Work Text:
Behind her, Luz locked the door. She knelt down and opened the toilet seat just in time. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see the vomit that spewed out of her mouth and into the bowl. Feeling it was plenty enough. A hand came to rest on her shoulder, followed by the tingling of hair being moved off of her neck.
“It’s okay,” Luz said gently. “I’m just holding your hair.”
Amity nodded before lurching again. The bathroom spun around her and her stomach wasn’t a fan of it. She was having fun up until now. Hugging a toilet at your first high school party is not how she thought the night would go. Her vision started to blur and her ears rang. The light hurt. There was a harsh, angry knock at the door. She vomited again.
“OCCUPIED!” Luz shouted towards the door.
“Man, I gotta pee!” someone complained on the other side, also shouting over the loud thumping music.
“There’s like ten other bathrooms!”
“They’re all taken!”
“Find a bush then!” Luz turned back to her girlfriend. “How ya holdin up, darling?”
Amity shook her head. “I wanna go home.”
She nodded. “Okay. I’ll call Amelia.”
“No!” Amity jumped back. “Don’t call her!”
Luz blinked. “Why not? She’s taking us home anyway.”
“Luz,” she stood on shaking legs. “She will murder me if she found out I was drinking tonight. You can not let her know.”
“Then who am I supposed to call?”
“Lucia?”
“They’re both at Eda’s,” Luz frowned. “We’re out of options.”
Saliva poured into Amity’s mouth so she sat back down. “Call Emira.”
“Where’s she?”
She spat into the toilet bowl. “Doesn’t matter. Call her and tell her to NOT tell Amelia about this.”
Luz nodded, but frowned. Amity never kept anything from Amelia. And Luz never kept anything from Lucia. She cringed back when Amity threw up again. Tears sent streaks of makeup running down her cheeks, dripping from her chin and hitting the mess in the toilet bowl. Too much happened for one night.
Three Hours Before:
Lucia waited in the hallway, twiddling her thumbs. Eda stood in the kitchen, not tent feet away, preparing some new scam concoction. Lucia wrinkled her nose. It reeked.
“Aye Dios mio,” she gagged, turning into the kitchen. “What are you making? It smells disgusting.”
“The newest cure for a stuffy nose!” she beamed proudly. “Witches and demons will eat this up.”
“I pray for them.”
Hurried footsteps came from behind her. Lucia turned and smiled when Amelia came bouncing down the stairs, her poofy hair fluttering after her.
“Are they ready yet?” she asked, tucking the smaller witch under her arm.
Amelia shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Then what were you doing up there?”
“Trying to find an outfit for Ami that matched Luz’s. Your mini me sure has a wacky sense of style.”
Lucia nodded. “No idea where she got it from.”
“I got an idea,” Eda chirped from the kitchen, mixing her rotten medicine. “She’s six feet tall and standing in front of me.”
Amelia giggled and squeezed her tight. “I think your sense of style is unique.”
“It sure is something,” Eda grumbled. “Now get out of my sight. You two make me sick.”
Amelia slipped out of Lucia’s hold and left for the living space. “I think that’s just your stuffy nose cure.”
Eda pretended to throw her wooden spoon at the girl, who only snickered and rushed off. Stupid kids. But they’re my stupid kids.
Lucia jumped over the back of the couch, straight on top of Amelia. She had already laid down but wasn’t quite prepared for her gentle giant of a girlfriend to pounce on her.
“Lucia!” she giggled, trying to wiggle her arms out from under her. “I wasn’t ready!”
She held herself up and smiled down at her. “Are you ready now?”
Amelia giggled again and nodded. “Yes.”
Lucia flopped down onto her chest and snuggled up close. Peace was a rarity in their lives, especially after moving the Blights out of their house. Four teenagers, two young adults, and King made for a full house, but it was for the best. It took everyone a bit of time to adjust to the new environment, but it brought them all closer. Though, of course, there were still rules. The main two were “we tell each other everything” and “Amity isn’t allowed to sleep over in Luz’s room and vice versa”. And while both girls were well aware of the reasons for said rule, it never stopped them from complaining. Mostly when Lucia would make it a point to brag about sharing a room with her girlfriend.
“How do you think they’re gonna do?” Lucia asked, looking up at her witch.
“I think they’ll be fine,” she carded her fingers through Lucia’s messy hair. “It’s Willow’s party.”
“Willow’s throwing it at Salix’s house,” Lucia deadpanned. “And as much as I love that girl, she’s not the most kid friendly.”
