family bonds

The warmth of the sun caressed her cheek as it slowly crept through a gap in her bedroom curtains. Ah, the first actual sunny day of the year. Jess lay there, imagining the day to come, eyes still closed, half in half out of her dreams. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The disruptive rudeness of her alarms startled Jess and awakened her from the fantasies of her dreams. Looking around, her usually immaculate room was a mess, I guess you could say Jess hadn't had time to clean in awhile… A while being a few weeks... Following the beam of light that peaked gracefully through the curtains, she clambered her way out of bed and began tiptoeing around the mountains of empty crisp packets, bottles and clothes that had formed over the floor. Eventually managing to make her way to the curtains where the single shard of light was causing the whole room to glow a dusty shade of orange. “Urgh” Jess mumbled as she drew open her tattered curtains revealing the true extent of the chaos that could once have been called a bedroom. “This will have to do” something practical and luckily it wasn't far from her normal style but not what she would consider perfect. As she leaned down she pulled out a pair of rough black skinny jeans and a purple lumberjack shirt, ‘paired with some heeled boots. It will do’ she thought to herself . At only 17 and in her last year of college she longed for the freedom of leaving home. Luckily this year was the last year before she got to move away to university and finally be free. “Mum, are you awake?” Jess yelled down the stairs “What do you want!?” a harsh woman's voice echoed back at her from down the stairs. Jess was sure it was the years of cigarettes that had caused her mum's beautiful white blonde hair to be stained such a deep shade of yellow. People used to say they looked alike, apart from their eyes. Jess has her Dad's eyes. Belinda’s are dark brown empty soulless pits, whereas her dads were bluer than the sky and you could get lost in the beautiful pools of clear water.. Rumor had it that Belinda used to be beautiful, graceful and have a feminine figure that would make any man melt and any woman green with envy but that's all changed when Jess was 13. Jess followed the same bitter sweet smell of cigarettes, that sat in the air every morning, all the way downstairs and into the kitchen where a scrawny old woman had sat in the same place she had been left last night. Mount Mayfair, the centerpiece of the dining table, was a towering pile of ash and fagbuts errecting itself from the centre of what you can only hope was an ashtray. Guarded by pillars of empty cider cans and beer bottles. Not exactly the idea of a family breakfast table. As Jess looked around the room, the daily realisation there was nothing there again sank in. She knew the fridge would be just as empty as it was last night and the one before, as were the cupboards. Things were like a whole different life before her father left. It would never have been half this bad, now it was only getting worse by the day. Slowly the figure hunched over the table moved her head. “I… I asked you what did you want” her words were slurred and it wasn't even 9am but then again did she know that? Jess doubted she’d even slept yet. ‘Did mum even remember what sleep was?’ Jess thought to herself. ‘I doubt it.’ “Can I have some money for college Mum?” regretting the question already jess knew she'd have an excuse to say no, it was always no, it wasn't even worth asking any more. “No love…. I.. I can't I laundry and erm uhrt the shop man I the cider I still have to pay” Jess had spent nearly 5 years learning to understand her mothers incoherent ramblings but she knew when she came home from college her mum would still of been able to buy cider and fags but the laundry wont be done and there will still be no groceries... Jess grabbed her bag, ready to leave, and slung it up, over her shoulder. The old black satchel was weighed down by heaps of books, scribbles, pens and the schools tablet, although it was tattered torn, and was expected to give out any day now, it was something her father had given her and no matter how hard she tried, it just couldn't go in the bin. There was never a need to get the bus to college. Even though it was less than half the time (and half the effort) busses cost money and as she well knew money didn't grow on trees. But she could just keep telling herself she could walk it faster, and as a bonus walking was free. “Jess!” the distant echo of someone calling her name trailed up the street. Turning round a short and frumpy white blob with light brown hair and twp piercing green dots for eyes, could be seen in the near distance bounding towards her. It could only be Anya, she was 100% weird and addicted to anything and everything abnormal. She wore a black on black ensemble with added black every day of the year. Regardless of the weather. On such a beautiful day Jess couldn't understand why nor how she could dress like that. “Anya, hey, it's sunny you know?” Jess turned to face Anya as she joked “What's with all the black?”. “You know black is my colour regardless of the weather” Anya grinned looking down at her outfit. Her gentle voice in no way matching her uniquely dark sense of style. Anya and Jess had been best friends since they could talk. Anya was Jess's only friend; they were inseparable even at the worst of times. Jess had looked slightly older than her age since she was about 14. It had become somewhat an advantage over the years, to not be treated like a child.. As she began to trifle through her bag to see how much change she has left from her weekly college allowance. The usual solum look came over her face. ‘Your mum has taken it again hasn't she?’ Anya looked at Jess with a sense of pity and understanding. Jess gave the bag an exaggerated sarcastic shake and smirked. There was no point listening for the CLING of change. No point begging, pleading with her bag that it's stuck inside a book. Jess rolled her eyes, it was gone. “I'll get it today, it's fine” Anya smiled that kind, warm, familiar smile she knew and loved. She’d always taken care of Jess through the best and worst of their family troubles; she was always there. “Come on let's go get some breakfast!” she smiled her giant cat like grin the sun caught her eye and it glinted a beautiful shade of emerald Jess had seen a million times before. The duo turned the corner into HotNews where Mr Patel had served her since she moved here when she was 13. “Just these please Mo” Jess smiled at him as she passed him the usual, a packet of crisps and drink each for her and anya and then handed him the £10 “where's your dad today?” (Mo was completely different from his father Mr patel was a short man with grey hair and a heavy moustache, whereas mo was tall and skinny with jet black hair). They try to make conversation to pass time as the girls wander aimlessly around the shop. “He's at the wholesalers Jess, you won't see him till tomorrow. Why did you need anything?” “No…” as she goes to continue, her eyes are drawn down to a faint glimmer in a half full chrisp box. As she makes her way to the sparkle in the box. As she moves the top packet of raiders, she finds herself looking at the most beautiful little purse, iridescent and catches the light like a diamond. She couldn't resist herself, what were the chances of finding a purse with the ‘great’ start she had today. ‘knowing my luck it will be filled with worms’ she thought to herself. Jess leaned down inconspicuously and picked up a bag of the crisps to tuck the purse discreetly behind. “Hey Mo? Can I owe you?” she's lifts the 20p bag of raiders up in the air as he laughs. “Have them on me” Mo replied. ‘Thanks Mo, you're the best!’ Mo chuckled as he walked through the beaded curtain in the back waving goodbye as he went.