This chapter follows a day in the life on a typical Saturday for Jay, Alex and Ellie. It leads up to the events in the next chapter, which will take place the next day in the story timel ine.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing!

Heart Shaped Box – Nirvana

October 2002
Alex: 14
Jay: 15

After the anniversary of his mom's death, there was one more monumental milestone in October for Jay to go through before it became November and he waited for the next drama to begin.

It was a year ago to the day since Jay moved to Oregon, and rather informally, from that point onwards he kinda decided he and Alex were together, even though if you looked at it quite literally, they weren't. They'd began their "relationship" in different countries, with one half of the couple not knowing about the new status. It was hardly the best way to start things, but Jay had no intention of letting things continue that way.

He was glad of a Saturday, free of school and free of work. Sure he had school work to be doing, but he wasn't. Obviously. He jumped out of bed insanely merrily at 9.45am and started the day with a cigarette. He stood at the window and opened it wide. He breathed in the morning air, mixed with the cancerous aroma of his cigarette. He was ready to face this day. He was diving in head first with no plans, no arrangements, but he knew that it would be OK.

Ellie was home for the first time since she moved in with Sean two months ago. Her mom was perched tentatively on the arm of the couch like she was preparing for a speedy getaway. Ellie sat on the couch one cushion away from her mom, looking around the room nervously. She hadn't even been gone that long and already it was like she'd never existed. The few pictures of her that usually adorned the mantelpiece were gone, and she could spy from her vantage point that the door to her bedroom had all her paraphernalia stripped. Plaque's that had once read "Ellie's Room" had been plucked from their wooden home and their previous existence had been eliminated. There were no lights on, and the late fall – early winter evening let little no light in through the slits in the heavy curtains. Ellie guessed that her mom hadn't payed the bill. There were no physical traces of alcohol in the house right now, but she could tell it by the smell of the vodka soaked room, like someone had gone around splashing the drink like petrol.

Alex woke up at six am prompt. She lay in bed until 6.45, until boredom and threat of insanity began to take hold of her. She crept out of bed, across the hall and into the bathroom. She shut the door quietly behind her and bolted it securely.

Chad and her mom's bedroom door had been open, and she could see his foot sticking out from the covers. She shuddered at the memory. She made sure she was quiet. Chad had been very lairy and aggressive the previous night, shouting the odds and smashing glasses.

Alex had locked herself in her bedroom all night and hadn't been able to creep out and get dinner. Her stomach growled hungrily as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't shower as it would wake Chad up, and she didn't want to risk it. She turned on the tap for just a millisecond and collected the pool of water in her palms. She splashed it over her face and relished the refreshment momentarily.

She grabbed a towel and dried her face before putting it back exactly where she found it and unbolting the door carefully. She walked down the hall making sure she didn't walk over the floorboards that creaked. She sat on the kitchen unit and drank a glass of orange juice. There was basically no food in the house. She looked at the clock; time was crawling by like it was wading through treacle.

Jay was willing things to go well today. All he wanted was the best for Alex and today had to be perfect. He'd been a crap boyfriend to her for the most part, and today he just wanted to show her how much she meant to him.

He showered and was out and dressed in ten minutes. He waited anxiously for Alex to arrive.

Ellie stared at her mom, who smiled down at her like nothing was wrong. "How are you getting on at Sam's?" She asked innocently.

"Sean. His name is Sean." Ellie corrected her mom bluntly.

"What did I say?" Marla asked spacily.

Ellie sidestepped this and replied to her mom's first question. "It's going fine. I'm fine."

"Only fine?" Marla asked, arching her eyebrows.

"Mom, I'm better at Sean's than I ever have been."

"What's that supposed to mean, Missy?" Emily leaned forward and Ellie noticed she'd acquired an erratic look in her bloodshot eye.

"Nothing. I was just telling you that I'm doing fine at Sean's."

Marla muttered something under her breath before she jumped off the couch arm and grabbed her cigarettes. She lit one and inhaled deeply.

"I'm going to the bathroom." Ellie announced. While she was in there, she rooted around in the cupboards and found two empty bottles of prescription pills, as well as three half full bottles of the same pills, and an unmarked bottle of what turned out to be whiskey.

As she exited the bathroom feeling disappointed and just a little bit nervous, she found her mom in the kitchen area chugging down a bottle of said whiskey.

Short I know! But its leading up to the next one!

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