“They’re smart. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Speaking of worrying,” Lucia sat up, smirking. “Don’t you think they’ve been up there for a little too long?”
“What are you trying to say?” she matched her smirk.
“I think they’re up to something. Wanna go fuck it up?”
She nodded. “Gladly.”
Hand in hand, failing to hold in their giggles, the girls crept up the stairs, stopping just in front of Luz’s closed door.
“Is it locked?” Lucia whispered.
“It shouldn’t be,” Amelia whispered back. “Ready?”
She nodded.
BANG!
The door swung up open. Luz and Amity sat on her bed, both fully dressed, making out. Luz leaned against her pillows while her girlfriend leaned forward, holding herself up with her fingers.
“EW!” Lucia screamed like a little girl. “GET A ROOM!”
Amity nearly jumped out of her skin. She shot up and away from Luz, off the bed and onto the floor. She landed on her butt with a grunt. Her face burned red. If Lucia held one of her cigs near it, she reckoned it’d light.
Luz just froze, fear and anger fighting to take over her face.
“¡QUE DEMONIOS!” she managed to scream. “¡ESTÁBAMOS EN MEDIO DE ALGO!”
“Obviously,” Lucia cackles. “Look at Baby Blight! Ames, look at your sister!”
Amity stood from the floor and ran out, covering her flushed face with her hands. Her shoulder clipped Amelia, who fell to her knees laughing.
Both laughed in the doorway for a few more seconds while Luz tried to hide herself with pillows.
“Okay, okay,” Lucia panted, calming her giggles. “Cmon kiddo. You’re gonna be late to the party.”
Luz stood and marched out, mumbling as she passed her sister. “We were totally in a room.”
Amelia and Lucia watched her descend the stairs. Amelia leaned into Lucia’s side, both far too proud of what transpired.
“They’re so gonna plan revenge,” Amelia sighed, thriving off of her warmth.
Lucia wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tight. “As long as you can keep your loud ass quiet, they’ll never know.”
She gasped and smacked Lucia’s shoulder. She giggled and swatted the battering hands away, running away as quickly as possible.
Downstairs, Luz and Amity sat next to each other on the couch. Amity’s face was still tinted pink, but it almost always was and Lucia never knew why.
She and her girlfriend stood in front of their sisters, looking between them.
“Right,” Lucia clapped. “Rules for the night.”
Luz groaned and rolled her eyes. “Rules?”
“Yes rules! It’s your first high school party and I’d rather not spend the better part of the night holding your hair back while you vom in the toilet.”
“Plus, we’re experienced,” Amelia added. “We know what it’s like. Unless you don’t want our tips…”
“We want them!” Amity piped up. “Well, at least I do.”
Lucia and Amelia smiled at each other before looking back at them.
“If I remember any party of Park’s, there’s gonna be a lot of people there. Some of which you might’ve never met. Under no circumstances are you to leave each other alone. Have to pee? Take your girlfriend. Want a drink? Take your girlfriend. See a friend? Take your girlfriend!” She turned her attention to Luz. “Manita, I know how much of an extrovert you are. You’re more likely to know more people, so don’t go running off with randos and leave lil miss tomato face alone.”
“Hey,” Amity pouted. “I know people!”
“I don’t doubt that,” Amelia smiled kindly. “But you aren’t an extrovert. If you’re in a room full of people that you don’t know, would you go up and introduce yourself? Honestly?”
Amity looked away and shook her head. Amelia nodded.
“There will most likely be alcohol,” Amelia continued before pointing a finger at her baby sister. “You are not allowed to drink.”
“Why are you singling me out?!”
“Because I’m not Luz’s sister. She’s Lucia’s responsibility. You’re mine. And I say you aren’t allowed to drink.”
“Drinks may be spiked,” Lucia added, looking down at Amelia. “If your drink tastes funny, throw it out. It’s just easier to get a new one.” She looks at Luz. “You are also not allowed to drink, for the record.”
Luz nodded. “Figured.”
Lucia turned to Amelia. “Anything else?”
She shook her head. “We’ll come pick you two up around one. If the party ends earlier just text one of us. Ed and Emmy are staying in for the night, so if you can’t get a hold of us, just text them. Got it?”
Both girls nodded simultaneously. Lucia smiled widely.
“Perfect. Now get going. Don’t wanna be late.”
Luz hopped off the couch, tugging Amity up with her. The two rushed out the door, giggling as they ran off the property.
“Tell Salix I say hi!” Lucia called after them.
