'Pairs' [korrasami]

5

Korra

4:30am and I'm staring at the ceiling in my room, flat out on my bed like a starfish. I wait here for a minute, listening to the early risers outside in their cars.

I lift my phone up above my head, turning it on with a tap.
4:31

Slowly but surely I sit up on my bed, stretching out my asleep muscles in the process. Even though I've been doing this for a while now, I can never get my sleeping schedule right. It's always homework or football that takes up the majority of my time. Not that I'm complaining though, football is cool, I like everything about that sport. Being the Captain is tough too, especially when Lin is our coach. Homework is a different story. I do it of course, when I can. There's something more important to do anyway.

I wander through the upstairs of the house and stop outside my mum's bedroom. I take a breath, clicking open the door so I could take a peak. That smell hits me immediately, the mix of nicotine and god what is that? Whiskey?

She's asleep, cocooned in the quilts. My mum will probably stay like that for the rest of the day. As I venture downstairs, I cross my fingers in hope that the living room doesn't look as bad as it did yesterday. My mum normally comes home late, bottle in hand which then multiply when she makes it to the fridge. I sigh, the living room was just as bad as the day before. And the day before that.

She had left a few cigarettes to burn themselves out, the cylindrical bodies becoming ever colder in the ash tray. The tables were stacked with brown glass bottles and honestly I don't even know how she drinks that much. The clock reads 4:10, I'll only be a few minutes late after I clean this up. With a quick text I let my friends know that I'll be late. They're never awake at this time but they'll see it soon enough.

Before I even begin to start scooping the empty bottles up my phone vibrates in my pocket. It's Kuvira. I couldn't even read her message before her name popped up, she's ringing me. I click the green button and put my phone near my ear.

"Hello?" My voice was a whisper.

"Is it as bad as last time?" She asks on the other side of the phone, it sounded like she just woke up.

I take a look around the room again, sighing into the phone.
"Yeah, it's pretty bad."

Kuvira groans.
"She needs to stop doing this. Maybe you should get some help."

"I've tried but she doesn't want it. she doesn't think she needs it." I say, smiling weakly at the old photo of all three of us on the table. My mum looked so happy then, so did i.
"She just needs more time."

"Senna's had enough time, I don't see you downing a barrel of beer every night." I stay silent and Kuvira sighs.
"Sorry, I shouldn't of said that. I just worry Korra."

I trap my phone between my ear and shoulder, freeing up both of my hands to prop bottles to the side.
"It's only been a couple of months. I lost my dad for fuck sake. She just handles it differently than I do."

"I know and I'm so proud of you for what you're doing." She says.
"But what she's doing... it's not healthy. It's effecting you as well."

"I know but what else is she supposed to do Kuvira?" I say into the phone with a frown.
"It's hard. Right now."

She pauses and for a moment I think she's fell asleep.
"Are you sure that you don't need any help? The guys and I can come over in 10 minutes tops."

"As if Bolin would wake up at this time in 10 minutes." I force a laugh.
"Thank you but it's alright, I can do it. She's my mum afterall."

Kuvira huffed into the phone like she knew I was going to say that.
"Alright, but if you need anything don't be afraid to call me okay?"