Chapter Text
Jackie Taylor sat almost relaxingly on her perfectly made queen sized bed. She sat crossed legged with her school books that randomly laid on top of her legs and infront of her on her slightly wrinkled bed. Her pink school bag sat against her bed, opened.
This was a facade.
Not even a well executed facade, but it was just enough to convince her uninterested parents that she was the person that they thought she was. Though the untouched books that laid upside down in her lap could tell anyone who would listen that she wasn't that person. The silly little doodles and the half answered questions inside the books could also tell anyone that would listen that she wasn't that person. And the half opened window which just had a teenage boy going through them could scream at anyone that would listen that she definitely wasn't that person.
Once upon a time she did try to be that person. Jackie fucking tried. All throughout High School she tried to be a straight A student her parents wanted but she could never quite get there. So her senior years of High School she just said fuck it. Though Jackie knew she had to keep up the facade because she does care (even though she would love to not care) about what her parents think of her.
It's every teenage girl's dream really, to be sitting on the 'perfect' bed waiting for her 'perfect' Dad to come and check on her while knowing that her 'perfect' boyfriend had to just sneak out her window. Jackie's life was perfect. That's how everyone viewed her and she knew it. Everybody loved her.
Jackie was about to get up from her slightly relaxed position and shut her bedroom window, which was now bringing in a cold wind. But then she heard her Dad start knocking on her bedroom door.
Her Dad never waited for a answer from Jackie and just opened her door, thinking the knocking was enough warning.
Jackie's lips were curled and upturned into a smile and her eyebrows were slightly raised as if to say 'hey' and 'what do you want from 'perfect' teenage daughter'.
"Jackie" he sighed tiredly "What have I told you about keeping that window open, we already pay enough for heating and we don't need you to be keeping the rest of the house cold. Like if you're really that warm just change into something lighter."
As he was rambling on, Jackie had decided to get up and close the window. First looking to see if Jeff was gone, he was. She also closed the curtains while she was at it.
"Does that make you happy now, Dad?" Jackie said as she turned back to face him.
"Yes, Jackie it does". Then realising that he doesn't want anything else he turned bringing the door with him. "Also Jackie keep up the studying, keep it up and you might actually get more A's this year"
The door quietly shuts.
Jackie signed 'Yep, whatever you say Dad' and then flopped down on her bed. Her bed might as well had swallowed her right then and there because it suddenly transformed into the softest most relaxing place of rest ever. Jackie didn't think she was actually that tired but as her eyelids got heavier she felt like she could sleep for a whole week.
If Jackie hadn't suddenly felt so tired she would have been all over what her Dad said. There have been a plethora of times like this where her parents said some off handed comment and Jackie would either be on the phone to Shauna by now or Shauna would be hearing about it the next time Jackie saw her and if Shauna wasn't available she would put on a song to jam out to. But now this time Jackie was fast asleep, resting on top of her school books as if they were the comfiest pillow she had ever had the pleasure of laying her head on.
While this was happening on the good classy side of town, there was a similar yet familiar thing happening on the other side of town.
Natalie had her hand on the caravan door trying to close it as quietly as possible, as to not wake her mother sleeping on the couch. Even though there were loud sounds of a western playing four feet from her. The caravan door locked quietly with a click and nobody seemed to move, good.
Natalie looked around and she might as well had been reliving yesterday or even the day before that because it was all the same crap she saw. The same but different bottles of booze on the cluttered table, some empty, some full bottles and some half drunk (probably). Dirty plates also on the same table. And Closed eyes watching the same god damn western her mother had on twenty four seven.
She was starting to get sick of hearing and seeing that movie. She heard the movie from her bedroom as the caravan walls were thin and sound could easily travel through them. She saw the movie every time she came home from school. She swears she actually started seeing cowboys in her dreams because of this movie. Natalie was actually coming close to losing it because of this movie.
Natalie decided that she wasn't going to lose it this time so like a cat she moved along the very lived in caravan and turned the TV off completely. But before she could take a step back an unexpected voice chimed in.
"Turn it back on" her mother said almost like she was talking in her sleep. Natalie looked back at her with a confused look on her face and her mother who barely had her eyes open looked right back at her with a look that said 'go on'.
Natalie considered doing it for a couple seconds but just decided to turn it back on because she couldn't be bothered arguing about it.
"Right" Natalie said as she also muttered a 'sorry'. As the noises of gunshots started back on again Natalie moved her way over to her bedroom but she was too slow to avoid any further conversation.
"Why were you outside?" her mother questioned as she started to sit up slightly to be able look her daughter in the face as they continued to talk.
'Dammit'
"I was just out for a walk"
That was a lie. Her mother knew that was a lie. Natalie knew that her mother knew it was a lie but she still said it anyways. Hopefully her mother would take the hint and just leave it at that and not accuse her of doing drugs or hooking up with boys again.
"Could you stop lying to me for once Natalie. I don't fucking approve of you bringing boys over here and your Dad certainly wouldn't approve of you becoming even more of a slut"
That made Natalie spin around on her heels. As daggers were getting thrown and stabbed into her, she decided to retort back.
"Well I don't know how 'Dad' manages to approve of anything since he's dead" Natalie boldly stated and instantly regretted.
It was like the air and atmosphere almost forgot to be thick, instead it was solid and everything had frozen. The daggers Natalie had thrown were crystal clear. And her mothers expression was a whole different level of death stare.
"Get out… just get out of my sight" she said with pure venom, that had Natalie spinning back around on her heels and heading straight for her bedroom.
The door shut.
'uuuugggghhhh'
Natalie groaned as she flopped down on her single bed. Natalie wished her bed was soft enough to just fall asleep instantly and forget about her worries but reality is a bitch. And Natalie hated almost every second of her reality.
The only times Natalie felt truly at peace were when she was high (obviously) and when she was on the soccer field actually fighting for something. The team was truly something else. They might have not all liked each other but they all supported each other for the most part and that was enough for Natalie.
Natalie then got changed into something heavier as it was always cold in her bedroom. Then she crawled onto her crooked mattress and got under the covers, then slowly fell asleep.