She shook the heavy feeling of fatigue off and awkwardly struggled away from the couch.  Stumbling lightly through the fog that enveloped her, Shane clumsily shuffled into the kitchen. 

“Where is it?” She mumbled as she gripped her aching head.

Searching throughout the cabinet she found and clenched the small bottle of Tylenol.  Fighting momentarily with the child proof cap before wrenching it off in frustration and inevitably sending the contents scattering on the linoleum, she grumbled in anger. 

“*****!”  Shane dropped listlessly to the cold floor and began the task of awkwardly clasping three of the gel caps.  She thrust them into her dry mouth and swallowed hard, regretting the uncomfortable feeling they caused her throat.  Turning her attentions to the task of retrieving the rest of the tablets, the raven haired young woman moaned in pain and exhaustion as she struggled to keep her emerald eyes open.  Gripping the last of the pills, as well as an uncooked piece of macaroni, she tossed them into the white container and placed the lid back on. 

Mustering the rest of her strength, Shane managed to stand up and place the bottle back in its rightful place.  Feeling much worse than before her endeavor, the thin boyish body fought its way back to the makeshift bed.  Lethargically she collapsed on the worn down couch and shut her eyes to the few rays of light forcing its way through the dusty blinds.  Letting out one more moan, Shane allowed the darkness to pull her into its depths.

*******

“Shanehey are you gonna eat that?” 

Startled the young woman looked up into her old friend’s face.  She had not heard that voice in so long and she forgot how much comfort the rumble brought her.

“Clive?  Man what are you doing here?”  She grinned as she gripped her lanky friend’s arm and pulled him into a hug.  “I thought you were staying with your mom?” 

The young man pulled away swiftly and grinned up at her with slightly yellow teeth.  His appearance was very haggard to say the least and his scent was close to that of a dead mouse in an unreachable area.  Running his dirty chapped hands through his greasy hair his eyes lingered to the muffin in Shane’s hand.