Neither turned around, but she was sure one of them heard what she said. Amelia wrapped her arms around her middle.
“Maybe we should’ve driven them,” she frowned, looking up at her. “It’s not exactly close. And we could’ve checked out the place.”
“Relax Ams,” she soothed, brushing a strand of loose hair out of her girlfriend’s face. “They’ll be fine. Don’t worry, okay?”
She nodded. “I can’t help it, you know?”
She smiled. “I know. Wanna watch a movie?”
Amelia lit up, nodding enthusiastically.
…
Lucia was right. There were a lot of people there. Amity clung to Luz’s arm as they made their way through the crowd. Most of the noise came from people talking, but there was music in the background. Once the two made it into the dining space in one piece, Luz found Willow and Gus talking to two witches she never saw before.
“Willow! Gus!” she shouted over the talking.
Both witches turned to her.
“Luz! Amity!” Willow smiled. “You guys made it!”
“We told you we would,” Luz smiled proudly. “Like our outfits?”
Gus looked them up and down. “They are…certainly outfits.”
“I like Amity’s.”
“Agreed.”
Amity smiled at the two. “Thanks guys.”
“How’s life in the Owl House?”
“Gus!” Willow hissed. “Don’t feel like you have to answer that.”
Amity slipped her fingers between Luz’s, her heartbeat immediately slowing when she felt a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s okay,” she smiled. “It’s definitely better than the Manor. Less space but more homey.”
“I’m glad you’re out of there,” Willow smiled. “We all are.”
“Outta where?”
Salix, Willow’s older sister, emerged from the quickly growing crowd. She was much darker than Willow was, both in complexion and personality. She turned and smiled up at her.
“Sal! Where have you been?”
She looked around them before leaning in close. “You kids wanna see something cool?”
They all looked at each other then back at her.
“Sure.”
Salix smiled widely before ushering the teenagers into the kitchen. There weren’t nearly as many people in there, but anyone in there was pushed out. She closed the kitchen door and locked it. Amity felt the atmosphere shift to something darker and scarier.
She pulled out a long, skinny bottle from her sweatshirt sleeve. Amity saw Luz’s eyes widen.
“What’s that?” Gus asked, pointing at the blue and white bottle.
“Human alcohol,” Salix smiled proudly. “Ten times stronger than witch alc. I was thinking we could have a little drinking game with all your friends.”
“I don’t know,” Willow seemed apprehensive.
“No one’s forced to drink,” she clarified. “But there’ll be enough for a fun little game.”
“What’s the game?” Luz asked. Amity stared at the side of her head, shocked she asked.
Salix smirked. “Stand on a stool and whoever falls last wins. No pissing or puking.”
“I’m in.”
Everyone gasped. Everyone except Salix. A devious smile grew over her face.
“Luz!” Amity hissed.
“I’ll be fine,” she assured. “I’m a human, remember? This is practically in my DNA!”
“Chill out baby Blight,” Salix waved her off and opened the kitchen door. “She’ll be fine. I’ll be spillin’ the rules to everyone out there.”
She turned on her heel and left, leaving the kitchen door wide open. Gus looked up at Willow, who didn’t seem angry over the interaction.
“Are you gonna let her do that?” he asked.
“It’s her house,” she shrugged. “Even if I told her not to, she’d probably spike drinks anyway. It’s better to just let her have her fun with consenting people.”
…
“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!”
Amity lost track of her surroundings.
“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!”
She vaguely knew she was standing next to Luz’s pedestal. The room spun around her.
“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!”
There were still remnants of the burning taste of human alcohol in her mouth. She swallowed a few times to try and get rid of it. It hurt her throat.
“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!”
Nearly everyone had participated in Salix’s sick drinking game, Amity included. She didn’t at first, but watching all of her friends have a good time made something in her chest ache.
“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!”
At first it was fun. She felt light and silly, like nothing mattered anymore. She won against Matt, Willow, Gus, and a handful of other witches she never met before. She was never one to back down from a competition, especially being brought up with Blight morals and living with the twins. She stepped down on her own accord once the room started to spin.
“Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!” the voices were distorting.
“We have a winner!” Salix declared, standing on the table next to Luz’s stool. “Luz the Human!”
Luz waved, obviously proud of herself, before hopping off the barstool. She turned to Amity with a wonky smile.
“Hey,” her smile fell. “Are you alright?”
…
Amity lurched again and Luz cringed. Human alcohol was taking its toll on her poor body, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Luz’s head spun too.
