Lulu was completely wasted. She was acting all quirky and shit but I could clearly see she was bothered by something.

And I knew it was too late for me to ask her about it.

Lulu was dancing amongst the crowd, totally unaware that Rue had her eyes glued on her. The only thing she wanted was for this night to be over and to be sure that Fezco and Ashtray were fine. And the alcohol was one of the only ways for her to blur her thoughts.

She made eye contact with Nate, who was dancing with a cheerleader, and she rolled her eyes, turning around to see Maddy looking in his direction with guns in her eyes. Lulu gave her a reassuring look before grabbing the bottle in her purse to take another drink.

Next thing she knew, Rue was coming her way and stopped in front of her, snatching the bottle from her hand.

"What're you doing?" Lulu asked with a glare, "Give that back, Rue."

"No," Rue said, "I'm not gonna watch you drink until you... like... throw up and shit."

Lulu smirked, "'Cause you care now."

"Of course I care, Lulu," Rue sighed exasperatingly, "Are you serious?"

Lulu looked around with a laugh, "Sure thing, pretend you care in front of your friends. So I can look like the bad guy."

"Shut up!" Rue screamed, causing all the girls at the table to look over in shock, "You're my best friend! I'm so sorry I fucked up... over and over again! But you didn't even let me talk to explain myself! I... I miss you Lulu! And, and it's killing me to see you hating me. I—I know I've been a bad friend, I know that... But I ain't gonna watch you drown in alcohol. I'm sorry, I won't. 'Cause I know you drink more than you're ready to admit."

And it was true. Lulu did develop a habit of drinking regularly. It was an everyday occurrence for the girl to pour herself a glass of wine every night or so before going to bed. Zahia had noticed and had told Rue she was actually drinking a little more than usual.

Lulu finally noticed all the girls looking at her worriedly and she suddenly felt exposed, "I—I don't drink that much."

Rue frowned in sadness, "Yeah... you do. Zahia told me you drink every night," she continued, "And... she told me what's going on with your mom... I—I've been the worst friend ever... But you can talk to me."

Lulu could tell Rue was sincere. Chills ran down her spine at the eye contact they shared. Because it was the old Rue talking. The one who would've jumped on her bike at three in the morning just to hug her as she cried. The Rue who was always there for her.

But Lulu was hurt. And she was scared she would abandon her again.

Her facial expression abruptly changed and she glared coldly at the girl before swiftly retrieving her bottle, "I think I can manage."

I had to watch Lulu drink the bottle to the end. She swallowed it in a minute and looked straight into my eyes when she did.

Lulu walked away to go dance more meanwhile Rue let out an unexpected tear, causing Lexi to wrap her in her arms.

"I promise you it'll get better," Lexi said softly as Rue put her head in the crook of her neck for comfort.

"H—How do you know?"

Lexi pulled away with a smile, "'Cause she loves you... I could tell by her eyes."

Lulu got lost in the crowd, dancing without even paying attention to the song currently playing loudly in the room. She followed the rhythm, allowing her brain a well deserved break, getting more intoxicated each second by all the alcohol ingested. She forgot about everything for a minute.

Everything going on with her mother, all the pressure she put on her shoulders with work, all the classes she was currently failing, her relationship with Rue, her sister's mental health, all the danger faced by Fezco and Asthray.

For a minute, all of it was gone, and Lulu just wanted to dance. But her phone vibrated in her hand and reality hit her like a truck.

something weird going on at ur house

weird dudes with ur mom

hurry tf up

I saw Lulu running away. I could feel something terrible was about to happen. I wanted to follow her... I really did.

Rue caught Lulu's wrist, "Lulu..."

Lulu swiftly turned around to make eye contact with Rue. Her lower lip started trembling in fear and she shook her head to try and reassure herself.

And she said something I thought she wouldn't say.

"I'll call ya," Lulu breathed out before disappearing in the hallway.

She stole a bike in the parking lot and pedaled so fast she made it to her house in a few minutes. She wasn't even that fast on her scooter.

The young adult dropped the bike without any care and stopped dead in her tracks when she recognized the car her mother used to disappear in frequently. She barely paid attention to the two cars parked in front of Fezco's house —one belonging to Fezco and the other to Mouse, and realized a suitcase and a few bags were on her front porch.

Her head was spinning, both caused by the alcohol and the inexplicable situation currently unfolding in front of her. She considered calling her younger sister but decided not to, still unaware of what was actually happening. And Lulu didn't want to bring Zahia into something that could potentially be dangerous.

Slowly, but surely, Lulu walked towards the front door, scared shitless of what she would discover inside.

She couldn't help but remember what had happened when she was fifteen and her father decided to disappear entirely. The way she stayed glued on her feet, unable to move, to speak or to breathe, and had to watch him run away was currently looping in her brain.

Lulu was about to open the front door that someone else did it from the inside.

Her mother.

( )

a/n this chapter isn't as long as the others but i felt like it needed to be stopped right there.

so.... what do you think is gonna happen next?

we're reaching the end of the season soon but.... i have some additional stuff coming to make you guys wait before s2!!!

btw if you guys want some insta posts to keep on following lulu's journey before s2 (and have some hints on what'll happen to her) just ask and i'll work on that as well!!!