Page 37 of Please Don't Leave Me

"Fuck you!" Jacob stands up so fast that his chair tumbles backwards, and the table moves. "You were the one that pushed me into this. And in the same breath, you told me I'd be nothing. Maybe if I had a little more support, I wouldn't be so stressed or put so much pressure on myself to the point where I don't eat or sleep anymore."

I could tell he hasn't been doing much of either lately by the bags under his eyes and the gauntness of his face. Jacob has always been athletic and lean, but with him now standing over me, I can see how much weight he's lost. Damn, when was the last time I saw Jacob?

Quinn and I were so busy this summer with work, and then once fall came, we got sucked into my house projects. Of course, we texted Jacob and asked him to join, but neither of us ever checked in on him.

"Those are excuses, Jacob. If you want to blame someone for your failures, look in the mirror."

That's it. That was Jacob's last straw. I see his face go from angry to completely defeated and empty.

"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone." With that, Jacob turns and storms out.

I go to pick up his chair and see that his phone is on the floor. It must have fallen out of his pocket when hejumped up. I pick it up and check to make sure the screen isn't broken. Thankfully, it's not.

"'ll be right back." I jog toward the front door. "Jacob, wait. You left your phone."

I run out the door in my socks, not wanting to bother with shoes and risk missing him. When I get to the driveway, I see he's in his car, about to back out.

"Jacob!"

I wave to get his attention. He sees me and stops, rolling down his window. I'm slightly out of breath when I get to his car. "Your phone was on the floor." I reach out and hand it to him.

"Thanks." He grabs it from me. That empty look is still in his eyes, and there is no real expression on his face.

"I know this is a dumb question, but are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

I know he's lying, but I don't know how to get him to talk to me without prying. "Okay, drive safe. I'll see you at Mom's."

"I'm not going to Mom's."

"What? Jacob, don't let what Dad said ruin Mom's Thanksgiving." I immediately regret it after the words come out of my mouth. He stares at me and starts rolling up his window. I catch it with my hand, and he stops. "I'm sorry, Jacob. I shouldn't have said that. If you need to be alone, then do that. I'll explain it to Mom and make sure she gets over it."

"Thanks."

"Text me if you need anything or if you change your mind, okay?" I remove my hand from the window, and he continues to roll it up. When it's all the way up, I can't help but stand there. He looks so hurt, and I don't know what to do to help him. I've always attempted to be the peacekeeperof the family, and right now, I feel like I'm failing. All I can think to say is, "I love you."

He looks at me, and tears fill his eyes. I've seen my brother cry before, so that's not what jars me. It's that he just shakes his head and backs out of the driveway. Once he's gone, I walk back into the house, nervous about the shitstorm I'm about to walk into.

Quinn is grabbing his coat from Denise, and she's holding mine as well.

"Joel says we aren't welcome here anymore because we didn't have his back when Jacob was being a big meany to him." Quinn pantomimes a baby crying.

"Fine by me." I say that, but I know I should try to smooth things over before we leave. "Go get in the car, and I'll be right out." I hand Quinn the keys and walk toward the dining room.

Joel sits there with his glass of scotch in one hand and the other around Holly. He seems so unbothered by what just happened, and that pisses me off.

"That was a little uncalled for, don't you think?" I know I'm not going to get anywhere with him, but I can't sit by and let him beat up on Jacob like that when he's clearly in a vulnerable state.

"I think everyone is getting too sensitive these days. You little millennials or Gen Z, whatever you are, get so butthurt when people tell you the truth." I look at his girlfriend to see if she's offended by his comment. I can tell she's holding back her wince and trying to act supportive.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Joel. Holly, it was nice to meet you. I hope for your sake we don't see you at Christmas."

On my way out, I grab my coat from Denise, who is still standing in the entryway holding it. "Denise, my offerto hire you at my company still stands. If you ever change your mind and want out of here, I can help you."

She nervously looks over my shoulder to see if my dad is within earshot. "Thank you, Sam."

"You have my number, right?"

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