Who gives a shit about a fucking Serpent reject? No one, that's who. Well not really a Serpent reject per say, but when you're father goes against the family legacy it's pretty much the same thing. The Ghoulies didn't bother harassing you and the Serpents didn't want anything to do with you. Guess it had some up sides but in the Southside a little protection could do wonders.
Steve. He was meant to be the sweet daughter who did everything for the family, did her part as a Serpent and made the family proud, but when he came out missing the crucial part of being the perfect daughter the family stopped caring. It's hard to be the perfect daughter when your the second born son.
What happens when you're the daughter of someone who abandoned the Serpents, abandoned family? You are just some random kid no ones knows what to do with. If you aren't good in a gang fight in the middle of the cafeteria what good are you? None. At least that's what all the Ghoulies and Serpents believed. Most people just didn't care who she was or what she could do.
Amanda spent most of her time in her dinghy trailer with her dad or out breaking into houses and pickpocketing unsuspecting 'victims'. She had her most fun in someone else's house (or trailer) just looking at all the stuff she knew she'd never have. The northside houses were always the best. Those rich bitches always had expensive crap they didn't need but liked nonetheless.
She never really had friends growing up so she made the people in the houses into her friend while looking through their stuff. She'd see the children in the pictures and imagine how they talked and acted, playing scenarios in her head of all the fun rich people things she would do with them. Eventually she would get bored, nick something off the fireplace or kitchen counter and make her way out, back into the darkness.
She was out on one of her 'runs' one night, after a nasty fight with her dad, over who knows what at this point, when she saw her. A girl not any older than herself, eleven at the youngest, walking by the house she was just getting out of. She didn't find anything she cared about enough to steal in the house so she grabbed an apple from the takey fruit bowl on the counter and took off. Amanda flipped the apple around in her hand as she approached the girl. She seemed nice enough, definitely Northside though. She didn't have that perminate aura of anger and budding alcoholism like most Southsiders had.
"Hey what are you doing out so late on the streets?" Amanda fell in line next to her under the yellow glow of the street lights.
"I could ask you the same thing." She had an attitude and Amanda liked it. Amanda continued to walk with her keeping up the conversation. She gave her apple away to the girl who seemed like she needed it way more.
Eventually she found out her name was Kacey and that she was as a matter of fact Northside. She soon became Amanda's first real friend, her best friend. After a year or two, every weekend she would come over and spend two days living in the trailer with her. It was like having a sister or a cousin you missed when they were gone, especially if they were gone for years.
Her trailer was not anything special. Two bedrooms a bathroom a kitchen and what could be considered a living room if you really wanted to call it that. It was just a small area at the end of the trailer that fit two chairs and a small T.V. Kacey would always sleep in Amanda's bed with her on the nights she was there. Luckily Amanda's dad had gotten a good deal on a full size bed so they both could fit properly.
The trailer was dark most days, not much sun making its way through the windows. Everything had a dingy quality to it no matter how often it was cleaned. The bathroom was the only room in the whole house with good lighting and a pristine appearance. Steve could only afford enough daylight bulbs for one room.
"They were the best for getting bright natural light." He would say. "They're white light not that yellow tinted color that makes everything seem dim and dirty. Not to mention they make the electric bill cheaper." Amanda didn't mind because it made it easier to feel clean and see herself. Even though no one really cared about looking at her in school she still tried to look decent, if only for herself. Plus money was scarce any small savings went a long way.
Amanda had been in a few other trailers before and they went in any better shape than hers. It made her feel better to know she wasn't the worst off. The others were in just as much of a money bind as her.
She had just gotten back from sneaking into someone's trailer trying to reassure herself that she was fine when her dad had come home. The aura of the whole situation was off. Her dad seemed tense or worried and she didn't know why.
"Everything okay, dad?" She asked him gently.
"Yeah there is just something I have to talk to you about." Amanda nodded an okay. "Ellie is back and moving in with us." All Amanda could do was smile. She hadn't seen her cousin in so long and missed her something fierce.
They used to be inseparable as kids. Did everything together, acted like sisters but the drama with the serpents and their parents got to much and they drifted, at some point she moved away not to be heard from in about ten years. Amanda hugged her father muttering thank yours at him.
"No problem, Punk…" He answered.