Jane farcry woke with little elegance, a damp patch of pillow soaked in her snot had formed through the night beneath her large nose, her eyes, large and brown as they were seemed to be glued together by sleep, She pulled the duvet off and stood up on the springy pink carpet .The room she inhabited was cluttered with cloths and combs, toys and books. The walls were equally littered with posters of Robby Williams and David Beckam and a variety of puppy pictures. A typical room for a typical girl.
She dragged her plumb figure to the wardrobe and pulled out a hideous grey and yellow robe, she put it on, oblivious to its menacing look.
She then opened her door ,walked down the hallway and took a left into a greeny bathroom, to her right was the bath full with the hair of her and her family members, to her left was a lime green wall, she loomed over the sink and brushed her teeth, she then spat out the minty foam and watched it struggle under the stream of water let out through the tap.
She refrained from looking at the mirror mounted on top of the sink, for she did not want to see the ugly reflection again, maybe if she didn’t see it, she would not feel it.
After hobbling down the stairs she bustled to the kitchen. She squinted on entry as a warm , bright light hit her face, through her eyelashes she spotted her two sisters who were round the table in the middle of the room arguing on who received more cocoa pops “ mum! , look at Rachel’s bowl” howled Mandy , as though Rachel had signed over her life.
“You haven’t poured the milk yet” Rachel said, her voice was cheery and young “when you pour the milk it will look bigger”
Rachel eyed the bowl again, this time with understanding but then…
“MUM LOOK AT…….”
A new voice entered the struggle, Jane's voice from the door cut through Rachels wine.
“ Ok, err… who d’you think will win a super battle if king Kong and the hulk had a fight” The two twins began to debate, and the squabble ended before it had time to truly explode, Jane’s mum, turned away from washing up for a moment and winked at Jane, who winked back.
Jane, Mandy and Rachel lived with there mother, who had a divorce while Jane was six, Jane had no problem with the divorce going ahead, she hated her father like cats and dogs and when she and her mother were alone things improved, They lived in a decent house in west Sutton and life went on as normal, the day to day routine held up and other than the weather, Jane’s life was as predictable as gravity.
The cocoapox had been consumed and the empty bowls were now being licked clean by Amber, the family’s torteshell cat.
Jane sat on the chair finishing some toast, she had a look of mild worry on her face, this was the face she always wore before a school day, she didn’t want to go to school, the idea of facing the marauding gangs and the cruel giggles of the students made her feel very glum, another day, just another day she told herself as she stood up and took her plate to the sink.
After getting changed and packing her bag she took her unwilling body downstairs, she packed the twins food in Bratz lunchboxes and kissed her mum goodbye.
Jane’s mum had warred down features of beauty, long brown hair hung from her visible scalp and she wore old jumpers and jogging suits, on the inside she was a kind , loving selfless mother who would give her life to save any of her children’s , and yet she did not know about Jane’s problem.
Jane stepped out in a cold wind, she inhaled the air and felt it fill her lungs like a bucket of ice poured down a balloon. There front garden was completely dominated by a large tattered white car resting on loose grey gravel, she past it and opened the gate.
She was alone now, brisking along on the grey pavements of Sutton in a dark green coat that seemed too small for her and was clearly ripped in more than one place.
She crossed a bridge over a busy railway line and cut through the park. All the time a grey blanket of cloud loomed overhead.
And finally the chatter and hustle of the school reawakened her and ripped her away from her line of thoughts.
Inside the gates the hustle and bustle and the laughs and the various conversations all fused to create a buzz of atmosphere, for some this atmosphere meant excitement and friendship for Jane it symbolized the beginning of another day full of grief and embarrassment.
Chapter 2
After what seemed an hour of leaning against a brick wall, waiting for the lessons to start, they did. The bell rang loud and clear and all the pupils marched up the stairs and through the school doors getting to there class rooms, Jane followed and became part of the stream of black blazers and white shirts. She was barged around and once or twice she lost balance and fell, but she made it to her science class.
She was three minutes late and the whole class was silent and all her class mates had there heads buried in their books. The room was stale, white walls, brown floors and cheap plywood desks with cheaper plastic chairs and the smell of old paint and dust lingered put it was the teacher that made it such an unpleasant place.
“Were have you been” he said with an amused voice.
“I , I…Miss Burton held me to clear the trash and…”
He did not seem interested at all with her excuse any more, it was clear to him that such lateness must be punished hence the fiddling with the the planner and a red piece of paper, he was preparing to issue her an after school detention.
She shuffled through the desks clutching the red detention slip; the students were all silent but a few in the corner who sniggered too quietly for Mr Moss to hear but just loud enough for Jane to be hurt. She sat down on the uncomfortable chair and took out her books.
