Chapter Seven

"Faith has been spending so much time with Angie!"

Lila's complaints had been steadily increasing over the past few days, as Faith had been spending more and more time out of the house. It wasn't until then that Sabrina learned just how much their red-haired friend did for Lila.

"I know, hun. But c'mon, you need to take your medicine."

With Faith gone, her responsibilities fell to Sabrina - starting with waking Lila up in the morning and helping with her morning routine. She held the small cup of multi-colored pills in one hand, a small glass of water in the other. It was fifty-fifty on whether or not she'd make it out of the room without being Lila-pounced.

"But I want Faith to bring me my medicine!" Here it came. "I want FAITH!"

"I'm bringing you breakfast right after this, don't you want waffles?"

It worked. "Yeah I want waffles... " Lila's bottom lip protruded in a pout. She had quieted down, however. "With whipped cream?"

"Take your medicine and I'll go make your waffles with whipped cream."

"Thanks Bree," the smaller woman smiled as she knocked back the cup of pills. Sabrina gave a small sigh of relief as she washed them down with the water. Yesterday hadn't been so easy, Lila had ended up screaming at her, that she wasn't doing it right - and Kinsley had ended up coming downstairs and scolding both of them, which hardly seemed fair. "Can I have a hug now?"

The moment of truth. She couldn't say no or Lila would cry - she had made that mistake two days ago - but if she said yes... "Of course."

Sabrina took the cups and set them aside, planting her feet firmly on the ground before leaning forward to embrace Lila, who did exactly what Sabrina had been afraid of. The hug lingered for a moment before Lila pulled as hard as she could, yanking Sabrina down into the bed and wrapping both arms and legs around her tightly.

"Lila, let go! I need to make you breakfast."

"Breakfast after. It's cuddle time!"

Sabrina winced as Lila squeezed her, relaxing as best she could. Resisting would make Lila cry, which would have Kinsley coming in and scolding her. It was easier just to rest until Lila fell back to sleep - she estimated it would take about fifteen minutes. Then she'd slip out, make Lila breakfast, and get everything ready for her daily video games. Lila, it seemed, did as little for herself as humanly possible. Sabrina hadn't ever seen the girl make food for herself, Faith made everything for her... which meant that while Faith was busy visiting Angie, Sabrina was responsible for making everything for Lila. Then she'd need to clean all the empty cans and plates from the upstairs "lounge" area, where they all watched movies the night before.

But that would have to wait until Lila was done with her. Her irritation faded as Lila's face snuggled into her breasts.

"I'm glad you're here, Bree." Lila yawned, blinking heavily as a lazy smile spread across her face.

"Me too." Sabrina stroked Lila's hair gently. She was stuck, but she was going to enjoy it.

Lila lasted twenty minutes, rather than the fifteen that Sabrina had expected. At the earliest opportunity, she slipped away, leaving the slumbering girl - she used one of Lila's larger stuffed animals, a hedgehog, to replace her. Sabrina rolled her eyes as Lila's sleeping arms clamped tightly around the plush creature.

"...to me ten minutes ago!" Kinsley's voice came floating down the stairs as Sabrina pulled Lila's door shut once again. The smallest doll was supposed to get up, but Sabrina knew she'd be able to get more done if she slumbered. Caring for Lila had given her a newfound respect for Faith. The grunge-punk pixie worked pretty hard, it turned out.

"Your coffee will be right up!" Sabrina kept her call to a whisper-shout, hopefully loud enough that Kinsley would hear, but not so loud that Lila would awaken.

She started mixing the waffle batter, set the coffee brewing, and ran upstairs quickly to collect the trash and dishes from the night before.

"Why is my coffee late?" Kinsley's chair didn't even turn around, she called imperiously without even looking.

"Snuggle attack. It's brewing now, I'll bring it up to you soon."

"Good girl." Kinsley had been saying that more and more often the past couple of days, and Sabrina was actually starting to enjoy it. It made her feel warm inside, like she was really helping, like she was making everyone's lives better. It had bothered her at first, it sounded like something a person would say to a pet, but it often came with a gentle caress that made her wonder if Kinsley might be interested in dating her.

With the coffee poured, she started the waffle iron. One was delivered while the other one cooked. A little syrup and whipped cream later and Lila's breakfast was good to go. Kinsley was sipping her coffee and staring at arcane charts upstairs, now it was time to get Lila eating without getting grabbed again.

"Lila honey... I brought waffles. With whipped cream, just like you asked."

"Still sleepy, go 'way."

"Come on, Lila. They'll get cold and soggy and then you won't want them. Eat up while they're warm!" Sabrina wondered in the back of her mind if this was anything like caring for a child - it certainly felt like it.

"Sing me the waffle song." She was dead serious as she sat up, drawing the plate into her lap.

"What?"

There was a bite in her mouth, half-chewed before she answered, a dollop of whipped cream on the end of her nose. "Sing me the waffle song!"

"I don't know a waffle song, sweetie."

"Faith sings me the waffle song! You have to sing me the waffle song!"

"We didn't sing the waffle song yesterday." Lila was a creature of routine, she liked things a very specific way and she wanted things her specific way, exactly the same, every time.

"I didn't want the waffle song yesterday. I want the waffle song today. Sing me the waffle song NOW!"

