Chapter Text
Luz knew her mom didnt want to talk about it, but she knew that money was tight, with the six of them. She could feel it in the air, and she knew what had been comfortable money for just her and Mami, would not stretch to her, everyone who had come through on the day of unity, and Vee. it was her fault everything was so tight.
And she was going to fix it
“So, anyway, the coffee shop in town is hiring, and i put in for a job”
“A job?” Camilla said. “Luz you already have a lot on your plate, with school and also looking for this portal”
“It’ll look good on my…errr…” Luz struggled for a moment, trying to come up with a reason “admission paperwork?”
Camilia frowned for a moment. Admissions paperwork? Before she could form a cogent question however, a crash from the kitchen alerted her to something gone wrong.
-
Amity was worried. Luz had gotten the job a week ago, she seemed to do it three days a week, after school or on the weekend. That seemed fine to Amity, except that Luz also spent every evening, work or no, reading or writing or researching. Her girlfriend hardly seemed to sleep, even when she went to bed. The bags under her eyes got deeper.
Amity tried to be an awesome girlfriend. She left her notes. She encouraged her to relax, to come to bed, but the tiredness in Luzs eyes was deep as the boiling ocean. She even tried to bring it up directly
“Everything fine sweet potato”
Her eyes said differently. She had spotted Luz slipping money into her mom's purse too. The TV shows she had watched indicated that usually people did it the other way around.
“Yea. Teenagers are usually expected to be rebellious” said Vee, eating a chip whilst hanging upside down from the top bunk bed. Amity's heart broke for a moment, remembering Emira and Edric, who untill she had broken bad, had carried the burden of being the rebellious ones. Not that her mother had left her much choice, not in the end…but still. “People don't usually sneak money to others like that”
-
Luz was tired. Deep in her bones. Weary. So exhausted it hurt. But she couldn’t let up. She had responsibilities. Or rather. She was responsible for all of this. Sometimes she could hardly look at herself in the mirror at home, or even her reflection in the coffee she had started to drink to keep up.
She woke up on her desk sometimes, another note on her desk “rest well otter - Amity '', her shoulders covered in a blanket. She tried to hide how tired she was from Mami, but Amity and she slept in the same room, and it was harder. Amity could be so sharp.
She was hardly ever sleeping in her bed, and even when she did, she would wake up with nightmares.
Tonight Amity was trying something new. “Warm milk!” she said with a bright smile, and Luz felt herself blush for a second as she was once again bowled over by her cute girlfriend. One she had caused so much pain for. “I looked it up online. It's meant to help you sleep. It's got nut-meg in ''. Luz suppressed a chuckle at the pronunciation of it, splitting the word in two.
The smile faulted as she set the cup down.
“Luz''. she sounded so serious, “i’ve tried to give you space but…what's wrong”
Luz realized she must have been looking sad again. She scrounged up a smile, “wrong? Amity, nothings wrong!”
Amity's look of skepticism could have melted led. “Luz, you’ve not been sleeping, your not looking after yourself, you're sneaking money into your mom's wallet. When your not in school your at the coffee shop and when your not there you're here!” Amity gestured to the desk, covered in half filled coffee cups, maps of Gravesfield and notes about portals.
Luz reached, not for the milk, but for one of the cold mugs of coffee. “It's nothing!”
Amity slapped her hand
“Luz Isidora Noceda” where had Amity learned her middle name from? “Drink the milk”
Amity's eyes bore into Luz, till finally, she took the cup and drank a sip.
It was…surprisingly nice. Relaxing. She had never really had warm milk before, even when she was small, even when she had trouble sleeping when Papi was sick.
Her head did feel heavy
“I dont know whats wrong” she said, “but at least i can make sure you sleep properly tonight”
Amity guided her to the bed, where Luzs head hardly touched the pillow before she was out like a light
But as Amity settled herself on her cot, close to Luz’s bed, the sound of Willow snoring (like every night), she knew that this was only temporary. As Amity drifted off, she thought to herself she needed to help Luz. properly.
Somehow.
Somehow…