Arin woke at her usual time and reached over to slap her stereo on as usual. Her hand hit the on button and after a brief crackling sound music exploded from the speakers. It wasn't really that loud but because she'd just woken up it had made her wince.
The music was her way of waking herself up in the mornings, she found that after a few minutes she couldn't help but sing along to whatever track was bursting from the stereo and just like that that she'd be wide awake and ready to start getting ready for school.
She tucked her face into her pillow and rapped her fingers on the mattress along to the beat.
The door slammed against the wall and her head shot up in fright. Her dad ran in and hurriedly switched the stereo off, pausing with an ear cocked as he got his breath back.
"Dad...what the hell are you doing?" Arin groaned sleepily. She felt totally exhausted this morning for some reason, without her music she doubted she'd ever be able to get out of bed.
"Shhh" her dad pushed her head back into the pillow. Arin grunted, "what the hell is going on?"
After a few more seconds of silence Louis let out a sigh of relief and sheepishly apologised for shoving his daughters head down. He'd just been scared to wake Laney.
"Why? Doesn't she need to be up anyway?" Arin grumbled, rubbing at her nose. She might've hit pillows but it still hurt a bit.
"She's been in the bathroom all night getting sick" Louis replied sadly, "poor baby girl."
Arin winced. Sick Laney meant emotional Laney and the eight year old was already bouncy enough.
It also meant sick Tyler usually. All in all, it wasn't the best situation.
"She okay?" Arin asked as she lifted herself up onto her elbows. The whack to her nose had been enough to wake her up a bit thankfully.
"There were a few breakdowns" her dad sighed, "but she's fine at the moment, sleeping."
"Right. Could you get out?"
"Excuse me?" Louis raised an eyebrow.
"I've gotta get changed Dad" Arin rolled her eyes and shooed her dad out of her room.
She took her time getting into her uniform and pulling her curtains open. Her hair was a total mess so she just plaited it down the back of her head and decided that it was good enough.
On her way to grab breakfast she heard a familiar splattering sound, her nose screwing up.
From the bathroom just down the hall Laney burst into tears.
Arin turned back around just in time to dodge her father's flailing arms as he ran down the hallway. She watched in disbelief as he skidded into the bathroom. For someone who had presumably been up all night he sure had a lot of energy.
Another splatter and Arin decided she really wasn't in the mood for breakfast anymore. She quickly realised that if she wanted to brush her teeth and wash her face she would need to get into the bathroom.
She paused just outside with a sigh.
When the she opened the door the stuffiness hit her like a slap. It was so damn hot in there she was surprised her family hadn't all melted away.
Laney was over the toilet still, panting and crying with her hair knotted up on the back of her head. She was kneeling on her mum's lap while her dad rubbed her back and cooed to her attentively.
All three of them looked up at Arin when she went in.
"I'm s-sick Ari" Laney blubbered.
Arin tried a smile she hoped looked kind and retrieved her toothbrush from the draw. The smell of vomit was messing with her a bit more than it usually would and she wanted out of that bathroom as soon as possible.
"Reckon you can help with Tyler this morning Sweet?" Amelia asked her daughter hopefully, smoothing Laney's sweaty fringe out of her face.
Arin nodded and left.
She packed herself and her little brother up for school and then headed out, swinging his hand in hers as they started walking.
Arin lasted most of the day before realising why her vomit tolerance had been so low. As the hour ticked by she found herself drooping further and further, feeling cold and sweaty hunched over her desk. Halfway through her last period math class her gut twirled warningly and she hurriedly asked the teacher if she could leave.
He nodded carelessly and told her to be fast.
Arin ran to the closest bathroom and collapsed in the first stall, throwing up her lunch before she even had the chance to register it properly. She wiped her mouth with wide eyes as she tiredly flushed the toilet. She definitely hadn't been expecting that.
She stayed in the bathroom until the last few minutes of the period, knowing that she'd need to collect her bag from her class before she left. Her teacher seemed to have forgotten shed even left the classroom in the first place.
The bell went and Arin stumbled down the stairs to the gates. Her head had started throbbing mercilessly and he stomach was completely jumbled, throwing up had royally messed her up and now she was feeling pretty bad. She had to pick up Tyler though, her parents wouldn't be impressed at all if she left him there.
"Hey Arin!" Tyler yelled as he bounded over, waving his arms about. Arin winced and touched her finger to her temple.
"Hey dude" she gave him a tight-lipped smile and laid a hand on his small back, "let's go."
They walked home slower than usual. By the time Tyler noticed they were pretty much home already so he decided to leave it. He knew how stressed and tired his older sister could get during the week.
Arin's key was buried at the bottom of her bag when they reached the house so she just kicked the door a couple of times. Usually someone would come and let her in but today no one seemed to be coming.
"Do you have your key?" Tyler questioned innocently.
Arin groaned in annoyance and rubbed her upset tummy as she put her bag on the ground to rummage through it. After a few minutes her fingers tightened around the familiar metal object and pulled it out before sliding it into the lock. The moment the door was open Tyler was rushing to the house, pushing past Arin so he see how his twin was doing.
