Still The Baby Sister (private for LilGirlLya and Cute Little Kokiri Girl)

[LilGirlLya]

Jen's life wasn't supposed to go this way. She'd been recognized as a gifted student from a young age and pushed by her parents to excel. Her grades lead to her being skipped ahead in school a few grades and eventually found her as class valedictorian. She didn't really have much of a life outside school and that suited her well enough. Jen was awkward and shy, struggling to talk to strangers or make friends.

She was very interested in some topics, reading history textbooks for fun and reading at a 12th grade level as a elementary school kid, but other topics took her parents forcing her to excel. Fortunately, they were all too eager to helicopter and micromanage her all the way through college, insisting on her going to a smaller, local university so they could keep an eye on her. Jen had her hobbies and with success came praise. School was easy for her.

She got a job at a major corporation downtown shortly before turning 21 and that's when her life began to unravel. Being alone for the first time, Jen struggled. Business was about networking and schmoozing and while Jen could nail her tasks, she struggled in the soft skills, even losing the first big account she was trusted with. When she did hit 21, she found out that drinking opened her up and if she couldn't small talk at the office, she could join her coworkers on ladies nights. Bad performance and hangovers meant she continued to spiral. She finally hit rock bottom though when she realized she'd forgotten to pay her rent for weeks.

Fortunately, her sister was willing to take her in on short notice. Unfortunately, her performance at work meant she wasn't approved for a remote work assignment and she had to quit since she knew she'd be unable to keep up the commute.

'It isn't fair' Jen thought shamefully. Fortunately on the bus to her sister she was able to get a bench to herself to sulk in. The movers had already took as much of her stuff as could fit in the truck and the rest went in the dumpster. Without even a car of her own, all she could do is watch the movers drive off into the distance as she slowly made her way to the outskirts, a stop at a time.

[cute little kokiri girl]

Lizzie was 26 years old, she had a nice house due to working as an accomplished sales rep when she got a phone call from her sister Jen, Lizzie knew there was something wrong the moment she heard her sister's voice practically on the verge of tears explain what happened she sounded miserable and drunk, she also needed a place to stay as she didn't want their parents to find out what happened.

Lizzie and Jen's relationship had all most always been complicated Lizzie wasn't a gifted student when she was younger like her little sister, she wasn't dumb by any means but she wasn't as smart as her sister, but she had great people skills she was quite popular, got good grades she was even made prom queen and excelled in debate team. But unfortunately she could never really get her parents approval especially when they focus more on her little sister.

But Lizzie didn't resent her sister in actuality she was extremely concerned about her especially since she was extremely shy and timid especially when it came to talking to other people and general socializing, Lizzie did try to include her little sister in any activity she did with her friends, even trying to suggest to their parents of sending Jen to a summer camp so she could make from Friends. But all of that wasn't easy due to the fact that their parents micromanage all most everything in Jen's life even going so far as to choose what college she went too. Which made Lizzy has a huge fight with her parents that ended up with her cutting off contact with them.

So it was no surprise that Jen wanted to stay with her big sister then stay with her parents, Lizzie was in her car heading to the bus station the pick up her sister she would have driven to the city to pick her up but Jen insisted that she would come to her. When Lizzie got to the bus station she waited for her sister to arrive.

[LilGirlLya]

Once they left the city for the suburbs the bus stops became less frequent. Jen passed the time on her phone to stave off her anxiety about meeting up with her sister. She hadn't been exactly sober when the arrangement was made and as a result of things moving so quickly over the past few weeks, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect when she got there. It would be harder to find a job, certainly, without a car.

Upon arriving to the bus arriving to the terminal, Jen disembarked and got her bags before sending her sister a text letting her know that she'd arrived.

[cute little kokiri girl]

Lizzie had soon gotten the text from her little sister she then took some deep breaths and making sure her car was cleaned got out, she then walked over to the terminal and then waved her hand, when she saw her sister she smiled and came over to her she seeing she had not changed a bit she was still small and cute looking. "Hey Jen Lizzie said with a smile before wrapping her arms around her sister and giving her a hug.

