The Storm Trials {ON HOLD FOR REVISION AND EDITING}

Joanna| Step on a crack

Everything was a disaster.

A 17 year old Joanna Dash fumbled with her keys before she successfully slotted them into the key hole. Exhaustion dragged at her mind and body, her cherry red hair was piled atop her head in a messy bun with several fiery tendrils shrouding her flushed and sweaty face.

She shoved the door open, adjusted the extra large pizza box in her left arm and gathered her satchel and two plastic bags filled with groceries in her right arm before ambling through the doorway and into the tiny apartment. The doorway lead into the living room which was sparsely furnished with one large, cozy albeit ancient brown sofa overflowing with colorful crocheted pillows, her 13 year old brother, Huey, was reclining on said sofa, eyes training back to the TV after glancing in her direction. Across the living room, was the decently sized kitchen, which she walked toward after pushing the door shut with her booted foot. The kitchen was sparsely containing a few kitchen appliances such as a counter top stove(only two plates actually worked), a microwave that cooked when defrost was pressed and vice-versa, a cheap white fridge that was running low on food supplies, a toaster hanging on to its last legs and her heaven sent coffee maker that lord know she abused on a daily basis.

Joanna knocked her brothers' socked foot off the coffee table as she walked by and threw him a warning glance when he begun to lift it back on, he dropped it with a smirk.

"Don't help me out by carry anything, I'm perfectly fine and energized after a long day of working at that crappy diner and then buying you dinner and groceries! you just relax, don't worry about me at all." Joanna sarcastically remarked as she unceremoniously dropped the pizza and bags on the kitchen counter.

"Well if you insist..." Huey said lazily as he stretched out on the sofa, "hey bring me a couple slices real quick Jo."

Joanna scoffed, shrugged off her jacket and hurled it at his messy head of brown curls, "you aren't an invalid! get up and grab them yourself brat."

Huey laughed and pulled the jacket off his head, before he jumped up and rushed into her personal space giving her a gangly and affectionate bear hug. "I was just joshing! you know I love ya, now where's my pizza?"

Joanna cracked a smile and ruffled his hair, "Arrgh get off me brat, your pizza's on the counter."

Huey practically hauled her to the side as he sprinted to the counter and flipped open the box, he let out a low whistle as he took in the cheesy gooeyness that was Domino's.

Joanna smacked the back of his head when he begun eating straight out of the box, "hey! grab a plate doofus, two other people haven't eaten, speaking of--leave some for mom."

Huey, mouth full of deliciousness, mumbled his reply which Joanna guessed was something rude considering how he crossed his big brown eyes and crinkled his freckled nose. Joanna stuck out her tongue in turn and headed out of the kitchen, down the hall--to the right and--finally into her bedroom.

Joanna leant against her door and let her head hang forward as the events of the day reeled in her mind.

She was 20 minutes late for her shift, she had to fake smile away her disgustingly flirtatious manager's advances more so than usual today, she got into an argument with a mouthy customer and got scolded for it by her, again, unscrupulous manager, her tips only culminated to $28.33 after 7 hours of sweaty, greasy, hair-pulling waitressing. Speaking of greasy, she pulled the collar of her 'Jackie's Diner!' t-shirt to her nose and cringed, it smelled like cheese burgers and overused frying oil.

"Definitely time for a shower." Joanna muttered and she let her hair down and begun to undress.

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