A/N: A huge thanks to everybody who has reviewed, followed or favorited. I would like to apologize for how long it took me to update this story, I was lacking inspiration, so sorry! But here I am. Yes, the chapter is quite short, sorry for that too but hopefully the next chapter will be longer. Anywho, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 4: Prospects

Gwen pushed back the floral curtains in the living room, the ones that she was eager to change. They had a distinctive mouldy smell to it and the pattern was quite unflattering. She peered out of the window and looked left and right and all she saw were commuters rushing on the pavement. Some were wafting their hands in the air in an attempt to catch a bus driver's attention while others panicked as they saw their taxi dart off. Even though it seemed these people were under so much pressure and so much stress, oh the things Gwen would do to be in their position. At least they were doing something with their lives.

It seemed like it was going to be a sunny day, something that opposed the typical stereotyping against the British weather. There was a clear blue sky and the lack of clouds made the sunlight reach every corner of the street, beautifully reflecting all light brightly off the windows.

Gwen sighed as she dazed. Yesterday, she had become jobless and she hated herself knowing it was all her fault. But she wasn't going to let something like that get her down, not ever. She wasn't weak and she knew that.

She returned back to her chores once again, something she would always do on a Friday. She wiped the window sill with the orange cloth she had in her hands and was surprised by the amount of dust that had collected over the months. She never really thought about cleaning that specific spot. Once the window sill wasn't specked with grey particles any longer, she proceeded to clean the window. No matter how much Gwen wiped, nothing seemed to remove the strange smears and smudges off the glass. The cheap window cleaner spray she often used had run out last Sunday. How inconvenient; for now, she had to stick with paper and worn cloths.

In the midst of the cheap objects and furniture that furnished the small flat, there was something that Gwen was happy to have; a simple radio. While she cleaned, she often let the music play and listened to the radio DJ's speak about the latest news there was to talk about. As she dusted away, now concentrating on the coffee table and the specks of crumbles lying about, she started to listen attentively at what the announcer was saying.

"And for today's music mix, we've got a special one up next, don't we Emily?" The male announcer said eagerly.

"Oh yes we do, Mike, a special one alright. Care to announce it for our amazing listeners out there before they get to work?" Emily replied. Gwen listened on, curious as to what the next track was going to be. Typical Rihanna? Crazy Lady Gaga? Beyoncé?

"Today, I'm going to play a personal favourite by an awesome band. So without further ado, here's Oasis - Wonderwall."

Oasis was probably one of Gwen's favourite bands of all time. And Wonderwall was just one of many of the songs she liked by them. She was astonished by the song choice, especially because it seemed nowadays everybody liked the bouncy and jumpy songs there was streaming around.

The guitar kicked in and Gwen swiftly moved her hips from side to side and hummed the tune she only knew too well. The wiping movements she did with the cloth matched the rhythm of the song and Gwen let a genuine smile appear on her face.

"Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you," Gwen quietly sung. For some reason, she had never really listened properly to the lyrics before. But today, for some reason, the words were seeping into her mind and the words actually had meaning. "By now you should have, somehow, realized what you gotta do," She was getting more and more in the mood to the dance. She swirled round happily, still humming the catchy tune. "I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now." She dropped the cloth in her hands and plumped the pillows on the sofa, dust and fibres flying everywhere. The amount of energy the song gave her was almost surprising.

Every verse and every line was sung accurately; the atmosphere was more cheery and calm. Gwen forgot about everything. What mattered now was her novice dancing, her simple humming and the song itself. "Because maybe," Something inside her lightened up even more knowing the chorus had started. "You're gonna be the one that saves me," She twirled round and let her arms swing freely. "And after all, you're my Wonderwall."

"Dear?" Tom interrupted Gwen's little moment of euphoria, standing by the doorframe of the living room. Gwen immediately stopped dancing and turned quickly to face her father, slightly embarrassed that her father had probably witnessed her dancing and singing.

