✅ The Last New Start [NaNoWriMo2021]

17. Morning People

Tess woke up slowly, and immediately knew that something was different. She could hear her phone vibrating on the desk, telling her that she needed to be awake, but something was different today.

She slowly rolled onto her back, so the pillow wasn't pressed so hard against her face and she could see again. And then recollection dawned. The sun was already rising, and she could see an image of cartoon princesses along the edge of her blinds as the morning light glittered through the engraved pattern. She was normally at the bus stop before she could see the sunrise, so that gave her a little unease. But then she knew what was really different, and the sun wasn't such a big deal.

It was Saturday, the weekend at last. And not just that, but she'd managed to get almost all of her homework done the night before. Her first weekend at a new home, and she was free. As she climbed out of her bed, she noticed that something else was different. The sheets were dry today, reaffirming her belief that she should be able to consume a small amount of alcohol without any ill-effects. She did, however, feel her bladder demanding immediate attention, so she dashed across the landing to the bathroom before she had to worry about anything else.

When she got back, her phone had stopped its vibrating dance across the table. It would start again in three minutes or so, but she would have to wait until that happened before she could swipe across to dismiss the alarm. Sometimes she had to wonder if the people who made those things had ever used one. But aside from that, everything was good. She was looking forward to a day of shopping. And by shopping, she meant mostly hanging out with friends, fantasising about fashionable clothes and fancy gadgets they would never be able to afford, watching other people going about their day and trying to guess what everyone was up to, and seeing how much fun they could have in the Greater Ashfields town centre without getting into trouble.

As she thought over her plans, Tess realised that there was still one thing a little less than perfect. She didn't have any money, unless she used the emergency fund that her parents had left her. So she lifted her laptop down from the desk and rested it on her knees, which was a much more comfortable position. She wasn't sure what was wrong with that desk; it looked like it would be too small to be comfortable, but it must have just been because the handles or whatever were slightly larger than life, almost cartoony designs making it look smaller by comparison. She'd already found that sitting at the desk required her to stretch up slightly to reach, and working there for any length of time started to become uncomfortable.

First she checked her online banking. For some reason she didn't quite understand, someone sending money to her account would often show up on there a few hours before the banking app on her phone acknowledged it, so it was better to check using the laptop. And when she got no joy there, she went to check if there was an email from her parents. Again, there was no luck. No mail from anyone else either; but most people her age didn't use email for anything important. If her friends wanted to let her know anything, they would have sent her a line on Clatter. Still, it was better to check in case there had been something from her parents.

She also checked FriendSpace, to see if they had shared pictures of their new home yet. Nothing, which probably meant they still didn't have Internet access at home. She'd never known a member of their generation who didn't think that FS was the best place to announce any major life change, sharing the broad strokes of their life with everyone in the world. That was one thing about them that Tess thought she would never understand; she barely even used that site herself.

Getting in touch with her parents had been a bust, but she could survive. If nothing else, Spike had offered to help her with lunch; although she promised herself that she would pay him back just as soon as she knew what her income was going to be. She didn't want to be depending on him, when he'd drawn the short straw when it came to his family. If he could help her out at all, it was thanks to his own careful planning and hard work, and not something to be taken for granted.