𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐯
Jorja Marie wasn't exactly the needle in a haystack. What I mean by that is, she doesn't blend in with the people that surrounded her. Most people would see it as uniqueness, but for Jorja, it felt quite the opposite. She didn't quite embrace her uniqueness like others might.
She didn't have a mother figure, or any family in that matter to help her embrace her uniqueness. Jorja grew up in the system for as long as she could remember. There was never a day when Jorja wouldn't question why her parents had given her up.
On her days off, she would tirelessly search the internet, hoping to somehow find a connection to her birth parents. Jorja didn't have a clear plan in mind if she were to ever find them, and that uncertainty can be quite daunting.
She felt like she would never be ready to meet her birth parents, and she wasn't even sure if they would want to meet her. Growing up in the system might have made her question if they would accept her.
Jorja has a skin condition called Vitiligo.
Vitiligo is caused by the lack of a pigment called melanin in the skin. Melanin is produced by skin cells called melanocytes, and it gives your skin its colour. In vitiligo, there are not enough working melanocytes to produce enough melanin in your skin. This causes white patches to develop on your skin or hair.
She has Vitiligo around her eyes, fingers, and other parts of her body. It started spreading during middle school, and the kids would harass her about it every day. The bullying left her to be extremely insecure about her condition. Going to a predominantly white school didn't help either. To "cope", she would wear a face mask and gloves to class, even in hot weather.
Jorja is 19 now.
Now, Jorja had found a new way to "cope" with it by using makeup to conceal her Vitiligo. She was cautious not to use it too frequently as she didn't want to harm her skin, but on days when she felt particularly insecure, she would apply it.
Jorja has a cat named Penelope. Even though Penelope wasn't exactly the friendliest cat, always scratching and hissing at Jorja, she still loved her a lot. Honestly, she found the hissing adorable. Penelope was basically Jorja's therapist, but in cat form.
She was all Jorja had.
The 19-year-old girl was currently living in a small studio apartment in New York. It wasn't exactly the ideal studio apartment, but it was what she could afford at the time. She made the most of it by decorating it in a way that made it feel like home. Jorja wanted to create a cozy and comfortable space just for herself.
Jorja's stomach growled loudly, causing her to groan in frustration. She could feel the vibrations of hunger rumbling within her. Determined to satisfy her hunger, she dragged herself out of her beanbag chair and made her way to the kitchen.
But when she opened the fridge, disappointment washed over her. There was nothing there to make a sandwich with. She slammed the fridge door and rolled her eyes at the sad sight of her empty fridge.
"Gosh, I really don't feel like going to the grocery store right now," she grumbled to herself, feeling the laziness kicking in. The thought of a grocery store trip seemed like too much effort for a simple sandwich.
"Door dash it is, I guess!" she says excitedly. She made a promise to herself that she wouldn't eat out anymore, but she wasn't exactly... eating out, right?
This is Jorja math.
She happily skipped over to her bed to pick up her phone and order food. After placing her order, she gently set her phone back on the bed and glanced around her apartment. With a knowing look in her eyes, she rose from the bed and walked over to the couch, crouching down.
"Penelope! Get out from under there! I've told you a million times about that," Jorja exclaims, giving her chunky cat a stern look. Penelope only stared back at her with her big round eyes and hissed.
Letting out a frustrated huff, Jorja stood back up, fully aware of what she needed to do to help Penelope escape from under the sofa. With unsteady hands, she started lifting the heavy couch.
"Penelope! Move it!"
With an unsteady grip on the couch, it started slipping from her hands. Panic set in as she feared dropping it on Penelope. But just as it began to fall, Penelope swiftly darted out from under the couch. Jorja instinctively let go, allowing the couch to slip from her hands.
"Damn it! Now I'm gonna have a bruise on my hands in the morning," she groans loudly, shooting Penelope a frustrated glare as if the cat could understand her exasperation.
The cat only meowed in response.
Jorja lets out a heavy sigh and settles herself onto the couch, opting to unwind while waiting for her DoorDash delivery. With a swift motion, she grabs the remote from the coffee table and switches on 'Hunter X Hunter.'
After about 20 minutes, Jorja's ears perk up as she hears a knock on her door. With a burst of excitement, she jumps up, knowing it must be her DoorDash food delivery. "Don't you dare," she warns her curious cat, who was already inching towards the door. The cat meows in response and obediently returns to its spot on the couch.
With a light smile on her face, Jorja swings open the door, eager to satisfy her hunger. "Hi! How much do I owe you?" she asks the delivery man. However, she couldn't help but notice the weird glances he was giving her.
Momentarily taken aback, Jorja instinctively looks down, feeling a sudden pang of self-consciousness. She quickly hands over the exact amount of money, perhaps a bit extra, not even bothering to ask for her change. Grabbing the food, she retreats back into her apartment in a hurry.
She lets out a shaky breath that she didn't even know she was holding in and goes to sit down at her small table. Unpacking her pasta, she begins to eat while watching TV, a blank expression written across her face.
It doesn't take much for Jorja's mood to be ruined. Sometimes, she likes to play clueless as to why people would look at her oddly, but deep down inside, she knows.
Jorja hated eating when her mind was filled with thoughts. It made her lose her appetite, and she didn't want that to happen right now. She was hungry and she knew she had to eat after not having anything all day.
So that's exactly what she did. She ate as much as she could before throwing her trash out and headed back over to her couch. Her couch was her favorite part of her home. She sometimes even slept there because she found it to be more comfortable than her bed.
Jorja pushes her glasses back up to her face and lies down on the couch, throwing a blanket over herself. Penelope immediately gets up from her spot and sits directly on Jorja's lap.
The 19-year-old girl smiles down at the fluffy cat and starts rubbing her head.
"It's only us"
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Jorja's apartment