In a world where one girl loathes.....

 [3:52 pm]

                       Unless it's bathing after not showering for days, eat after not eating for days, or attend to school-related matters, Ruth doesn't leave her room much. Choosing to stay in her room was always a source of concern for Kaycee. She'd make these pitiful attempts to entice her out. Last week, it was her most favorite cherished love in the infinite cosmos: Marvel she used to reel her in and out. A solid week of streaming the twenty-four movies and stuffing her face with junk food; what greater means a ten-year-old of her caliber spends seven days doing besides just that? And given the world's current hellish circumstances, few fun-based activities stood out.

                       Ruth might just have agreed if she had known none better. Her big sister does not avoid responsibilities and nor has she begun eating junk food out of nowhere. So, putting two and two together, Ruth recognized her trying as nothing more than a complicated ploy to persuade her to leave the room. It was obvious where her social abilities stood compared to the average eleven-year-old.

                    Ruth's confidence is at a low-brow level, which may trigger worry among others. Not everyone is born a social butterfly unlike Kaycee, and the young Lorelei never sought to emulate that manner of speaking either. There were no social gatherings, over-cliched relationships, or repeated dosages of he-said-she-said school drama because she lacked a so-called friendship circle.

                     It's only natural for her to spend her nights watching Marvel/Marvel Celebrity edits, writing and reading fanfiction till four in the morning, and thriving as the little insomniac fictional superhero obsessed individual she had become in such a short time.

                      A friendless life isn't much. A hermit, Ruth has accepted her predicament with an open heart and open mind. Nothing anyone said or done could make her ashamed. What's the point? She realizes the way it affected Kaycee In the household, her social life caused friction.

                     She and Eartha clung onto each other and saw Kaycee juggle too many things. Covid needed to happen. Her sister ignored the toll of doing so many things did to her. Putting everything on hold in the face of impending doom saved Kaycee's life. Everything she did to keep her social status could've killed her had it not been for the virus.

                  This is especially true after seeing her room's imminent proof of her stress. Ruth required the Wi-Fi password that very afternoon, and it was inadvertent. But Kaycee had it, and the young Lorelei couldn't remember it. Ruth was searching for the flower-pattern sticky note on which she had written the passcode; she came across the bottle, which was hidden behind Crystal the Dragon. A plush toy she got for Kaycee years ago at the county fair was another game of knocking bottles. Ruth can't throw worth a crap. But when she saw the Rainbow stuffed Dragon with a glow-in-the-dark gem in its belly, she knew she had to play and win.

                    However, seeing the big sister's ecstatic expression made it all worthwhile. The recollection of when they were close could not save her from the overpowering rage she felt when she held the Alprazolam in her hand. Because Ruth flushed the medication down the toilet rather than address Kaycee, Kaycee's reaction was inevitable. Meanwhile, Ruth and Eartha were trying to watch television when they heard a disturbance down the hall. It was her looking for them, no doubt.

                  As the ruckus grew louder, so did the profanity, which would have made even the toughest of sailors blush. But it wasn't until she was virtually irate that she marched up the hall to the living room and demanding to know where they hid her prescription.

               "Medication?" When she refused to move from her position, blocking their view of the television screen, their mother turned off the TV. "Kaycee, what the hell are you talking about?"

            "Mexatall. Remember, the doctor prescribed it. Mama, it's helping my muscle spasms since I twisted my wrist. "She huffed. It was hard to miss the infamous vein that pops out of her forehead when she gets worked up because their mother's forehead vein does the same thing.

          "Wherever you're both hiding it, give it back, please, cause I need it for tomorrow. Huge and important competition, something you weirdos won't ever understand."

             Their mother snorted. "Seriously? Is it a competition? Of course, I'm perplexed. Cheerleading is meaningless, so there's nothing to get worked up about."

        "Um, it is too meaningful," Kaycee exclaimed. "It ranges from teamwork, physical activity, confidence, community outreach-cheerleading....."

          "These things you can learn and achieve by doing something truly constructive," Eartha interrupted. "Didn't you learn your lesson after attempting to establish yourself by participating in that awful sport?"

             The inquiry silences her—enraged—but she's only adding to her humiliation. In any argument, the elder Lorelei woman was unbeatable. She was always quick, and she always had information that would make anyone squirm.

