"Fucking hell," I shouted as I stubbed my toe on another one of my younger brothers toys, who knew a five year old could be so messy?
"Danni watch your language around your brother," Mum said as she glared at me, I scoffed as I bent down and picked the toy up before holding it out for her to see.
"I wouldn't mind so much but this is the third time this morning that I've tripped over one of his toys, can you please tell him to clean up after himself?"
She sighed as she took the toy out of my hand and walked over to my younger brother, Dylan. He was currently sat on the living room floor watching one of his favourite cartoons.
"Sweetie, what have I told you about leaving your toys on the floor?" Mum asked as she knelt down beside him and showed him the red car that almost caused me to break my neck, less than five seconds ago.
I didn't pay much attention to what happened after, I looked up at the clock and noticed the time was 10:26.
"Shit."
I knew mum was probably gonna shout at me again but I didn't have time for another one of her lectures, I ran out of the room and grabbed my bag. There was no way I was gonna be late and give her another reason to doubt me.
"I'm going now, bye!"
And with that I bolted out the door, slamming it behind me.
I walked around the corner and noticed her sat outside the café, I took a deep breath before crossing the road and taking the seat opposite her. She was puffing on a cigarette as I sat down and tapped it against the ashtray before looking down at her watch, "You're 3 minutes late."
"Oh piss off Eff, don't even try to tell me you've never been late for something." I said as I leaned back in my chair and rolled my eyes at her, ever since she got that stupid promotion she's done nothing but look down on everyone around her.
"Relax, I was joking."
"Whatever," I mumbled as I looked around, I felt her eyes on me as I saw her tap her cigarette against the ash tray again.
"So how's life?"
"Same old, same old." I said with a shrug, there wasn't much excitement in my life. I woke up, went to college, came home, slept and repeated the same thing every day.
"What about you? What brings you back to Bristol? London not everything it's cracked up to be?"
"To be honest I just needed an escape for a little while, you know?"
I think it was more of a rhetorical question but either way I answered it, "Yeah I know what you're on about, most of the time I wish I could just run away and forget everything going on here."
"How's your dad?"
"He's fine I guess, me and Dylan see him every other weekend or so." I said with another shrug, I wasn't one for sharing every little detail about my personal life but with Effy it was different, she was my cousin after all.
"Your mum still giving him shit?"
"They're both as bad as each other, they don't seem to realise that they have a kid caught up in the middle of all of this."
"Actually they have two kids," She corrected me.
"Yeah but I'm almost 18, I can't exactly sit back and pretend I don't know what's going on."
"True but if you ever need to talk or get something off your chest, I've been through it all remember? Just come to me and let it all out."
"Thanks Eff,"
"Hey, what are families for?"
I chuckled at her before turning my head and watching the people around me, everyone seemed so content in their own little worlds that it almost made me wish my life was different. Obviously I wouldn't change the people in it, I'd just change how everything panned out.
"How about we go out tonight? Just the two of us?" Effy suggested as she put her cigarette out in the ash tray.
"Where do you wanna go?"
"Anywhere, I just need to let off some steam. And by the sounds of it so do you,"
She had a point, I spent most of my time getting wound up and stressed. Now it was time to let it all out.
"Sure, why not?"