up. "Yes," I sighed. "This peace-making stuff is hard."

Eli chuckled and came to sit next to me. "Tell me about it. Luke just swore at me for a solid fifteen minutes."

That took me by surprise. "Really?"

"Really," Eli nodded. "He's really upset that he hurt Allie's feelings. He loves her."

"He has a shitty way of showing it," I muttered.

"He's scared," Eli answered tightly. "He's worried that Allie won't love him as much as he loves her."

I snorted. "Allie loves him more than he'll ever love her."

Eli turned to face me. "How do you know that? Did you just talk to him for an hour?"

I was stung by his harsh tone. "Did you just talk to Allie for an hour? No, I did! And I know my brother!"

"You're a girl," Eli countered. "You might know Luke but you don't know guys."

My mouth dropped. "That's so sexist!"

Eli scoffed. "Right, like how the guy is automatically the bad guy?"

"Luke was using Allie like a toy!" I exclaimed. "All he wanted to do was sleep with her all the time!"

Eli shoo, his head in exasperation. "Wow."

"What's "wow?" I countered. "What."

"Just how ignorant you are!" Eli yelled.

My jaw dropped yet again. "Oh I'm ignorant? I'm the ignorant one?"

"Yes you are!" Eli yelled. "Because all you do is assume things!"

"Really? What do I assume then?" I said, sarcasm lining my tone.

"Everything!" Eli exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "You automatically assumed I was a bad boy just because I had a piercing!"

"Everyone said you were a bad boy!" I defended myself. "What was I supposed to think?"

"Maybe get to know me?" Eli yelled. "Maybe not just think that I'm mean and rude and going to hurt you?"

"Then stop acting like it!" I shouted. "Stop acting like something you're not!"

Eli shot me a dark look and stood up, looming over me, intimidating me. "Like you?" He said, pausing. "Take your own advice, Finley."

He left then, slamming my door and my lungs hurt, like I couldn't breathe. Eli and I had just properly fought for the first time, and I think that he just broke up with me. I almost gasp out loud when I realize something else. He called me Finley. He never calls me by my first name, not ever.

And it sucks.

...

I sighed as I came down the stairs, heading straight for the couch and flopping onto it face first.

"Woah there," Dad chuckled. "What's going on with you?"

"Eli and I had a fight," I mumbled into a pillow.

"What? Why?" I could hear my dad coming closer.

"We were talking about Luke and Allie, and we disagreed about them, and then it just exploded," I explained.

"Finley," Dad sat in his chair and I sat up. "Why are you fighting with Eli about your brother and his problems?"

"I don't know!" I threw my hands in the air. "I just wanted to help them! They're perfect for each other, Dad, Luke can't just be an idiot and push Allie away!"

"Did you cause their problems?" he asked sternly.

"No," I admitted.

"Can you control it?"

"No."

"Can you change it?" he asked.

"No," I said.

"Then it's not your problem," he said simply. "Let them fix their problems, you focus on yours."

I pondered this for a moment. "That's really good advice, Dad."

He chuckled slightly and ruffled my hair, making me pull a face. "I try, kiddo."

"I'm not a kid anymore," I complained.

"Yeah, you're seventeen now," he said and I could see the wistful look in his eye. "I remember when you were four and Luke was six and you cried because he called you a dummy."

"I did that?" I asked, giggling at the stupid story.

"Yeah," Dad said, sighing deeply. "You and Luke fought all the time, but you idolized him, anyone could tell."

"Yea, well, he's been a great role model lately," I muttered but Dad caught it and tutted in disapproval.

"Finley, you don't know what's going on in your brother's life," he said.

"But I know that Allie is upset," I countered.

dad sighed deeply and was about to open his mouth to speak when Luke came into the room and my head turned to meet his gaze.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again.

"You're an idiot," I told him.

"I know," he answered.

He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and he had changed into sweats and a T-shirt and his eyes were red. His hair was messed up, even more than normal and he looked like crap, honestly.

"What did you do?" I asked him, slightly amused by how hard he was taking this, but the nice part of me was almost sobbing at how torn up my brother was taking this.

"I shouted, punched some stuff and then cried for the past half hour," Luke said flatly.

"Oh," I said.

Luke sniffed and wiped at his nose.

"Do you, um, want a tissue?" I asked awkwardly.

Luke just shot me a blank look. "Seriously?"

"What?" I asked.

"Don't try and act like you feel sorry for me. I messed up, it's my fault, don't even try to make me feel better."

All of a sudden the door opened and Allie walked in, saying, "Hey? Finley, I'm just gonna go-"

She stopped abruptly and stared at Luke, who was looking like a deer in the headlights; his blanket had fallen off his shoulders.

"Allie," he breathed.

"Um, yeah?" she asked, her tone still hostile.

"You're still here," he said.

Allie snorted. "Thanks, Captain Obvious."

Luke looked down at his feet before opening his mouth. "Allie, I'm so, so sorry-"

Allie held up her hand, stopping him. "Save it, you idiot, I don't want to be here. If I had it my way, I would be long gone now, out of your face but your lovely sister here made me stay to talk to her. And for your information-"

We never found out, as Luke stepped forward, silencing her with a kiss. Allie made a muffled sound but Luke trapped her in his arms, holding on tight as she tried to get away from him. After a while, Luke pulled back enough to whisper, "I love you."

Allie's whole being sagged and she wrapped her arms around Luke's waist. "Yeah, I love you too, you stupid idiot."

Luke's face broke out in a smile that I hadn't seen in a long time and he leaned in and kissed her again, pulling back to whisper in her ear before kissing her again. They seriously were the cutest couple ever and I wanted to awww like a grandmother when I saw them hug each other tightly.

The smile was wiped off my face when I thought of Eli and how he would have wanted to see them make up.

And how that we were broken up, just like Allie and Luke had been.

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here you go guys, sorry that I haven't updated in two weeks, but I have no access to a computer anymore except at school and have to type on my nook. please enjoy xx

-T A Y L O R