         That's why Ruth never battled with her mother, knowing how bad it would be for her sanity. Kaycee did. She could never manage that loose cannon of a mouth, just like their mother. And while she may be silent for the time being, the teen will undoubtedly fight back at some point, and soon.

        "The risks that sport entails. You could have fractured your neck. Lying to yourself about how talented you believe you are."

              "But I am. Mama, I really am." She practically whispers this and appears to be on the brink of tears. "I'm very close to earning a scholarship."

           -  "And do what, Kaycee?" Eartha crosses her arms, seeming to be interested in learning about her older daughter's plan. "You seem so eager; can you tell me where this road leads?"

                   The teen tightened her teeth and locked her gaze on their mother. They appear to be staring into each other's eyes for an extended period. The tension between the two forges silence. And Ruth sat silently through it all. For if she opened her mouth, God knows her sister would go ballistic if she realized she caused this predicament. So she remains the uninvolved bystander because it was safer for not just her but also for their family's sake.

                     The verbal carnage continued as the two slashed into each other and using their words as honed weapons. "Nothing," Eartha answered finally, as Kaycee's inherited pride wouldn't let her succumb to her mother so readily. "The answer is nothing."

               "You've got a huge brain, sweetheart. I recommend you use it for things that are valuable rather than unimportant matters that serve as a distraction. Make a difference. Because in this life, doing what you want will get you nowhere."

               "Are you like that?" Kaycee murmured admonishingly as the tension was dissipating. Ruth palmed her forehead, becoming irritated with both of them. She may be the source of this insanity, but it is with these two that things worsen.

             "Last time I checked, having a local beauty store aligns with the corporate bastards who impose self-hatred among black women through the practice of hair altercation.

            If the dig reached Eartha, it didn't appear. Indifference writes itself all on her face. This is how their relationship evolved. Between them, years of what's considered being a mother's negligence separate them.

           Ruth couldn't flat out call her big sister ridiculous because negligence is all she received from Kaycee. "Now that's not really beneficial, is it?"

          "Really? The ladies who come into my shop don't appear to think so. You can, however, try to tell them what you just told me. I'm sure they'll appreciate your feedback."

        Kaycee sighed and closed her eyes briefly, exasperated. To be honest, there is no way to win with their mother. The wise thing to do would be to quit while she's ahead and with her pride still intact. And she does so by saying. "Can I just have my pills? All I need are my pills."

     "Nobody has your medicine, girl. And you got all worked up about them, proving that you don't need them." Eartha stared at her frankly and exhausted. In her mind, business women shouldn't have to deal with what she does daily.

    "You want my candid assessment." Kaycee remained silent once more because of her pride. "Quit. Save yourself the heartbreak. Cause the road you're choosing will be nothing more than a long and painful one. Besides, the dreamer's path is passe. More dreamers believe me, are the last thing we need. But you're young and think you know everything. Nobody can't tell you a damn thing."

                   "Then I'll show you." At her sides, Kaycee had both her fists clenched. "I'll keep working hard and show you. Because all I see is a salty old bitch, the world has shattered whose aspirations, and you're taking it out on someone who has the potential to make their dreams a reality. And you embody everything I loathe about the world. You can't tell me to be someone when you're assisting in the loss of our people's identity. So fuck them and fuck you."

                   The silence persists amid them. It clogs the air like poison, aiming to infiltrate and sear a person from within and without. Fear awakens well within the young girl, who is aware of this terrible volatile energy that threatens to enter an already poor situation and create an even worse one. She senses the end coming.

                  The option to speak up and bet on the last desperate bid to save them is a powerful force she will tackle. With everything they've undergone together, clinging on is possible, and knowing their family is ideal. Yes. Is it, though, worth the effort?

            "Well, if you feel this strongly—and you feel compelled to express your feelings with the rest of the group—then please 'loathe' from the confines of your room down the hall." Eartha pointed down the hall after she had brazenly just referenced.

                       Kaycee's cheeks swelled. Puffy cheeks are her knee-jerk response against crying. The teen Lorelei does not relish the prospect of defeat. 'A-list winners don't lose,' a motto which she lives and breathes. This is a tough loss. The foundation of the problem was that their mother, her apparent opponent, failed to do what all parents should, and that's fully understand their children.

