RESILIENCE | ✍︎

Chapter 01: Rise And Shine

"Oh shit," is the first thing I hear when I wake up.

I assume it's Jack, he's always tripping over shit. But I didn't hear it climb down from the bed, and trust me I would know if he did. The whole room shakes when anyone gets down from the bunk beds.

I open my eyes to see him picking clothes out from the piles on the floor.

"What are you doing?" I ask groggily, pulling the quilt farther up my body.

"Morning sunshine! We have school, so I suggest you get your lazy ass out of bed if you want warm water." I slam my head back down on the pillow, why does Jack have to be so annoying this early?

I get up, careful to not hit my head on the bed. It's a habit I learned from when I first got here, I was 12, and only Ares, Mak, and Jack were here.

I can't say this group home isn't shitty, but it's not as shitty as my other ones.

I'm glad I get to be here with my friends, even if we are all shoved in a room probably meant for two. But we made it work, adding fairy lights and posters near our beds. I mean sure, it's not the neatest thing with blankets draped everywhere, you can't see the floor, but what do you expect when you stick six teenagers in a room together?

The door opens and I look over to see who's coming in. Quinn walks in quietly with a frown on her face, clothes in hand.

"The waters out, again." She says, walking over to the dresser that you have to use all your weight to get into the drawer.

I groan loudly causing Ares to pop his head over the little barrier that keeps you from falling off.

I walk over to Alea's and Mak's bunkbed.

Alea's spot on the bottom has movie posters with heart fairy lights, she's tangled up in the washed-out blue sheets. I look at Mak on the top, she doesn't have much decoration, just a picture of us together on the ceiling.

"Mak, Alea." I say, shaking their wood bed, Alea wakes up and blinks a couple of times before furrowing her brows, "Are we late for school?"

I stay silent and continue to shake Mak, "I'm up," she groans, getting up and I stifle a laugh at her appearance.

She rolls her eyes and I turn around, Ares is now sitting up with his feet hanging over the edge, below him is Jack and Quinn who are leaning on the wall by Quinn's bed

"I call the shower," Mak says quickly, basically falling off the top bunk, revealing the big oversized vintage shirt she is wearing.

"That's the problem," I wince, putting my hand out to stop her.

Everyone but Jack and Quinn groan, "The waters out again?" Ares says, falling back onto his bed, causing it to creak.

Quinn gets up, pulling Jack off her bed, "It's okay guys, it will be back on in no time." She says, smiling slightly trying to brighten our mood. She straightens out her flower sheets and pulls the washed-out pink cover over it. Out of all of us, she's the only one who really makes bed, everyone else just leaves it how it was when they woke up. She has a bunch of little photos and collages decorating the wall and white Christmas lights.

"We should probably start getting ready," Alea sighs, running a hand through her blonde hair.

Quinn grabs her beat-up red forums, I remember her saving up for them. She bought them when she was 14 from our downstairs neighbors. "Me and Jack are already ready, we're gonna go try to find some food." I just now notice she is out of her PJs, which is one of my old t-shirts.

She's wearing light wash jeans and a white sweater, her dirty blonde hair is in a mid ponytail with the front pieces pulled out. On her neck is a gold locket, I don't know where she got it from it was on her when she arrived and I have never seen her take it off.

"Peace out Girl Scouts," Jack says walking out our bedroom door with Quinn in his tail.

I sigh, loosely kicking through the clothes. Me, ares, and Jack just kind of share.

I hear the door close, I look up to see Ares gone. I roll my eyes, little fucker probably is looking at himself and won't stop for the next twenty minutes.

"Oooo, someone's got a crush." I look over to Mak to see her leaning over the protective barrier to look into Alea's bed.

"I do not!" Alea says looking back at Mak's upside-down figure, crossing her arms.

I laugh, looking at her Titanic poster that's taped onto the brick, Alea and Mak's bunk is the only wall in the room that has exposed brick, besides the little patches that have paint peeling off. "please, you focus on Mr. DiCaprio more than you focus in class."

"Back off Walker. You know, us girls pretend to not see you three crowded around those magazines you steal from Robby's room. But we all know those bikini girls are your guys crushes."

I scowl, grabbing my flat pillow and chucking it at her. It hits her, but she just keeps laughing.

I grab a random shirt and sweatpants. "You're a bully."

"Aww," Mak coos, making Alea laugh louder than before.

"You're ganging up on me!" I groan, walking towards the door, of course not before flipping them the bird.