Uno
A scream had awoken Josie from her peaceful slumber, sat upright, it took a few heavy breaths to realise the scream had come from herself. Sadly, Josie had become all too familiar with the recurrent nightmares that haunted her. It pained her to be unable to remember a time when she got a full night of uninterrupted sleep.
Swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, she took another deep breath, “It was just a nightmare.” That little phrase should have lost all meaning to Josie, but still gave her a sliver of peace and calm. Padding her way across the mottled grey carpet towards the bathroom, she thought to herself how much easier her life would be if her mother were still alive.
Josie’s mother, Kristen, had died only a few years ago, leaving Josie under the care of her father, Victor. Victor had truly loved Kristen, her death leaving him with a mountain of his own problems, which made Josie’s own issues seem insignificant. Before the death of Kristen, the Blake family was happy, and they never had to worry about anything, as long as they had each other.
Without Kristen, Victor struggled to keep a reliable job down to even be able to provide for himself, never mind his 17-year-old daughter. Kristen always wanted Josie to get a proper education and get out of the small town they had lived in since Josie was born. The worry of not having the most basic supplies ate away at Josie, especially during the stressful exam periods.
“Josephine! You better leave now!” Victor’s harsh voice startled Josie. The nightmares meant she was often waking up several hours before she needed to leave for school. Taking one last look at herself in the tarnished mirror, Josie sighed heavily, grabbing her backpack and smoothing out her uniform.
Jogging down the wooden staircase, Josie pondered what food she’d be able to grab for the hour walk to school. A small smile flickered across her lips seeing a small amount of coffee her father had left from the pot last night. A quick scan of the fridge also prompted a smile. The last tub of mango from the last time she was able to go shopping for groceries.
Pouring the coffee into her mother’s old red thermos, she rushed out the door, starting the dreary journey to school.
It was awkward for Josie to attend the school she did, it was the best school in the county, but after Kristen died, Josie struggled to ensure her uniform still looked good enough to wear to school. Unfortunately for her, the school buses didn’t reach the small town where she lived.
The tiring walk was not an issue for Josie in summer, but during the colder winter months, walking to and from school in a thin uniform wasn’t ideal.
Josie had one true friend at school, Becca, and thankfully one friend was all she needed to make it through the eight hours.
Becca had a good upbringing, a nice house, a large family, and plenty of spare uniform, which was often given to Josie when it seemed like she needed it. Becca’s family was quite accepting of Josie despite the differences in their upbringing.
The pair could not be more different from each other if they tried. Josie was often reserved, shy one of them, while Becca, the brunette, definitely was more of the popular, loud, and somewhat clumsy one. Whenever they were together, they equalled each other out, and no one deny the bond they shared.
“Jo, are you ready for another day in heaven?” Becca’s bubbly laugh brought Josie out from her daydreaming.
“You mean another day in hell?” She joked back in a playful tone.
Josie had come to love the eight hours she got to spend away from home, it was her main dream that she could stay this happy for the rest of her life.