“I think I should call Amelia,” she looked down at her phone.
“Don’t!” she coughed. “She can’t know.”
“Amor, we should go home.”
“Call Emira then.”
She did. The phone rang a few times. She took her time picking up.
“What’s up Mittens?” she answered.
“It’s not Amity,” Luz said. “It’s Luz.”
“Oh! Hey Luz. Why do you have her phone?”
Amity spat into the toilet. Luz cringed again.
“She’s…not doing well.”
“Is she okay?”
She heard a creaking on the other line, followed by shuffling.
“Hi, hello, this is Ed,” he said. “Who is it?”
“It’s Luz,” Emira said.
“Hi Luz!”
“Hi Ed.”
“Why are you calling us from Amity’s phone? You have our numbers.”
“Amity had too much to drink,” she admitted as Amity leaned away from the toilet. “She’s definitely drunk and throwing up.”
“Why didn’t she call Amelia?” Ed asked. “Not to say we won’t help, but she’s usually the one to handle things like this.”
“She didn’t want to.”
The twins went quiet for a moment.
“I’m not sure if we can sneak out to get her without Amelia noticing,” Emira finally said.
“Yeah,” Edric agreed. “And if Lucia sees us, she’ll tell her.”
“Same with Eda.”
Luz heard Emira hum. “I think I have an idea. Keep Amity calm. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Okay,” she nodded.
The line cut out with a beep. She glanced down at her girlfriend. Her head rested on shaky legs.
“Emira said they’ll be here soon,” she whispered, sitting next to her.
She hummed, letting her head fall on Luz’s shoulder. “I feel like death.”
Luz frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Amelia’s gonna kill me.”
“We’ll be dead together.”
Amity smiled, curling completely in Luz’s lap.
“Close your eyes amor,” she whispered, holding her close. “I’m not going anywhere.”
…
With the help of Ed, Emira was able to creak open a window. It was on the second story, but if they aimed for the balcony, they’d get away relatively scratch free. She straddled the window sill and held out her hand.
“Cmon,” she urged. “She’s not gonna wait forever.”
Ed grabbed her hand and got hoisted up. Both sat in the window.
“Aim for the balcony,” she pointed to their landing. “Just don’t tip anything over.”
“I don’t need the warning.”
“Yes you do. You trip over air.”
Ed rolled his eyes. “Are we gonna keep talking or go save our baby sister?”
Emira smirked before patting him on the back hard. He fell too far forward and tumbled out the window onto the balcony.
“Hey!” he shouted up at her.
She giggled. “I’m coming.”
She hung from the window sill, making sure to close the window before jumping down.
“You two going somewhere?”
The twins spun around. Eda stood in the doorway, arms folded and eyebrow cocked.
“Uhhhh,” Ed looked at his sister. “No?”
“Wanna try that again?” Eda looked at Emira. “Without the lying.”
Both deflated.
“Amity and Luz are in trouble,” Ed confessed.
“How so?”
“Amity drank too much and is throwing up.”
Eda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Right, everyone inside. We’re telling the big kids.”
Em and Ed gave each other a disappointed look before following her inside.
“Hey kids!” Eda called into the living room. “You in here?”
“On the couch!” Lucia answered without looking over the back of the couch. “We’re watching a movie. You want in?”
“I think you should pause it,” she walked the twins in front of them. “These two have something they wanna tell you.”
Amelia looked up at Lucia, slowly crawling off of her stomach. “Okay?”
“Amity called us,” Emira started.
“Something’s wrong,” Edric added.
Amelia waved her hand, telling them to get on with it.
Emira took a deep breath, but Ed beat her to it.
“Luz and Amity were drinking at the party and Amity had too much and she’s definitely drunk out of her mind and throwing up!”
The big kids blinked. Lucia’s face morphed into something not even Amelia could read. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped the screen a few times. She stood up and marched out into the hallway.
“LUZ NOCEDA!” she roared into the device. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”
Amelia looked back at her siblings. “Go upstairs,” she commanded. “Both of you.”
“Why?” they both asked.
“Just do it,” she stood up and left for the hallway.
In the hall, Lucia paced back and forth. Her beanie was balled up in her fist. She looked like she was about to explode.
“I’m coming to get you both,” she snapped. “Be outside in five…No I don’t care if it’s fifteen minutes away. I’ll get there in three if I’m lucky! You are so grounded!”
She pulled her phone away from her ear and chucked it down the hallway. It smashed into the wall.