Sabrina shrugged, standing. Her breakfast was about a quarter eaten. She was started, at least. "I'm going to go see if Kinsley needs anything, you eat your breakfast and we'll play games after."

"Waffle. Song."

Lila was still complaining even as she walked away, pulling the door closed behind her. Sabrina was confident that the energetic girl wouldn't go back to sleep now that she had sugar in her body. Shaking her head, she plopped down on the couch in the front room and flipped on the TV. Normally, they watched shows and movies upstairs on the nicer setup, the downstairs one was pretty much solely for Lila's video game systems, the entertainment center a tangle of wires, chargers, and controllers. She took a deep, cleansing breath - knowing that her rest wouldn't be very long.

"Bree!" Lila came stomping out of the bedroom, syrup stuck in a few spots around her mouth. "I'm mad at you. You didn't even TRY to sing me a waffle song, and you got up and you ignored me. You should be... "

Sabrina flipped the TV input over to Lila's game, where she left it paused. With a tap on the controller, the game resumed, sending Lila's car careening without a driver.

She dove for the controller. "Bree you brat! You're bad at being Faith."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not trying to be Faith then, isn't it? I'll take care of you, honey bunches, but I'll do it my way."

Lila's lips vanished as her mouth became a thin line, pressed together tightly. Her eyes narrowed. "You're not taking care of me. You're serving me. You're beneath me, Bree-Bree."

Sabrina smirked and licked her thumb, wiping some syrup from Lila's face. "Of course, honey. Would you like me to bring you a soda?"

"Kinsley!" Sabrina flinched from the intensity of the scream. "Kinsley!!"

The footsteps were thunderous as Kinsley rushed down the stairs. Sabrina was frozen, completely unsure of what to do, her face a mask of shock.

"What's wrong? Who's hurt? What happened?" Kinsley panted as she rounded the stairs to see the two women sitting on the couch.

"Nothi- "

"She's bullying me! She's beneath me and she's bullying me and I don't like it! Spank her!"

Sabrina's heart skipped a beat as she looked up at Kinsley. The game was paused now, and her pulse was racing in the silence.

"Are you bullying her?"

"No! Of course not, I wiped a little of the syrup off her face and- "

"She's bullying me. Tell her that she's below me."

Sabrina bit her tongue, staring intently at Kinsley, who took a deep breath and uncrossed her arms. "You know that's not how it works. You've got to fight your own battles, Lila."

"Am I allowed to?"

Kinsley only nodded her response, a single, curt nod.

"What are you talking about?" Sabrina felt uncertain. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn, and Lila was no longer acting upset in the least. She had calmed down and looked almost thoughtful, a small smile turning up the corner of her lips.

"Nothing Bree. I'm sorry for disturbing you, Kinsley. Bree, aren't you sorry for disturbing Kinsley?"

Sabrina looked from Lila to Kinsley and back, before sighing. "Yes, I'm sorry I disturbed you, Kinsley."

"Good girl." Kinsley smiled warmly and turned around, heading back upstairs.

"What was that all about?" Sabrina turned to Lila without sitting back down, wary. "What did she mean, 'fight your own battles'?"

"Oh nothing, sweet Bree. May I please have a soda and we'll play a game together?"

Vicious to saccharine sweet in an instant, Sabrina nodded warily. She walked to the kitchen, casting a backwards glance at Lila who had picked up her phone and was tapping away at it with her thumbs. When Sabrina stepped back into the front room, the couch was empty.

"Lila?"

She stepped toward the couch, but didn't make it. The smaller girl tackled her from the side, grabbing at her arm and twisting.

"Say you're beneath me!" Lila shouted, trying to force Sabrina to her knees.

Sabrina gave up trying to hold onto the soda, dropped it on Lila's bare foot and twisted, slipping out of her hold easily. "I'm not beneath you. I'm your friend and I don't mind taking care of you."

"Not fair! That hurts!"

"Let's just play the game, huh?" Sabrina smiled, spreading her arms a bit, palms up. Lila made one more grab, but Sabrina was prepared and slipped away yet again. "If you don't want me to hang out with you, that's fine. You can make your own lunch, I suppose."

"Bree!" Lila pouted, picking up the fallen soda. "Fine. Let's just play. But this isn't over. Kinsley said you're at the bottom, and Faith did too. So... watch yourself."

Sabrina crossed her arms and stood up, leaning slightly and staring skeptically at the smaller woman.

Lila grabbed her controller and put the soda aside - it wasn't safe to open yet. "How do you keep slipping out of holds?"

"I'm just very flexible." Sabrina took her seat as well, grabbing a spare controller and keeping a good arm's length between herself and Lila. "It's always been easy for me to slip out of someone's grasp. Call it my special gift, I suppose."

"Yeah... "

The rest of the night was peaceful, though Sabrina spent the majority of it on high alert, waiting for Lila to jump at her. Faith didn't come home at all that night, opting to stay at Angie's - apparently her gig the next day was out there, so it was easier just to stay over. It was odd eating dinner without her, she had been a constant, stabilizing presence for weeks.

Plus it meant being responsible for Lila again the next day.

Lila offered to sleep with her that night, in either of their rooms, but Sabrina declined. The girl seemed a little too eager. She'd see how things began the next day.