"Daddy." She replied naively, acting as if nothing had happened. She looked down at his hands and noticed the bottle of beer and that he was wearing his favourite white tank top, the one he would never wash.

He let a grin grow on is face because he really had just seen his daughter dance about so happily. Seeing his daughter happy made him happy. He took a long swig of beer and hiccupped once the glass was unattached from his lips. "Gwennie, would you mind buying some groceries? The cupboards are empty," He asked her, whirling round the beer bottle in his hand. "We need to have a decent dinner every now and then."

"Alright, dad. Just a minute." Gwen said, positioning the pillows neatly on the couch.

"Oh," Tom said, remembering something before he left the room. "You can pick up a newspaper on the way, dear." He reminded her.

"I will." Gwen smiled, her father smiling back before eventually strolling back to the kitchen where he would normally spend his days; slumped on the chair facing the small, wooden dining table.

Gwen went into her room and quickly changed herself into a simple white top and ripped blue jeans she had hidden in the closet. She didn't bother with her hair or her makeup at all.

She looked over at the bedside table and noticed some coins scattered everywhere. She grabbed a few and placed them in her pocket. She gave her room one last look, trying to figure out if there was something she had forgotten but she was sure she had everything.

"Won't be long!" Gwen shouted to her father as she closed the door to the flat. She knew the weather was good today but the air was surprisingly hot and humid.

She strolled down the pavement while people rushed by her, some brushing up against her shoulder and then giving her dirty looks. The road was filled up with cars rushing in either directions. She was beginning to sweat a little because the sun was flaming up her mocha coloured skin.

Gwen began to feel slightly embarrassed when she took note on the fact she was the only one who looked unprofessional and dressed so casually. It wasn't just businessmen and woman that were all dressed up but even mums and toddlers were dressed with the best clothes around. In the middle of the crowd, she was an outcast.

As Gwen was walking, she realised she was going in the same direction she would normally go in when she worked at the café. That's when something in her memory sparked; her purse and all her belongings were still locked away in her locker in the back of the café. Although at first hesitant, she wasn't going to allow Mr. Grant to impede her from stepping foot in the place.

She firstly mustered up the courage and then confidently pushed the café door open, the distinctive sound of the bell ringing in the quiet place. It was still early in the morning and for now, there were no customers. But soon, the place was going to fill up completely. She slowly walked towards the bar and noticed Mr. Grant was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, she heard the back door open and something in her began to fill with fear as she heard footsteps coming in her direction. Then, almost as if in a horror movie, Stephanie pops out from the kitchen door. She too seemed surprised to see Gwen, considering the look on her face. Gwen was just relieved it wasn't who she thought it was.

"Gwen?" Stephanie said, lowering her lip slightly to form a shocked expression. "I thought you were a customer." She said, rocketing in Gwen's direction and giving her a long hug and literally squeezing the air out of her.

"Alright, Steph," Gwen wheezed, trying to catch her breath. "Is Mr. Grant here?" She whispered just in case he was at the café.

"Today's your lucky day," Stephanie smiled excitedly. "He's sick. Won't be back for another week or so. Apparently, he caught a bad cold. Serves him right for firing you."

"Don't let him hear you say that." Gwen joked. She was glad he wasn't round and she was happy to see Stephanie again.

"Oh, don't worry about me," She smiled, revealing her straight teeth. "What brings you back to the caff?" Stephanie said, leaning against the bar.

"Well, I still have a few things in my locker. Wanted to get them back." Gwen told her while Stephanie nodded. The bell above the door rung and in entered a young woman. At last, the café had gotten their first customer of the day.

"You go and get your stuff." Stephanie gave her one last smile, quickly patting her arm.

Gwen innocently smiled back, eventually rushing herself to the back room where rows of lockers were at. She knew exactly where her locker was, noticing that the door had been tampered with. That Mr. Grant, of course, Gwen fumed. Who else would have been meddling around in her stuff? She double-checked everything; luckily, her purse hadn't been opened and her apron remained in the same position she left it in.

