Jump In

Ch. 1

You know those mornings where you wake up in the dim gray light, really early, and you're listening to the person beside you breathing. Their breath is long and even and it almost pulls you back to sleep. You're laying there and you are awake but no noise is reaching your ears. You crack your eyes and take in the low light peeking through the blinds and making the curtains shimmer, the light resting on the stuff in the room. You're safe in the amniotic fluid of grey light, and you don't remember your problems. Nothing can touch you here. It's bliss.

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Did anyone ever tell you that your lips are a sin?
Or that your eyes are the oceans drawing them in?

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I woke up with a knee in my back, Fiona always did like spreading out. I was tired and sticky from last nights sweating at the club so all I wanted was a shower. I got up slowly so I wouldn't wake Fi and tiptoed out of the room as quietly as I could. Fiona deserved as much sleep as she could get. No one else was up yet so it was still pretty early, and being a Sunday I probably had another half hour before anyone else was up. I loved being surrounded by the Gallagher's but sometimes a little peace and quiet was welcome too.

I made my way down the hall grabbing a clean towel outside of the bathroom. As I was about to open the door Lip sidestepped out of his shared room.

"Hey, Lyd. I thought you left last night?"

"Oh, no.. Fi made me stay. Didn't want my mom to see me stumbling off my ass," I said with a little laugh. "I was just gonna shower, you need the bathroom?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'll be right out."

"Okay," I said with a smile. I would never tell anyone but, Lip always fascinated me. He cared about his family so much and helped whenever he could. All on top of making straight A's... for multiple people. He wasn't bad to look at either... Okay, he was hot. But I had known the Gallagher's for a long time, and if he had any interest in me he never showed it.

Soon after going in he ducked back out and nodded to me a little.

"It's all yours." He said with a smile.

I smiled at him and gave my thanks before heading in and locking the door behind me. Carl had a habit of 'accidentally' walking in while I was in the shower or changing clothes.

I tried to shower as quickly as possible not wanting to use all of their hot water. It was always so refreshing to shower after a night of dancing like a fool but reality always killed the mood. The dancing took my mind off of my mother but the next day shower slowly drenched me in reality. She wasn't doing well. Years of drinking when she was younger, and probably doing drugs that she wouldn't admit to, had killed her liver, which had been weak since she was born. She tried to hide her sickness, and was successful for a long time, but she hid it for so long that surgery was out of the question for her now. Even if they found her a viable liver. All we could do now was help stem the pain.

Stepping out of the shower I tried to wring most of the water out of my long black hair, which was almost always futile. It had been long enough now that I figured Fiona would be up and willing to let me borrow some clothes for the day. I wrapped the oversized towel under my arms and stepped out into the hall. It was still quiet but I could hear Lip and Fiona talking quietly in the kitchen.

Knowing she wouldn't really mind I went back in Fiona's room and grabbed my bra, one of Fi's tank tops and a pair of jean shorts. When I was dressed I walked out and down to the kitchen where I could smell something near rancid. Frank. He was stumbling around the table at trying to go through his two eldest into the living room. Presumably to pass out on the couch.