Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. If I did…oh the fun I'd have…
A/N: This story is set before the whole April thing but after the Rory/Lorelai rift.
Sharice: "London! Get your butt up!"
London: "I'm up, so shut the freak up!"
Sharice: "London, don't make me come up and smack you!"
London: "Whatever"
London hisses as he slowly climbs our from beneath the covers. It had been another one of those nights when her mom had come home drunk. Drunkness always led to London getting beat, but she'd gotten used to it by now. The beatings happen pretty regularly now that her mom has broken up with another boyfriend. With all the men her mom's been with, there can't be yet another loser left in all of Baltimore. London shuffles across the room to the bathroom. Every step makes her wince. Reaching the bathroom she pulls off her pajamas and discovers several cuts on her torso.
London: Why do they put alcohol in glass bottles?
Suddenly there is loud banging at the door.
Sharice: "London, if you don't hurry the fuck up, I am going to beat your ass!"
Life isn't always this way for London. Sharice isn't always like this…just most of the time. London is less sensitive to it now and she's lost count of all the bruises and the broken bones. Sharice is constantly apologizing and telling London that she loves her. They're all each other has, she says. This information is best taken with a grain of salt for all the difference it makes. London's dad, Kevin, is out there somewhere, even if he doesn't want to be apart of her life, she takes comfort in knowing that there is someone else in the world connected to her. Finishing getting dressed in the dim light of the bathroom, London takes in her surroundings. The only new thing in the bathroom would have to be the soap. Everything else is stained a shade of dingy brown. London has tried time and time again to clean the stains but it is as good as it gets.
It's obvious that London is running late because the water has run cold. Everyone else in the apartment building has gone through the hot water. She can hear them. Threatening to kill, kick out, or call the cops on each other. Already the sound of breaking glass, slamming doors, gunshots, and crying babies fills the building. Sharice fits right in with them.
Sharice: "London, if you aren't our here in 10 seconds, I'm gonna bust in there and give you a beating like you've never had before!"
It probably will be very similar to several beating that London has received but she's out by seven. Sharice is standing there with a chair ready to break into the bathroom. This is a woman of her word.
Sharice: "It's about time! Get in the kitchen and eat!"
London seats herself at the kitchen table gladly. For all her mother's faults she is an excellent cook. The smell of fresh omelets fills the air.
Sharice: "Since you had to be so lazy, I can't give you a ride to school."
London: "That's okay. I'll skate there."
Sharice: "Well, stay out of the street and wash these dishes before you leave."
Sharice heads for the door, but just before making her way out she throw out a phrase that never sounds quite sincere to London.
Sharice: "Love you, baby."
And like that she's gone. So much the better. London finishes the omelet and gulps down her orange juice. Knocking out the dishes in a timely fashion, grabs her skates and leaves the apartment. Stopping on the sidewalk to put them on, she watches the hustle and bustle of the city she has grown to hate yet tolerate. One day she will break free of this city and never come back. She turns on her portable cd player to her favorite song and skates of to school, the sweet sound of Tena Jones' voice flowing into her ears…
Oh, Baltimore…ain't it hard just to live…