Chapter 3

Getting Kelly from the car into my room had used up the remaining sliver of energy I had left in my body. I released her onto my bed with an oomph before turning to grab the closest trash can which I hugged to my chest while sliding down the length of the wall next to the bed. About twenty minutes later I heard the telltale gurgle noises start to emanate from Kelly's throat and guided her head into the trashcan. I scrunched up my nose as she spewed whatever contents were left in her stomach. I helped her grasp the plastic bin in her hand to steady it before making my way to my ensuite bathroom and wetting down a washcloth to place on her forehead when she was done vomiting. Returning to my previous spot, I rested my head back against the wall and silently prayed that whatever red-colored alcohol Kelly had consumed tonight wouldn't leave a permanent stain on the carpet of my father's car. I would be totally done for if it did. I allowed my head to rest back against the wall as the the sound of Kelly getting sick eventually lulled me into a deep sleep, one devoid of dreams.  Penny's POV I slammed the lid to the old, beat up coffee maker and released a puff of air from between my lips. After the long night I'd had taking care of Kelly, I would most definitely be needing just about an entire pot all to myself so that I could keep my eyelids from closing on their own. I pulled out all the ingredients I would need to make my famous homemade pancakes that Tanya can't even seem to get enough of. I rubbed my hands over my face and harshly slapped the skin of my cheeks before quickly getting to work mixing all the ingredients together. I hummed a soft tune while pouring the batter onto the griddle once it was properly heated. I made a few small pancakes for Tanya before pouring an impressive amount of batter to make big ones for Kelly and I. I knew Kelly would most likely refuse to eat, but having anything - even something minuscule - in her stomach would help with her hangover. I removed the last fluffy cake from the griddle and switched it off before heading to wake Tanya up and get her ready for the day. She was definitely old enough to get the majority of the job done herself, but I cherished the little angel too much to not aid her. I loved doing anything and everything I possibly could for her. The little munchkin was in the middle of spilling a glob of sugary syrup on her Hello Kitty pajama shirt - which she refused to change out of - when Kelly finally sauntered into the brightly-lit kitchen. She quickly wrinkled her forehead and held her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun's assaulting rays. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" I exclaimed, chuckling as I checked the microwave clock, which read 9:30. "Unlike you, Penny, some of us actually appreciate this beautiful thing called sleep and like to sleep in past six o'clock in the morning," she grumbled grumpily. I laughed lightly at her incessant mumbling, only feeling slightly sympathetic of her pain. Well, it was self-inflicted. "Oh, no you don't, Kelly. Thanks to you, I've only had about three hours of proper sleep. How much did you even..." I hesitated as Tanya's large hazel eyes gazed at me with intense curiosity, a banana slice cradled between her chubby fingers, "um... consume last night?" I finished, choosing my words carefully. "God, I wish I knew. Way too much, I can tell you that," she responded, looking sick at the mere thought of alcohol. Good, Maybe she'll learn her lesson this time around. "I was able to get most of the red stain out of the back of my dad's car this morning, but there's still a lingering pink circle since I passed out before getting to it. Still, better than nothing. I'm pretty sure my dad would've skinned me alive if he had seen it at its worst," I stressed, not even wanting to think about the conversation and following punishment that would've ensued. "What are you talking about?" Kelly questioned looking genuinely confused. "You don't remember throwing up in the back seat of my dad's car?" I asked incredulously. I know I shouldn't be as surprised as I currently was since Kelly's done this, or something extremely similar, numerous times in the past. We all had our fault, hers just happens to be a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to her alcohol tolerance. "Shi...shoot. Sorry! I always say you should keep a trash bag on you at all times whenever we go out," she says with a shrug of her shoulders, but her face was riddled with the guilt she felt. "Or you could just try to control how much...juice you consume," I chided with a single raised eyebrow. She pursed her lips and looked away with a sheepish look on her face causing me to smirk. I rolled my eyes after a moment and shook my head before grabbing Tanya's finished plate and getting to work cleaning up after her mess. For such a little human, she can really be destructive.