Chapter 2

Daenerys Targaryen POV

I'm studying in the library, I really want to make sure I get good grades in college. Cersei's been wanting me to come party with her, even on school nights, and I'm trying to explain to her how I need to get my priorities straight for college.

I hear my phone buzz while I'm trying to study, it's a text from Cersei. *Come hang w me. I miss u.* She only talks in shorthand like that when she's drunk, even over text.

*I'm studying, we can hang out later.*

Ding. *noooooo*

I don't respond. She's been draining me a lot lately, moreso than her normal self. I hate that I feel that way, but it's true.

…

I get back to the apartment a while later, I stopped and got a snack. When I walk in the door, Cersei is asleep on the couch. She has a blanket over her, and I see beer spilled all over the floor when I look down. She must have knocked it over while she was falling asleep.

"Cersei?" I ask, walking over to her and shaking her. She starts to wake up.

"What time is it?" She asks me.

"It's 4:30. How long have you been laying here?"

"I don't know," she says. She sits up and touches her head like it hurts. "I went to my 11:00 class, and that was the last thing I did. It's Tuesday, right?" I just nod, she still sounds so groggy.

"How much did you drink?" I ask her.

"Like, 3 or 4 beers," she says. "Something like that." She seems way too out of it to have just had 4 beers, she can handle that so that isn't nearly enough to get her this blasted.

"Where's Jaime?" I ask her.

"He went out," she says. "To visit with Tyrion, I think. He doesn't love me anymore."

"Of course he does," I say. "Stop that." I help her clean up the spilled beer and sit next to her.

"Why are you so groggy?" I ask. "You didn't drink that much for what you normally do."

"Bronn gave me some Xanax from a guy he knows," she says. "I guess it made me drowsier than I expected."

"Cersei, you really shouldn't take that stuff, and you definitely shouldn't drink with it." My phone rings, I look down and see Jon is calling me. I decline the call, I'm dealing with other stuff right now and he can wait.

"Okay, mom. You know you can have some if you want."

"I don't want any," I say. "I'll drink with you later, but you should really eat something."

"Can you make me something?" She asks. "Preferrably something greasy."

"Sure," I say, heading to the kitchen. "Then we can watch a movie or something. Why did you take Xanax?"

"I wanted to stop thinking about everything," she says. "Drinking wasn't cutting it anymore. I only took a little bit."

"What did you want to stop thinking about?"

"I wish I was a mom," she says, tearing up again. "I want my baby here." I didn't know she was still thinking about that.

"You'll have one eventually," I say. "I know you will. I'll tell you what, when Jaime gets home, we can all watch a movie and Doordash cheesecake. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great," she says. "Thank you, Dany."

I end up forgetting to call Jon back for the rest of the night since I'm taking care of Cersei, and Jaime doesn't get back until later. I'm getting more and more worried about her, she's getting worse. I thought me moving in would help her get better, but now I don't know what to do.

Arya Stark POV

It's my second day of high school, and today is my first day of tech. I'm actually excited to do this, it'll be nice to try something different. Plus, I'll get to see Gendry. He's really cool, and maybe we'll get along better and he won't look at me like a little sister now that I'm older.

Tech is our last class period of the day some days, and that will go into after school time if we have a project we're working on. I looked at the schedule, and it looks like I'll be able to balance it with fencing since fencing is mostly on the weekends.

I sit in the auditorium and wait for the theatre director to finish explaining what the year will entail. Apparently we're starting work for a fall show next week, this week is just introduction. There aren't many people here besides me and Gendry, and he's the head student of the tech department.

We're done somewhat early, and I'm sitting in the auditorium and looking over the syllabus when Gendry comes over and sits next to me. "Hey," he says. "So I guess you decided to join tech?"

"Yeah," I say. "I want to try something new, and it seems like you have fun doing it."

"It can be hard work, but it is a lot of fun," he says. "What are you doing after school?"

"I guess I'll just wait around for Sansa to be done with cheer," I say. "I thought we'd be here later."

"Do you need a ride home?" He asks me.

"Sure," I say. "That would be helpful."

We get in his car and head towards my place, I made sure to let Sansa know I was getting a ride from Gendry. Maybe I can start riding home with him more when Sansa has cheer later.

"How's your first couple days of high school been?" Gendry asks me.

"Pretty okay," I say. "Not too different from middle school, honestly. Just more people. How's your girlfriend?"

"She and I broke up yesterday," he says.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make it awkward or uncomfortable."

"No, it's okay. We were together for a while, but I know it worked out for the best." There's a pause. I still feel bad for mentioning it.

"How's Jon?" Gendry asks me to break the silence.

"I think he's okay," I say. "I really haven't heard from him since he started college, but my dad said he's doing okay."

