Troubled Souls // 5SOS

IV ∞ Morning

(A/N) Just saying, guys, this chapter's going to go through a lot of different points of view, so make sure you're paying attention to who's POV you're in. Also, all of the different morning situations are happening at the same time, just in the different homes of all the therapy group kids. Also also, this chapter is really long, so don't start reading this unless you've got plenty of time on your hands!

• Jade •

I wake up wrapped up in a blanket lying on the rug in my room. I'm not going to lie, this happens all the time.

As soon as I open my eyes, there's a knocking at the door. I sit up, still feeling tired and confused, and shout, "What?"

"Mum says you have to get up and get ready for therapy," my brother's voice replies.

"I am up," I answer.

I wipe off the trail of spit from the corner of my mouth. I may not sleep very often, but when I do, I drool.

The door flings open and my brother is standing there. His curly brown hair is still messy and he hasn't changed out of his pajamas, but he doesn't look nearly as tired as I must right now.

That's when I realize I'm in my sports bra and underwear and my brother is standing in my doorway. One arm flies up to cover up my chest and the other one reaches down to grab the blanket to cover up the rest of my body.

"Ryan!" I scream.

His face turns bright red and he turns his head away, shouting, "Sorry! Get dressed and come upstairs!" before slamming the door and running away.

I quickly fix my hair and put on a little bit of make-up so that I look like I got more sleep than I actually did. I pick out a pair of denim shorts and a plain white t-shirt that I cut the sleeves off of. Once I've decided that I look decent enough, I head upstairs. I can smell breakfast before I actually see my mother cooking it.

"Is there coffee?" I ask as soon as I sit down at the kitchen table.

My little sister, Macy, is sitting across from me, already enjoying a Pop Tart. Man, I could go for a Pop Tart right now.

"Shoot, I forgot to start the coffee maker," my mum replies, flipping one of the pancakes that she's currently making. Screw the Pop Tarts, man, I'll wait for pancakes.

I'm suddenly hit with a dizzying wave of tiredness and I hold my head in my hands, leaning my elbows on the table.

"Can I just hook up an IV full of coffee straight into my bloodstream?" I ask, my voice weak and the words running together.

My mum hands me a plate of two pancakes already drizzled with syrup and goes to start the coffee maker.

"Jade, honestly, I wish you'd at least try to get some more sleep," she sighs. "Look how much it's starting to affect you!"

I sigh deeply. Not this again.

"Mum, I don't know how many times I'm going to have to tell you this," I say, my voice betraying just how exasperated I am. "As much as I'd love to get more sleep, I can't."

"It's not as complicated as you're making it sound, Jade," my mum cuts in. "You just lay down, close your eyes, and go to sleep. Where's your complication?"

"Well, I can do the first two things, I just can't do the 'go to sleep' part," I reply. "Mum, it's okay, really. It's not ideal, but I can live off of a couple hours. Don't worry about it."