Snippet #2584536

Kimberly had been working the previous night, which meant that Gabriella fell asleep quite early. Not only did she dislike the darkness of the night, but she also disliked being away from her sister, so it made sense for her to go to bed soon after her sister left. Ella was usually fast asleep by nine or ten o'clock on these nights, which meant that she rarely slept past eight in the morning the following day. It was beneficial the night before, since her being asleep meant that she couldn't get into trouble while Kim was gone, but waking up so early rarely set well with the others they lived with. It wasn't like she could sit quietly in her bed and read a book or something. When Ella was awake, she needed something to touch, someone to talk to, something to keep her occupied for as long as her hyperactive mind would allow.

Her two most frequent victims were Kimberly and Brooklyn, and the pair were probably the worst ones to be forced to wake up so early, considering how late they tended to work. While Kim was used to Ella's antics and more than tolerant of her, Brooklyn wasn't. When she abruptly left one day after a fight with Alex, Gabriella did feel like she was somewhat responsible for bothering Brooklyn so much. She didn't exactly think of her interactions with the blonde as being bothersome, and even if Ella did fully recognize why Brooklyn got so irritated why, it wasn't like she could snap her fingers and magically fix herself. The hyperactivity and lack of filter weren't intentional behaviors, but part of who she was.

However, her morning routine had been one of the few things that she was actively trying to tone down. If not to spare Kimberly, but because she had found something new to occupy her time with in the morning hours. Finn had never really liked Gabriella, but she didn't notice. She always managed to sneak upstairs during his happy hour when the bar crowd was at its peak, and was usually pushed back downstairs in a hurry. Although some of the others who were still underage could probably pass as twenty-one, Gabriella definitely didn't. His desire to not cause any suspicion of having underage kids in his bar was valid, but the fact that Ella never stopped talking or touching things didn't make him want her around any more. Still, she was persistent and eventually, he appeased her need to feel involved by allowing her to wash glasses in the small kitchen every morning. He would usually give her a dollar or two for the work, and although it doesn't seem like much, even if she spent two hours in the back, she would probably end up cleaning only ten or so glasses. While she wasn't exactly efficient, it kept her busy and allowed for at least an extra hour or so of peace and quiet in the basement.

It was past eleven AM when she decided that she was too bored with washing glasses to continue any longer, and she returned downstairs. Things were still pretty dead, and although she was anxious for socialization, she could still shower before she needed to wake Kim up. Ella always took hot showers, regardless of the temperature outside. She could, and usually did, soak up the burning water for as long as she was allowed. Today, it lasted around forty-five minutes.

In an unusual event, after going back downstairs, she managed to fall back asleep for another two hours or so before waking again. She spent a moment trying to figure out if it was already the next day or if she had, in fact, taken a nap only hours after actually waking up. When she decided that the latter seemed more reasonable, especially since her wet hair matched her memory of showering hours before, she rolled over and gave a less-than-gentle shove to Kimberly, whose bed was set beside hers. "Are you awake yet?!" she said, now not bothering to look to see if anyone was still asleep. Her voice was loud enough though, that if Kimberly or any of the others were still asleep, they probably wouldn't be for much longer.