I slowly wake up and can faintly hear voices.

"Damn it Luna! What did you do?" Slime asks her.

"I didn't do anything - this time!" Luna indignantly defends herself. "She just slipped and hit her head against the railing of the staircase. I didn't even push her!"

"Peachy wouldn't do something dumb like that." Dorian says. "Are you suuuure you didn't push her?"

"NO I DID NOT!" Luna yells. "I wouldn't deliberately cause a friend harm like that. Peachy seemed really tired - it was 3:33am after all."

"She told me not to wait for her before going to sleep - she said she'd join soon..." Tammy mutters to the others. "She must've been awake all that time and wanted to keep it a secret from us."

There's a pause, and I decide to use this to let the others know I'm awake. I first twitch my fingers, then shift in the bed slightly, then sigh, before opening my eyes.

The bright light temporarily blinds me, and I try to raise my hand to shield my eyes, but I must have no energy left, because I couldn't manage it.

I squint instead, before opening my eyes a bit slower, trying to adjust to the light. I notice Tammy is standing directly by my bed on the left side, Luna on the right side, and Dorian and Slime at the foot of the bed. Tammy had tears in her eyes, and the others looked sad and concerned.

I mutter the first thing that pops into my head: "... Is this my funeral?"

"... no." Luna says, laughing slightly. "Don't worry, I'd know."

The other girls also laugh, and the tension in the room gently fades away.

"So... what happened?" I ask, and immediately the tension returns.

"You were knocked unconscious Peachy - that's incredibly dangerous." Slime reprimands me. "Also, did you not sleep at all last night?"

I glance at Tammy, and realise I broke her trust. "I'm sorry," I say while keeping eye contact with Tammy, "but no. I've been having terrible nightmares after..." I brush the scar on my arm, created by the bullet wound, and sigh.

"Why not take sleeping pills?" Slime asks. "You should be able to have dreamless sleep with those."

"They don't work!" Luna interrupts. "She'll just start to grow immune to the effects after time."

"I don't want her to become hurt again because of lack of sleep - I think we should try the pills." Dorian jumps in.

The girls start arguing with each other, causing me to wish I were still unconscious. I bury my head under the covers, wanting to disappear.

Tammy must've noticed my discomfort, because while I can't see anything under the covers, I feel her hand on my head, which makes me feel a bit better.

"Guys, can't you see you're upsetting Peachy?" Tammy interrupts the others. They stop arguing, and for a few seconds there is silence.

"Peachy - if you want to take pills to help your sleep that's your choice to make." Luna says to me. "But either way, we'll help you. You NEED more sleep - regardless of how little I sleep. The difference is that my body is used to this - yours is not. It isn't healthy for you, and drastic changes like lack of sleep will badly affect your health."

I glance away.

"I guess..." I mutter.

Slime's eyes flash. "Then tell me, Peachy: if our roles were reversed - if it was ME who was unable to sleep - would you be giving me Luna's advice?"

I flinch.

Then sigh.

"Yes..."

"See? Now listen to us - and please let us help you." Slime finishes, leaving my mind reeling in both confusion and care. It's... nice to know everyone cares about me, but I don't know if they should.

No - I shouldn't throw their care under question. They truly like me and want to be my friend. I need to accept that and stop worrying about it.

"... alright."

Heyyyyy! Now Tammy has been properly introduced, and this smaller semi-character development thingy has been done, I'm hoping to get to the funner stuff - one chapter stupid things 😊

I decided to write this two-parter because while I know the goings on that happened with Slime and Hannah wouldn't greatly affect Luna or Dorian - and we already discussed Slime's progression. However, after GETTING SHOT IN THE ARM - I probably would have some deep concerns and frights that I'd need to work through.

Of course this two-parter isn't going to immediately make me better - of course not! But for now I want to branch away from each individual character's personal problems and start focusing on all the fun stupid stuff XD

Anyways, look forward to the next chapter!

But for now...

Peachy out! 😊