[LilGirlLya]

Jen hugged back, her face about level with Lizzie's chest. She was rarely more self conscious about her than she was when she was hugging someone. At five foot in heels, she always felt very much the little sister when hugging Liz. It didn't help that in addition to her height, Jen still had the same willowy, petite build she'd always had. She took after the women on her father's side of the family where as Lizzie resembled her mother and grandmother more strongly. Jen's slight frame, wavy brown hair, and freckles routinely caused people to assume she was anything but a 21 year old.

"Hey sis," Jen squeezed back, enveloped by her big sister's embrace. "I missed you." 

[cute little kokiri girl]

"I missed you too little sis, hey how about we pick up some drive-through before heading back to my place I'm sure the movers will be there by the time we arrive." Lizzie said before taking her sister's bag and going over to her car, she then  put the bag in the back seat before opening the side door for her sister to get in, after they were inside the car they headed to a local Burger King get some food before heading back.

[LilGirlLya]

"That sounds good, I'm really hungry." Jen didn't let her big sister know that she'd been cutting back on how much she was eating after losing her job. Every time she got take out or went to the grocery store, she did it knowing that her checking account balance was getting smaller and smaller.

Jen ate her chicken sandwich in the car on the drive home, fortunately her big sister was willing to foot the bill for her. It was funny, a memory triggered for her as she gave Lizzie her order and had it relayed back to the driver thru speaker of a time when she had been younger, must have been 12 or 13, and Lizzie had her license for about a year. Long enough for mom and dad to trust her to drive Jen. Nights going out to pick up food or to meet up with friends with picking up food to be a perfect cover story. Jenny was always happy to cover for her big sister though if she got dinner out of it.

Jen watched out the window as they got off the surface streets and hit the highway. "You know, I've never been over to your place, how much further is it?"

[cute little kokiri girl]

The same memory had popped into Lizzy's head as she ordered food, she remembered lying to their parents about taking Jen to the library for studying, she's always sneak her little sister out and took her to a fast food restaurant or a diner she worked as a waitress somedays or the zoo or to the mall trying to get her sister that have some fun and not focus on studying too much. 

She did take her sister to the library sometimes, unfortunately those fun little adventures did and when their parents found out grounded Lizzie and decide to take Jun to the library themselves. "Oh it's going to be a while I do live kind of far so you might want to put your seat back and take a rest." Lizzie said with a smile.

[LilGirlLya]

"Yeah, I probably could use some rest," Jen admitted, hoping the dark circles under her eyes weren't too obvious. It had been a while since she'd gotten eight hours of sleep, even longer if you factor in sleep that wasn't caused by having a bit too much to drink. Then of course the eviction had been a stressful mess all it's own. Jen did as her big sister suggested, leaning the seat back and trying to get comfortable. Fortunately, her big sister did have a nice car. Jen rested her eyes but was out completely in a few minutes.

[cute little kokiri girl]

The moment that Lizzy stopped at stop light she gently caressed her sister's little face she looked completely outsource from the dark circles under eyes from the fact she looked a bit disheveled despite being seemingly put together. "Damn it Mom and Dad this is all your fucking fault." Lizzy  said with a sigh before starting to drive when the light turned green, she didn't like cursing but this mess with Jen was definitely their parents fault. 

[LilGirlLya]

Jen's tiredness and the gentle hum of the cars engine coaxed her into a deep sleep. Jen dreamed she was back at the old house with Lizzy, Jen thought Lizzy looked about 12 or 13, around the age that Mom and Dad had started letting her babysit Jen, but Jen was her adult self.. Lizzy was brushing her hair and she was telling Lizzy all her troubles like she did as a small child, except this time Jen was letting her know all about how hard the past year had been, all while her sister hummed gently and offered the occasionally encouraging word as she switched from brushing and went to braiding Jen's hair. The dream gave Jen a warm, comforting feeling and she smiled in her sleep.

Jen started to rouse when the car downshifted gears, exiting the highway and getting back onto the surface streets that meant they were close to her sister's place. "Good afternoon," she yawned and stretched, "how long was I out for?"