She zipped her purse open and found her lipstick and other materials of hers still intact and untouched. She stuffed her apron into her purse, knowing that she was never going to reuse it anyway and walked back into the bar where Stephanie was reading something on her phone. The woman who had entered the café was peacefully drinking her coffee on one of the tables at the far end all alone. Once again, the café was filled with quietness

"Found everything?" Stephanie asked, though her eyes remained fixed on phone's screen, flicking her finger up to scroll whatever page she was on.

"Uh, yeah, thankfully," She said, clenching onto her purse a little tighter. "Hey, has the newspaper arrived yet?" Gwen asked.

"Over there," Stephanie finally stopped looking at her phone screen and pointed to where the piles of other newspapers were located. "Looking for a job, right?" She said flatly.

Gwen wandered over to the pile and grabbed the first one, certifying first if it was one from today's date, and it was. She walked back to the bar, sat herself on the tall stools and laid the newspaper in front of her. "Yep, I need one desperately." Gwen replied. She didn't hesitate; she flicked straight to the job sections and immediately, she noticed the numerous ads and job vacancies that filled the page. Now the hard part was to choose a suitable one, one that at least had a good pay in order for her to pay all the bills that needed to be paid off.

As Gwen read carefully every little ad, Stephanie just watched on, feeling quite sorry for her dear friend. She knew the difficulties that Gwen had gone through all her life and seeing her friend end up where she was now, it was sad, it really was. A woman like her didn't deserve what came to her. She analysed her visage; her brown curls falling down her face, her round and perfectly carved face gave off the idea of innocence and perfection. Oh, and those eyes of hers; a soft and delicate brown that when you looked into them, you could possibly melt. She transmitted kindness with her every word and her simplicity was something Stephanie admired highly.

Gwen looked up at her friend, literally feeling the stare burning her skin. "What is it?" Gwen grinned, not knowing what had made Stephanie go into some sort of trance.

"Nothing," Stephanie smiled back. "Need any help?" She pointed at the paper in front of Gwen.

Gwen sighed slightly, placing her hands by her lap. "I don't know what jobs best." She admitted.

"Well, is there any that caught your eye?"

"Maybe one…" Gwen's finger landed on a small box. Stephanie rotated the newspaper round so that she could take a closer look.

"Hmm, food delivery to businesses and restaurants… A few hours a week… The company is Blunketts…Doesn't seem like a bad idea," Stephanie admitted. "There's a number here. I think you should give them a call."

"You think they'd accept me?" Gwen asked downheartedly.

"Of course they will, you're a hard worker, I know they will." Steph said in order to lighten up the situation. But she wasn't saying just for the sake of it, oh no, she was saying it because it was true.

However, Steph noticed Gwen's uneasiness, almost as if she wasn't convinced that it was true. She pushed her own phone into Gwen's direction and waited for her to react. "Call them," She insisted. "Come on."

Gwen's gaze would alternate between Steph's green eyes than back to the phone in front of her. This was her only opportunity and she was going to let it slip. And who knows, what if there were one hundred other people calling them in right now, wanting the same job too? No, she couldn't let something like this escape. Without a word and no more hesitation, she grabbed onto the phone and began to dial the eleven digit number, a smile on Stephanie's face as she watched.

As the call connected, Gwen bit her lip and gazed up at her friend, who was now giving her the thumbs up, almost as if to say good luck. Suddenly, somebody picked up and Gwen was rather astonished at the speed. Was this possibly a good sign?

"Hello, this is Maria Wilkinson from Blunketts, how may I help you?" The woman on the other end said.

A/N: Annnnnnnd don't forget to tell me what you think. Oooh, a job for Gwen! Interesting... Anyway, once again, sorry for its shortness. I don't know when the next update will be, maybe soon, maybe not... But stick around and see!

~Maddie