Another Lifetime

Chapter 14

DeAnna Kastell

The alarm went off and I didn't want to get up but I sat up to find my phone. The crash had hit us hard when we ran out of gummies and after we put Barry to bed last night.

"Turn off the alarm," Jessie complained and lifted her head from the pillow. Her hair was plastered to her face with apple sauce.

The door burst open and I just dropped back down onto the mattress. "Jessie go shower," Ronnie ordered, carrying the half awake five year old on her hip. "Barry, do you want to wake up DeAnna?" She asked him and I groaned.

"After a sugar crash," I complained and watched Jessie leave to go wash out her hair.

"Your fault for binging on a school night," Ronnie said and the five year old started jumping around on the air mattress.

"Barry please," I begged and rolled over, rolling off the mattress onto the pillow I'd put there just in case I did this. "I'll get up when Jessie's out the shower," I said and pulled the covers off the mattress then over my head.

"Deal," Ronnie said and took Barry away. "Hope the hot water hasn't run out," she said smugly and I didn't really care about having a cold shower because it would wake me up.

"Don't care," I told her and tried to go back to sleep but my phone wouldn't let me.

I reached out and picked it up. "Not in the mood," I told whoever it was and I dropped my head back into the pillow.

"You're clearly crashing," Frank said and I groaned really loudly. "So who's coming over after the dance?" He asked me.

"Jessie, Sarah and Trina, maybe Carter and Lisa," I told him and I needed him to take my debit card off me.

"Swing by the precinct and drop off your card on your way to school," Frank said and I nodded, "answer verbally please," he said calmly.

"Yes Detective," I said and rolled over so I was staring at the ceiling instead. "I'll bring it by before school," I confirmed with him and yawned loudly.

The door opened again and I looked up to see Will. "I'll be fine, Frank, see you in a bit," I told my brother and hung up on him.

"Can I get a ride again today?" He asked me, "and you look like crap," he added oh so helpfully.

"Yes, you can get a ride again and I know I do," I told him, "anything else?" I asked him and I put my head back down on the pillow.

"No, I'm good," he said and walked off so I could get a few precious moments more sleep.

The shower was freezing cold but it really did wake me up. It actually made me scream when I first stepped under the spray but I got used to it and had a really quick shower, not really feeling like having a long freezing cold shower right now.

I dried and dressed in the bathroom, putting on opaque neon tights to hide some of my tattoos so I could wear a skirt today. It felt like a skirt kind of day and not a long one that went past my knees. The bathroom door opened as I pulled my top down and I turned to see Jessie. "What's up?" I asked her and pulled my hair up into a bun.

"Just checking up on you," she told me, "in case you fell asleep in the shower," she added and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm on a sugar crash not a lack of sleep," I told her and adjusted my sleeves over my track marks. "I'll be down in a minute," I said and buckled up my watch then tucked my knife into my waistband; my butterfly knife with a handle either side of the material.

"Since when you do carry a knife?" Jessie asked me and I tugged at my jacket, making sure it covered the knife.

"I always have," I told her and picked up my phone. "I usually just kept it in the bottom of my bag and I was normally a switchblade," I explained to her and pocketed my phone.