 

[cute little kokiri girl]

"About nearly a good hour, I got call from the movers there are at my house and unpacking things." Lizzy said as she turned into her street it wasn't long before they reached the house and just like Lizzie said a small moving truck was there and movers were already taking things in. It was a beautiful house around two stories with a nice yard.

When they pulled into the driveway Lizzie got out and then got her sister out of the car, "Jan why don't you go inside I have to get my key from my neighbor and talk with the movers your room is upstairs 2 Doors to the left." 

[LilGirlLya]

Lizzy's house was cute looked cozy from the outside and the inside didn't disappoint either. All the appliances and furniture looked either newer or well taken care of. She couldn't help but feel a bit jealous contrasting where her sister was professionally with where she was. She quickly shook off that thought, her sister was kind enough to let her stay here, it wasn't appropriate to be envious of her things, especially since for the time being this was Jen's house as well.

Jen's room was about the size of her bedroom at her old apartment and at the moment, was packed with stacks of boxes. She did have some of her furniture though. Just a desk and one of her bookshelves. She'd lost her king sized, massaging, adjustable bed among everything else, the mattress store had repossessed it after she'd fallen behind on her payments. About a week or two back though she'd been forced to get a second hand twin bed off Facebook marketplace just to avoid sleeping on an air mattress.

Frustratingly the "like new twin mattress and bed frame" she'd purchased were in anything but like new condition. The frame was white with rose gold accents and while she'd been able to scrub off the crayon with soap and elbow grease, she extremely upset that the 'like new' mattress had a good number of yellowish stains. DMing the seller resulted in no response and so she was stuck with it, at this point more frustrated with herself for not opening up the box and checking than she was with the mom who'd sold it to her.

Jen plopped down on the mattress and contemplated where her life was. True, she'd just suffered a setback she had no idea how she'd recover from, but the worst was past. All of what she'd worried about had already happened. As much as circumstances sucked, and they did, there was nothing left to worry about.

[cute little kokiri girl]

Lizzie went over to her neighbor a sweet old lady and thanked her for keeping an eye on her house and letting the movers in when she went to pick up her sister, after exchanging pleasantries with the old woman Lizzie went into the house thanked the movers and gave them a tip before closing the door and opening up a few boxes that her in the dining room, the boxes that where marked as kitchen and living room supplies she opened, going through the items and seeing what could be used and what could be placed into the shed until her sister could get back on her feet.

Jan's bedroom supplies had been placed in her bedroom. Lizzie decide that after going through her sisters kitchen and living room supplies, Lizzie would head up to her sister's bedroom and see if she needed any help before getting changed.

[LilGirlLya]

After a moment of reflection, Jen got to work. The boxes weren't going to unpack themselves after all. Jen got her clothes mostly transferred into the closet and her computer set up at her desk and was beginning work on the books when Lizzy entered the guest room.

"Hey sis, I'm just getting my bedroom stuff unpacked. Thank you again, I wouldn't mind help though if you're offering, especially with the stuff downstairs."

[cute little kokiri girl]

After Lizzie had finish going through the boxes and put side stuff that could be used and that was going in the shed she went up to her sister's room knocked on the door and went in, Lizzie nodded her head and started to help her sister out, but she then noticed her little sister's mattress and how used it looked before noting in their head to pick up a new mattress for her. Lizzie helped her sister unpack putting all the clothes in the drawer. After everything was put away Lizzie looked at our sister, "hey how about you take a nice shower and change then we can relax in the living room and talk." Lizzie suggested with a smile.

[LilGirlLya]

"That sounds nice, thanks." Jen grabbed some of her clothes from the dresser and headed for the bathroom. She turned the shower on to hot and sat down to use the toilet while waiting for it to warm up. Sitting down with her pants between her ankles, Jen noticed something, "the hell?" she mused. There in the seat of her underwear was a small circle 2-3 inches in diameter where the inside of her underwear had gained a slight, yellowed stain that hadn't been there this morning.

