Cardboard mattresses

[chapter 1]

Souls don't meet by accident.

Some spiritualist douche on Instagram wrote that under a post about love. I don't think souls often meet because they're going to love in the sexual way that humans think of usually. I think souls meet because they're going to breathe and laugh and purely exist together.

At least that's what I tell myself.

~~~

Juniper lay on a log, the trees quietly breathing around her, swaying carefully and whispering to one another. The nippy autumn breeze stung her face slightly but it was the kind of welcome, dull pain that reassures you you're still alive and on this planet. Her Walkman cd player was held in one hand and her other traced the bark, her fingers twirling between the valleys and the gnarled lumps that made up this now dead plant, yet where death falls new life grows. A little clump of mushrooms grew slowly by her feet and moss was acting as a pillow for her head.

"Get up cock" a voice from above her said. She opened one eye and smirked at the boy who stood over her, sitting up to look at him. He was skinny and had a mop of dirty blonde hair. June kicked him in the balls.
"Don't call me a cock, cock" she said with a grin as the boy doubled over in front of her. Grabbing her bag from beside the mushrooms she looked back at the boy "you got the shit" she said, a tired husky tone caked her words as she glanced at her watch 8:02am
"Yeah of course I do you idiot, why else would I come out here? I don't do it cuz I enjoy it"
June snatched a little clear plastic bag out of his hands and replaced it with a scrunched up bunch of dollars, "mmh thanks" she muttered, and with that she left, swinging her tatty black military style backpack onto her back and grabbing a mountain bike that was propped up against a nearby pine tree.

School. If there was one thing Juniper loved more than weed it was school. I'm joking of course. She hated it however in order to stay out of the system she had to look like she had a somewhat normal life.
She clumsily lent the bike up against the railings and padlocked it up, her bike was the one thing she'd kept from home that had belonged to her, or old house as she referred to it, it wasn't much of a home.

School had its perks though, however shit the people in it were it at least had free showers and heating but most importantly it was around the corner from the bodega that sold the worlds best cheese and tomato sandwiches.

English... maths... science... lunch... ' fuck this' June thought and chucked her bad over the fence, climbing nimbly over. If there was one thing she liked about being homeless and a bit of a nomad it was how easily she could go unnoticed, no one stopped to look at a slightly scruffy kid especially when half of New York is full of millionaires who, on the rare occasion, do make eye contact with you, look like they'd literally pay you to never come near them again. They look at you like you're a bit of gum stuck to their stupid pointy Suede business shoes.

June swung open the door of the little shop, immediately greeted by the smell of possibly every single spice ever found. Mr Delmar stood at the counter and shot her a lazy grin as she walked over,
"Your usual ma'am" he said
"Yes please" June said, sliding a few dollars across the cool glass display case.

Sandwich in hand she walked down the street hungrily taking bites and loosing herself in a quiet daydream. She often found herself wandering the streets of new York coming up with background stories for the people who passed her by, something about having control over peoples lives was comforting even if it was only a perceived idea of control, because most of the time everything swirled around her as if she was the eye of a hurricane.

A man wearing a slightly scruffy suit and a small backpack ran past her, 'Jim' she thought, his names Jim, he has a kid in 3rd grade and a beautiful wife who makes him salmon and cream cheese bagels for lunch. He's late to get back to work after going for a walk in the park, he works at an insurance firm and enjoys it. Every evening him and his wife dance around their living room laughing and smiling and they're happy. A shove from behind pushed Juniper out of her trance "move kid" a gruff voice said as another man in a suit walked past her, she scowled at the back of his head "fuck face" she murmured under her breath.

Chucking her bag against the wall of a dimly lit ally way she sunk down leaning her head against the cool bricks breathing slowly, her hands felt for a small baggy that she'd stashed away in her pocket. The little round pill sat on her lip. And down it went.

And breathe.

The rush of the drugs into her system felt like a welcome warm summer breeze, all of a sudden the noise in her head and all around her slowed, the bustling streets of New York City began to grind to a halt and she slumped over scooting herself along the dirty pavement "mmm" she giggled quietly to herself. Sitting up she grabbed her bag and walked lazily to the end of the ally way.

The thing about fentanyl is that it isn't technically illegal, well the way June had it was but the way she started with it wasn't. Doctors use it to ease pain, turns out it eases much more than physical pain.

It wasn't like she'd wanted to do drugs let alone get hooked on them but with these things you don't exactly have much of a choice, it was the only way that her brain stopped swirling around as if it were a spinning top dancing across the mahogany of a dinner table with a little kid staring at it with apt fascination. The issue with drugs was that once you've found some quiet its isn't something you want to give up.

Grabbing her bike from where it lay against the cool metal railings she hopped a leg over it and pushed off. "JUNIPER, GET OVER HERE" a loud voice sounded out and the clip of boot heels hit the pavement behind her "ah fuck".

"June I can't just have my students leave whenever they see fit". the girl was now sat in her history teachers office, fiddling with her fingernails, picking at the raw skin that surrounded them. "June are you even listening"
"mmhm" she said bringing her head up to meet the sympathetic eyes of Mr Jones. looking him dead in the eyes she squinted slightly, his face blurring and distorting softly as if she were looking at him from underwater. "June, you're a smart kid I don't want you to end up on the street corner doing drugs and selling your body" she knew that he thought he was joking but to be honest she couldn't see herself doing anything else. She sniffed, letting her head slump down again and breaking eye contact, Mr Jones sighed loudly "look kid, I don't know what you're going through, but maybe take the day to figure it out, head home have a tea or coffee and come back on Monday and maybe talk to the school councillor, she's a nice lady"

"thanks sir" she slurred her words slightly standing up and making her way out the room. He watched her closely as she left, tapping a pen on his desk and wondering what was going on in that mind of hers.

Once out of the gates she grabbed her bike again and set off back up into the woods. a swift breeze nipped at her ankles and knuckles turning them a blushed pink colour.

An hour and a half later and she was back in her tent, pulling the grubby sleeping bag up over her thin frame and settling into a long disturbed sleep.

A/N
this chapter is a little shorter than they're going to be from now on, I hope you enjoyed this first instalment, June is going to be a really fun character to write I think.