[no silent readers please]

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 ever have that feeling where you can bearly breathe because of all the shit that's clogged up inside your body? Where you're so bloated but can't do anything to get rid of it? Montana lowers her head against the pressure of the hot water as it crashes down onto her over the shower head. It burns and tingles at her skin, taking down the damage of what the bitter cold air did to her last night. Her whole mind feels squashed together and she doesn't know what she's feeling, other than her insides tensing together from all the water. She needs to get rid of it.

A soft tapping on the bathroom door distracts her for a moment. "Hey, you okay?" asks Lexi with concern from outside.

The two girls didn't speak on the way back to the Howard home. And although it's only a five minute walk, Montana passed out twice on the way, leading Lexi to believe she was dead the last time.

Montana nods. "Yup, I'm good, dude." Most people would be embarrassed or even mortified if they were in her position, but she doesn't care much — she's ended up in worse showers before. Plus, no medic has been contacted so this situation is a relief if anything. If Lexi had called anyone, she'd be straight back to psychoville and playing chess with future Ted Bundys.

Lexi, however, is very much on the awkward side of things as she stands at the door. She has no idea what happened to Montana last night, and it amazes her how okay she is after something so traumatic. Like, this girl was just about to die and now she's taking a shower like nothing is wrong — what the fuck is up with that? She really, really wants to help out, but for once in her life, she doesn't know how. "Do you need anything?" she asks.

"Nah, I'm okay," Montana answers, mumbling the words to No body, No crime as she shampoos her short hair.

"Oh...okay."

A few seconds pass by, and Lexi remains to be standing at the door, waiting for Montana to request something. Call her weird, but whenever she meets someone like this — someone who's a little messed up — her mind screams at her to help them. To fix them. Maybe it's because of her mother's problems, maybe because of her dad's, but all Lexi Howard knows right now is that she wants to help Montana Lestari. She wants to help the girl that doesn't want to be helped. Who has been to hospitals, who has grown up in a therapy room, who has had so much professional support her whole life, but has never gotten better. Though, for some strange reason, Lexi is convinced she can be to one for fix her, and she blames it on her fucked up parents.

"Hey, Lexi, are you in the bathroom?" a tired voice mumbles from down the hall as Cassie finally wakes up from her slumber.

Montana, being in her element whilst shamelessly singing under the shower head, didn't hear it. However, what she does hear is the bathroom door slamming shut and Lexiʼs panicked voice calling, "Yeah, I'm just in the shower!"

"I need to do my makeup," Cassie moans, now standing outside.

Montana shuts up and furrows her brows to listen to the two sisters.

"Cass, I'm showering, use the vanity."

"The mirrors aren't the same."

The doorknob twists, and in a sudden impulsive wave of panic, Lexi jumps into the shower fully-dressed. Her heart stops when she realises what she's done. Because standing right in front of her is a butt-naked Montana Lestari.

Cassie, oblivious to the third teenage girl in the house, walks into her bathroom and stares deeply into the mirror for a moment. "McKay choked me last night," she states after a moment, a frown on her face as she recalls the frightening moment.

Lexiʼs head snaps up. "He hurt you?" she asks sharply. If there's one thing being the mom friend has brought her to, it's being fiercely overprotective over the people she loves — nobody does she protect more than her sister, who let's people walk all over her 24/7.

Cassie shakes her head, washing her face before applying makeup. "No, like, in a sex way," she tells her, "and he stopped straight after I told him I didn't like it...but it was still scary."

"Why are you even with a college guy, anyway?" Lexi asks with the roll of her eyes, almost forgetting Montana is standing in front of her for a moment.

"I don't know," answers Cassie, "but I really like him. He's sweet."

"Yeah, I'm sure he is," her sister mutters.

Something catches her attention for a moment. In the corner of her eye, Lexi can see black lines, and as she focuses more on the picture, she sees the outline of a gorgeous rose. Then, her eyes travel a little lower and she finds her breath hitching at the realisation that she's staring at Montanaʼs butt. Her throat goes dry, and she can't gulp. But she can't take her eyes off it either.

"Seriously, he is. And the sex is, like, really good."

Montana bites her bottom lip to stop herself from giggling and turns around to face her shower-buddy. When she catches Lexi checking her out, she raises a single brow and smirks at her.

Lexi instantly looks up at the girl's face, face going bright red at her actions. But she doesn't look anywhere but Montanaʼs eyes, causing the girl to smirk even more as she knows Lexi is doing everything she can to not catch a glimpse of her boobs.

A few minutes later, Cassie lets out a huff and throws her mascara to the ground. "Screw it," she says, "I'm calling BB to help me out."

The second the door shuts again, Montana Lestari bursts into giggles. Lexi, now soaking wet from the shower water, watches her for a moment and a smile slowly stretches onto her face, and then she joins in with the laughter, the anxiety of being caught floating out of her body as the girl brings comfort into her heart.

"So..." Montana begins once she's calmed down again, looking back up at Lexi with a grin. "You like my ass tats?"

(a/n: what do y'all think so far? also, yes, this is inspired by THAT haleb moment) — tay <33