"Did I?" Jen didn't complete the thought. She'd had to toss out some undies after long nights of hitting the bottle but it was disturbing to see this after being sober. Jen shuffled out of her panties and jeans and got in the shower. The hot water and steamy air calmed her nerves and loosened her tense muscles. She washed her hair and her body before getting out and toweling off. She blow dried her hair and got dressed in some new clothes, a loose pink tee and some grey lounge pants.

Some anxiety did build up in her stomach though as she made her way to the living room. "Hey Lizzie, you said you wanted to talk?

[cute little kokiri girl]

When Jen went into the shower Lizzie went into her own bedroom and changed her clothes and got into her light green pajamas she then went downstairs into the kitchen and made two cups of tea took it into the living room and then sat down and waited for her sister, when she saw Jan, Lizzie said, "hey Jen thanks for coming down I made some tea so why don't we have a talk about what's been going on you sounded pretty drunk the last time we talked saying you needed a place to stay, what happened?" Lizzie asked with concern in her voice.

[LilGirlLya]

"Oh..." Jen replied and paused, she was ashamed of how she must have come across on the phone and was hoping it could just be in the past. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I, umm...I got into money trouble. You know how I am, I just laser focus in on somethings and I don't even notice others. I started going out to the clubs with my coworkers and it did help me open up a little. But then I started drinking at home too. I started missing work, my performance went down, and then a few weeks ago I forgot to pay the rent. I asked if there was some arrangement we could make but they'd already started the eviction process. So yeah, I was really sad and upset and I opened up some vodka and made some cocktails. Next thing I know I'm calling you on the phone crying my eyes out asking for a place to stay." She paused, "I'm not proud of any of that. I really, really messed up. It's not fair they wouldn't agree to late payments though, or that work wouldn't let me work remote. It's just, it's just a bad situation. I'm lucky to have you to help me." Jen could feel her eyes getting misty, her voice almost breaking as she finished.

[cute little kokiri girl]

Lizzy listen to her sister not even saying a word just listening and processing what she was saying when Jen was done talking Lizzy gently pulled her sister into a hug before letting out a sigh, there was a lot to process she was happy that her sister at least tried to open up to people on her known, but hated the fact that she did it through alcohol and apparently enough to cause damage to herself and her work, that was something that was going to have to be addressed Lizzie didn't want her real sister to become an alcoholic so that was going to have to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible.

Lizzy then pulled her sister off her and then made her look her in the eye before asking, "alright Jen tell me how much do you drink on a regular basis and what kind of alcohol do you drink?"

[LilGirlLya]

Jen melted into the hug, it just felt so good to be held and supported. "I don't know, a couple of drinks a few times a week. I usually get cocktails at the club but do a juice and vodka at home."

[cute little kokiri girl]

Lizzy nodded her head and decide to believe her sister on this before saying, "alright then, now there are going to be some rules in this house and one of them is no alcohol I don't like how you sounded during that phone call and from your explanations so I'm going to say there's an alcohol banned in this house, I don't want you to become an alcoholic." 

[LilGirlLya]

"OK," Jen conceded, it wasn't like she had any coworkers to go clubing with or extra money anyway. "OK, I can live with that."

[cute little kokiri girl]

Lizzy then started to go over the rules of the house, "alright since your staying here you will be responsible for some of the chores like cleaning and doing laundry and helping me go grocery shopping, if you want to invite anyone you know down here you have to let me know first and if you call Mom or Dad please do not tell them where I live I still haven't forgiven them since that huge argument we had years ago. Also if you start to have any problems I want you to come and tell me you may be an adult, but in a lot of ways your still a kid and you're still my little sister and I love you and I want to help you." Lizzie said in a gentle and caring voice.

[LilGirlLya]

Jen nodded along with each rule, punctuating each new one with a dutiful 'yes'. At first it almost felt a tad condescending to sit there and get a list of rules from her big sister but as Lizzy went on it felt...well still condescending but also strangely comforting. Exciting? Jen wasn't sure that was the right word either. "I don't really have any friends who would come visit, at least not that would come all the way out of the city. As far as mom and dad, yeah, I haven't talked to them since graduating university either. I really don't want to right now. Not until...well, not until things are better,"