“Hey,” Amelia said calmly, hugging her girlfriend’s arm. “What happened?”
“Amity’s drunk because of Luz,” she growled. “It’s all her fault! I’m gonna kill her.”
She stormed off, heading towards the door. Amelia followed quickly behind. When she passed the twins and Eda, she made a face.
“I told you two to go upstairs!” she pointed at them, hurrying to follow Lucia to her car.
The door slammed shut behind her. Everyone could hear Amelia calling after her from outside.
“Did we do the right thing?” Emira asked, not looking away from the door.
“Telling her was the right thing,” Eda said.
“She looks really angry,” Edric looked at his twin.
Eda sighed. “I think she’s more scared than angry.”
…
True to her word, Lucia pulled up about five minutes later. She was shocked she didn’t get pulled over. Luz and Amity sat on the front porch, huddled together. Lucia’s body went tight with rage.
“Lulu,” Amelia grabbed her hand. “Screaming at them will only make them shut down.”
“Only amity does that,” she snipped.
She sighed. “Please don’t yell at her. It’s late and she feels bad enough about it.”
Lucia took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, slamming it shut. She couldn’t hear anything, but watched with bated breath. Luz shrunk in on herself when she noticed her sister approaching. Lucia seemed to say something to Luz before looking down at Amity. Carefully, she picked her up bridal style and began to walk back.
Once she was at the car, Lucia opened the back door and set her down.
“Amelia has water for you if you want,” she said with little emotion. Amelia could tell she was trying to keep her cool. “I’ll be back.”
With that, the door was closed gently and Lucia ventured back up to the house. Amelia turned in her seat to look at her baby sister. Only she realized she was crying. It was a quiet type of cry, but to her, it was obvious.
“What’s wrong Ami?” she asked. “Do you feel sick again?”
She shook her head, only to whimper a pathetic, “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry love?”
“I’m a terrible sister,” she sobbed. “I don’t blame you if you don’t trust me anymore. I don’t know what came over me!”
“Did someone make you feel like you had to drink?”
She shook her head. “Luz was having a really fun time and so was everyone else. I didn’t wanna be left out. And having everyone cheer my name felt really nice.”
Amelia frowned before unbuckling herself. Bracing herself with the headrests, she crawled into the back with Amity. She looks up at her, still hugging herself.
“Come here,” Amelia opened her arms and motioned for her to hug her. Amity leaned in and hugged her tight. “You aren’t a terrible sister. We’ve all been there, it’s okay. I’ve made the same mistake. So have the twins.”
“But I’m not you,” she whimpered into her shoulder. “And I’m not the twins. I’m me and I have to be perfect.”
Something fundamental shattered inside Amelia’s core. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it hurt. Words failed her before. Amity didn’t want to call her in her time of need. She still thought she had to be some perfect puppet for their family. She messed up, of course, but so did everyone else. She beat herself up over a stupid mistake. And Amelia couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed her head closer to her shoulder and let her sob in peace. She rocked them both back and forth, hoping it would help.
Lucia and her sister were in a much different situation. They both stood at the side of the house, Luz’s back against the wall with Lucia standing over her. And she was screaming. The type of screaming where your voice breaks and spit flies from your mouth. She couldn’t control her anger anymore. Luz was supposed to protect Amity, not screw her over. Everything went red. Lucia wasn’t completely aware of what she was saying, either.
“Do you think you're grown?!” she screamed, clutching the roots of her own hair. “Because it seems like you do!”
“I’m not grown,” Luz whimpered.
“You know what?! Go out and live in your own house! Pay for your own phone! Cook your own damn food! Buy your own groceries! Have a fuckin’ family while your at it!”
“Stop!” Luz screamed back. “Stop it! Stop it! Stop screaming at me!”
Lucia stopped and blinked. In a flash, the red was gone from her vision. She was able to see what was really in front of her. Luz, her baby sister, the girl she swore to protect from the moment she was born, cornered, shaking, and crying. She looked so scared, staring at something next to her head. Lucia looked where Luz was staring, only to realize her hand had come up, ready to hit. It dropped slowly. She wiped her face with her sleeve. When she pulls it away, tear marks are left.
“I know what I did was wrong,” Luz said hesitantly. “I shouldn’t have drank and I should’ve been aware of how Amity felt.”
“That’s fucking obvious,” Lucia grunted. “Imagine this place got busted. Imagine the lengths I’d have to go through to get you out.”
“Mami’s bailed you out.”
