Blank Space [Barry Allen/The Flash]

c h a p t e r : 1

*edited*

"Hold tight; you're slowly coming back to life

I'll be keeping your head up

I'll be keeping your head up, darling"

-Birdy, Keeping Your Head Up

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"Just get out of the house. Please. You are starting to scare me."

Lilli chose to ignore her sister as she nagged. She just sat, in her pajamas, binge watching Teen Wolf on Amazon Instant Video. Her head hurt—it had throbbed a steady pain ever since that night.

The night of the Particle Accelerator explosion.

Lilli had gone back to Gotham for a couple of months until she had gotten mugged. It wasn't the first time this had happened, but it was the first time someone had pulled a gun on her. Lilli decided to move in with her sister, and she hadn't gone back to Gotham since. She stayed where she was in Central City, and Lilli figured she'd probably never leave. Jade was fine with living with her younger sister. She thought it was nice to have the extra company, and someone to help her clean.

Jade stood in front of Lilli, blocking her view from the television screen. Lilli started to protest but Jade interrupted her.

"You can't just sit around all day watching TV. You're gaining weight and smell awful," Jade affirmed.

Lilli looked down at herself and at that moment she knew her sister was right. Her old and tattered velour jumpsuit was covered with cheeto stains and she did, in fact, smell quite awful.

"Well, I have to leave for work. I'll leave you to your thoughts... Get out and explore the city or something. There's a great ice cream place a couple blocks down. The best ice cream in Central City to be honest." Jade swung her bag around her shoulder and pulled open the door, "Seriously you need a shower."

Then without another word she left the apartment, with Lilli sitting in utter surprise. Her sister was right. She needed to pull herself together and do something. She was living with her sister in this great city, and Lilli had never once been out of the apartment. Quickly Lilli threw the blanket over the back of the couch. Crumbs fell down the front of her shirt as she used her arms to push herself off the couch and she scrunched her nose in disgust.

Lilli sprinted over to the bathroom as quickly as she could. She stripped, turned the water temperature in the shower to 'my back is scalding,' and washed off the past couple weeks.

~~~~

The bell rang as Lilli pushed open the door of the ice cream parlor. It was a cute 60's themed building, the floor was checkered and the Beatles', Day Tripper, was playing out of a jukebox to her left. As she made her way to the counter a group of tween girls squealed over a picture on a short haired brunette's phone. A blonde girl spoke just loud enough for Lilli to here her before the other girls shushed her. "Sarah Elizabeth Lane, I can't believe he asked you out!"

Lilli rolled her eyes at the young girls and continued on her mission. "The best ice cream in Central City," or so her sister had said. She arrived at the counter only to be greeted by an old man with a bright red bowtie and kind eyes. His gray hair was hidden under one of those cute hats.

"Hello my name's Stan can I get you anything today?"

Lilli looked through the different types of ice cream and narrowed it down between Cotton Candy and Oreo. Eventually thinking 'screw it' she spoke: "I'll take a scoop of your Cotton Candy and Oreo in a waffle cone."