                  And sure, she accomplished the cookie-cutter version of comprehending the depths of a teenage daughter, but she missed the bigger picture. Kaycee stood on the precipice between sense and senselessness, teetering on the edge.

                          No one can grasp her hand and promise her that everything will be fine. That also applies to dragging her back from the edge. Momma has made one thing abundantly. Whatever she was going through that made her feel the need to suppress information-because Eartha is a walking human lie detector-nothing shady can get past her-and Kaycee was on her own.

                      The Lorelei teen knew this, and the one person who should have taken the time to do more than their surface-understanding-their actionless take on the dilemma, which stings much more than defeat, rejected her problems.. Something in her expression suggested that this wasn't the end. She may not explain herself in a straightforward manner that her heart craves. Though the eldest Lorelei daughter will one day make them known, and God alone knows what will happen to their family dynamic if she does.

                 In the end, she let out all the intense, smoldering hatred that she had been holding onto and directing at Mom. Everything she said was nasty and degrading. When Ruth's sister went off, she's frightened by how seriously she took all she had to say. Ruth, the household's youngest member, was the only one who could foresee the unpredictability of their fate. Unbelievably, only one tiny pill is all to unleash all the demons.

              It's safe to assume she no longer knows her sibling. Not as the preppy, happy-go-lucky high school cheerleading captain character, the striver who tries too hard to be like her mother or the glaring teenage druggie plagued by the pressure of it all. Guilt may motivate her to make things better in order to appear virtuous, regardless that she is the reason their mother is fighting for her life in the hospital. Her efforts will not restore normalcy. Nothing else can. The Marvel Universe is the only thing Ruth uses to cope with. Kaycee may despise their mother, but she detests pales compared to Ruth's forest fire of hatred.

              She never exhibits it—in fact, her disrespect for Kaycee's ineffective personal effort is an illogical manifestation of her genuine sentiment mislabeled as ungratefulness by her sister. Acting as though it were, the case had been simpler. Through Kaycee's maelstrom of adopting the position of 'legal guardian,' the epidemic, and their mother... faking is effortless. Because in so many instances, she'd delight twisting Kaycee's neck or shouting in her face about how she did not differ from their mother in the crappy person category. Kaycee has her moments of royally 'screwing the pooch,' as Tony Stark would say. She is family, and for the sake of family, Ruth can pretend-pretend to where it hurts worse than the on-and-off muscle memory of pain she felt through the scars on her wrists.

            Anyway, let's get back to leaving her room. She only leaves to eat, bathe, or do something relevant to education. One of the three things she's purging is currently scouring for a good snack. Her secret stockpile of junk food ran out, and it's difficult to bring in anything slightly related to surgery without her bloodhound of an elder sister sniffing it out and taking away her delight. Hence, she's considered exiting the lair and sinking her teeth into a... healthy delicacy. Even thinking the word "healthy" and she's bound to puke.

                              Just before she gets to the kitchen, it's a good thing she doesn't have to look much beyond the bowl of fruit floating in water inside a bowl that was there on the counter waiting for her. A note accompanied it. Surprising, surprising. Kaycee made Nature's cereal from a TikTok video that only she cared about. Another piss-poor attempt to get close to Ruth. The kid shook her head, her gaze fixed on the frilly note penned on one of her frilly little flower-patterned sticky notes. Today is already becoming bothersome, and the princess isn't even here. Just as she poised to crumple the note and get on with her evening, a worrisome detail caught her attention, and she had to release a breath while blinking to ensure that she hadn't fallen asleep while watching Spiderman Homecoming again and was not dreaming.

                     So she blinked and blinked again until she was sure the entire indisputable information in her hands appeared as, in fact, reality. Today is my birthday.

                   Oh shit

                                                                                        --If you're looking for another chapter of Power...don't look any further cause...Wham! Here's another one in your faces my beautiful children. I've been slaving over this one due to all the inspiration and...I just can't help the flow peeps.  Only for you and the pleasure of getting out this story. Anywaysss did y'all catch the recent What If...episode? Can't shake the trauma of my baby Strange destroying the entire universe. His echoing sobs of 'I'm sorry' will forever haunt my nightmares. They did my baby dirty, I'm sorry. Already plotting my next chapter though. So excited to get into some juicy bits. I understand my babies are hungry for some good old-fashioned drama steak.  I Will update soon. Promise. Till next time -bbdqqce1