“This isn’t about me,” she warned. “You’re still in trouble, by the way.”
Luz looked down at her shoes. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her who came up with the game and supplied the human alcohol. She couldn’t even admit that it was human alc. Lucia would’ve beaten up Salix to the point of no return. She couldn’t destroy a friendship like that. She didn’t have many friends like Luz. In her book, Amelia didn’t count. She and Salix were best friends, closer than any platonic pair she’d ever met. And she couldn’t ruin what they had.
She sighed. “I’m sorry, Lucia.”
With that, she left towards the car.
Back at the car, Luz opened the back door just as Amelia was stepping out. Amity managed to calm herself for the most part. Luz crawled in, settling next to her. Amity interlocked their fingers, picking at Luz’s nails. When she leaned her head on Luz’s shoulders, she pressed a gentle yet reassuring kiss to her forehead.
The driver’s side door opened and closed quickly. Amelia jumped when it slammed. Lucia sat in her seat, staring out of the windshield with an empty gaze.
“Lucia?”
“Not right now,” she said.
Amelia nodded. Lucia gripped onto the stick shift, but not before Amelia slid her hand under hers. They held hands and drove off.
…
The first thing they saw when the front door opened was the twins and Eda, all waiting for them to return. No one said anything. They all stared at each other like a western stand-off, no one sure what to do or say. Lucia was the first to speak.
“You two go straight upstairs,” she looked behind her. Luz and Amity did what they were told. “And go straight to bed!”
Em and Ed watch them go before rushing up to Lucia and Amelia. They couldn’t open their mouths before she held up a hand.
“I’m exhausted,” she closed her eyes. “Not now.”
“Both of you should be in bed anyway,” Amelia put her hands on her hips as Lucia heads upstairs into her and Amelia’s room.
Eda sighed. “I’m clockin’ out for the night,” she scratched her stomach. “Night all.”
“Night,” they all said.
The three siblings waited until they were alone. Then the twins turned to Amelia, silently asking all their unanswered questions.
“I will answer everything tomorrow,” she smiled, resting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Amity’s okay. So is Luz.”
“Lucia?” Emira asked.
“Very tired. Physically and emotionally.”
“What about you?” Edric asked nervously.
She paused, but only for a second. “I’m tired. I was a little worried at first, but as long as Amity’s okay, I’m okay. Now off to bed!”
She led the twins out of the living space, flicking off the light as they all left.
…
Amelia creeped into her and Lucia’s shared room. It was practically pitch black, aside from the twinkling stars outside their window. She saw a mass under the covers. She wasn’t sure if her lovely girlfriend was asleep or not, but she didn’t want to risk it if she was. Carefully, she slipped into bed next to her.
“Hey,” Lucia whispered. “Is everyone in bed?”
“Yeah,” she grunted as she pulled the covers over her. “I brought Em and Ed to bed and our mini me’s are fast asleep.”
Lucia sighed and faced her.
“Can I ask what you said to Luz?”
She shook her head. “I can’t bring myself to say it again.”
Amelia frowned. “That bad, huh?”
“I didn’t mean to go off on her like that. I’m just scared.”
“Scared?”
“I don’t want her to turn out like me. I started drinking at parties and then it spiraled from there. I can’t have her following my path.”
“But you figured yourself out, right?”
“Yeah, after years of trying and dealing with problems I shouldn’t have had. The smoking started because of drinking. The stealing and lying and sneaking out. I was a wreck. Luz has such a promising future ahead of her. She has a chance.”
Amelia cupped her cheek. “Love, I understand. But I worry you’re thinking too far into a stupid teenage mistake. I drink at parties. I always have. And unlike our siblings, I didn’t have anyone to call when I was shitfaced. They have support systems. We didn’t. They make a difference.”
Lucia held the small hand on her cheek and kissed her palm. She knew how much she loved it when she did that. “Should we get therapy?”
Amelia giggled and leaned in close. “Probably,” she kissed her nose. “But that’s a conversation for the morning.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Amelia scootched closer, burying herself in Lucia’s strong, warm arms.
“Sleep now,” she murmured. “We gotta take care of two hungover monsters in the morning.”
Lucia scoffed, fixing the blankets so both were completely covered. “They’ll be fine. Give them tea and they’ll sleep it off. Young bodies and such.”
Amelia didn’t respond. Maybe she already fell asleep. Lucia closed her eyes and rested her chin on the top of her head. It took a little longer than usual, but she eventually drifted off into dreamless, restful sleep.