Arin kicked her shoes off and locked the door behind her, her figure slightly curled over. She felt sick again, like she was going to throw up. She threw her bag to the ground and hurried through the house to the bathroom. Her stomach churned and moaned angrily as she leaned over the porcelain, waiting for the inevitable. She would've called out for her parents if she'd had the energy, for now everything she had was going into trying not to puke.
Her will wasn't strong enough to beat her stomach in the end and soon enough her insides were spilling out of her yet again, hitting the water with a splash. She shut her eyes tightly and leaned away from the toilet, arms laced around her belly.
She flushed the toilet and shakily stood, leaning on the basin heavily. She splashed some water onto her face and opened the cupboard behind the mirror, tiredly scanning the pills until she found something that looked like it would help. She swallowed two pills dry and tied her sweaty hair up into a scraggly pony tail before heading to her room for a lay down.
The bed looked so inviting and she literally just fell on top of it and then wormed her way under the duvet. It was a bit warm under there but it was comfortable so she didn't bother moving. When one of her parents came to check on her they'd deal with it.
The next time Arin opened her eyes she could tell time had definitely passed. The sky was almost black outside her window and she was definitely going to throw up again soon. Still though, no one had been in to see her.
She frowned and groaned as she hoisted herself upright, wiping her hand again her warm forehead. She knew that her parents were probably a bit preoccupied with Laney but surely dinner had been and gone, and she hadn't been there. She thought they would've at least noticed her absence by now.
She need to go tell them that she was sick too, or they weren't going to know at all apparently.
As Arin got to her feet she found herself swaying slightly as her head pounded ominously. He groaned again and shuffled forward to rest her forehead against the wall for a few seconds. The wallpaper felt cool and she relaxed for a couple of moments before started her trip out to the lounge where she figured Laney would be tucked up on the couch in front of the TV with her mum and dad.
She stumbled in, blinking tiredly and leaning against the door frame.
"Hey" she mumbled uncharacteristically.
Her dad glanced up at her, "would you empty that bucket for us, please?" He whispered pleadingly. Her mum was sound asleep beside him, breathing deeply.
"Dad..." Arin groaned
"Please?"
Arin doubted she could get within a metre of the bucket without getting sick.
"I've thrown up a couple of times today" she rubbed her face in exhaustion.
"You just don't wanna clean the puke bucket" Louis teased playfully, obviously not taking Arin seriously.
"No Dad, I really-"
"Bucket Arin" her dad cut her off with a brief wag of his index finger.
"But-"
"Bucket."
Arin's lips curled stubbornly.
"No."
She turned and stomped off to the bathroom, holding her stomach in her hands.
Her dad didn't even call after her.
After getting sick a third time, and a fourth too, she slowly made her way back to her room and got back into bed, moving her bin over so she had something just in case. In the beginning she'd understood why Laney had all the attention, nobody knew, it was all fine. But now, now she's pissed. She's sick too but she's got to be all by herself?
She let out a deflated sigh. Laney was eight.
She was 15.
She'd be just fine in a little bit.
The next morning Arin didn't wake up her normal time. She'd been up some during the night and puking had taken a lot out of her. She didn't wake for ages, not until 8:15. Tyler was standing at the base of her bed as her eyes slowly cracked open.
"Are we leaving yet?" Tyler questioned.
Arin just glared at him and rolled over. Her parents could ignore her but they could make her go to school.
"Arin...get up, I've got to go to school" Tyler whined, his voice pitchy and irritating.
"Go away" Arin moaned into her pillows before quickly shutting her mouth as her stomach churned scarily.
"I'm telling mum" Tyler said snootily and Arin listened to him scamper off.
Silence, finally.
"Arin! What the hell, you're running very very late young lady, I suggest you get a move on right now!"
Mum, screaming at her.
"You're still in bed?!"
Dad, joining in.
Their loud voices made Arin's head shake and she swallowed as her tummy grumbled loudly.
If she puked in front of them and they still pretended she wasn't there she didn't know what she would do.
Someone shook her body roughly and she snapped, shoving whoever it was away with one hand and using the other to cover her mouth.
She buckled over the side of the bed and threw up into the bin she'd put there.
"Damn it..." Dad murmured. Mum sighed and sat down beside Arin, her hand on her oldest's back.
"You should've said you weren't feeling well Sweetie, we would've spoken to you like that."
"I did" Arin coughed, glaring over at her Dad.
"What, no, you didn't! She didnt L..." He trailed off as the realisation hit him.
"You were throwing up yesterday?"
"You were?"
Arin nodded, "I did tell you that."
"I'm an arsehole" her dad stated, running a hand through his dark hair with an unhappy look on his face.
Arin grunted in agreement.
"Well, you're staying home with Laney and I today then Arin. Dad's going to work, so it'll just be us girls" her Mum smiled.
Arin nodded half-heartedly and sagged back into her pillows.
"You're getting me that pair of shoes as a make up gift by the way Dad" she opened one eye to see her reaction.
"I guess I am" he bit his lip, "I am really sorry Love."
"I was kidding another the shoes" Arin chuckled croakily.
"I wasn't. We're gonna go get them the second you're feeling better."
"Buying my love..." Arin shook her head teasingly.
"Exactly" her dad grinned.
This was really really hard to write so it's probably not very good, hopefully it's better than nothing though :/