"That's good, I miss Jon," he says. We pull up to my house. "Let me know if you need a ride any time after tech, I'll be happy to give you one."

"Thank you," I say. "Bye." I'm glad he and I are connecting again, I could really use him as a friend.

Sansa Stark POV

I'm hanging out with Myrcella after cheer today, and I finally get to meet her brother. I'm a little scared with how much I've heard about him, but I can definitely handle him if I can handle Ramsay Bolton and Cersei Lannister.

I drive us to her place, and we walk in and immediately go up to her room. "Where are your siblings?" I ask her.

"Tommen is probably doing something after school," she says. "He really likes art. Shireen is in her room, she'll probably come talk to us. She and I are really close."

"Aw, that's sweet," I say, setting my stuff down. "I guess she really looks up to you."

"Yeah, she's only 9," Myrcella says. "I just hope she doesn't fall into the same eating disorder habits that I have."

"You seem like a great older sister," I say. "I'm sure she really admires you for getting the help that you needed."

We do homework for a while, and I realize I should probably get something to drink since I haven't had anything since we left cheer practice.

"Can I have something to drink?" I ask.

"Yeah, totally," she says. "Get whatever you want from the fridge."

I walk downstairs and see someone else in the kitchen, making a snack. I assume this is Myrcella's infamous older brother, he looks close to our age.

"Oh, hey," I say. "Sorry, I didn't know someone would be in here. I'm Sansa."

"I'm Joffrey," he says. I just pause and give him an uncomfortable smile as I walk to the fridge. "You're Myrcella's friend from treatment, right?"

"Yeah," I say, grabbing a drink. "We're both on the cheer team."

"I take it Myrcella told you about me?" He asks me.

"She told me about her siblings," I say, trying to sound nonchalant. "So yeah, I guess."

"I know she probably said some stuff about me, she's always trying to 'warn people about me', as she says."

"Maybe a little…" I say, shrugging. "I have siblings too, so I get the whole sibling rivalry thing."

"We've just never gotten along," he says. "She likes to be overdramatic and make me out to be this evil person."

"Well, I'm glad I got to meet you regardless."

"I'm really glad she has a friend already," he says. "She needs someone to look out for her who understands what she's going through."

"What grade are you in?" I ask him.

"I'm a junior," he says. "You are too, right?" I just nod.

"I should probably get back to studying," I say. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too," he says. "Don't study too hard."

I start to walk upstairs. Her brother really doesn't seem that bad, and I get siblings sometimes over-exaggerating each other's personalities when they don't get along. He seems nice, maybe I can help them start to get along better if I'm friends with both of them.

Jon Snow Stark POV

College has been going well, and Pyp is really cool. I'm glad I got a roommate who's normal and not psycho. I'm not sure why Dany didn't want to talk earlier, I hope a wedge isn't already forming between the two of us.

I'm sitting in my dorm room reading for school when Pyp walks in. "Hey," he says to me. "I got some weed, do you want to come smoke with me?"

"Sure," I say, getting up. I'm honored he offered me some of his weed.

We go behind the dorm building into this little grass ditch that's hidden from the general population of the school. I'm already stressed about school, so it feels good to let loose a little bit.

"How's your first week going?" Pyp asks me as we light up our joints.

"Pretty okay," I say. "It's just a lot to get used to, living away from home and all. I miss my siblings more than I expectef to, and I definitely miss my girlfriend." There's a pause as we smoke.

"How about you?" I ask. "How is it going for you?"

"It's going good," he responds. "I feel really free now, it feels really good to have so much independence."

"Yeah, I get that," I say. "I was already independent, but I feel like I have so much more freedom since I don't have to take care of my siblings anymore."

"How many siblings do you have?" He asks me.

"Five," I respond. "One older brother, two younget sisters and two younger brothers. I love them more than anything, but the responsibility of taking care of them fell on me and my older brother when we got old enough because my parents work so much."

"That sounds stressful," Pyp says. "How long have you and your girlfriend been together?"

"Almost a year and a half," I say. "I really love her, but I tried to call her earlier and she sent me to voicemail. I don't know what that was about."

"You know things probably won't work out, right? It's pretty rare for high school relationships to survive through college."

"I do worry about that," I respond. "I hope we're strong enough and we love each other enough to make it through this. I just know she has a lot on her plate with her roommates."

"I hope it works out for you guys," Pyp says. "I just know the odds aren't in your favor with that one, statistically speaking."

I know he's mostly right when it comes to what typically happens when high school relationships try to make it through college, but I wish he hadn't been so pesimistic about it. He's just being realistic, but it's still hard to hear.

I really want Dany and I to make it, but I don't see how that can happen if our communication is already getting difficult the first week in. Sometimes I feel like she doesn't have room for someone else taking her attention in her life, she already has so much to deal with with Cersei and her dad.