[center] [b][u]6:25 AM, November 4th The Wedge; Hub City[/u][/b] “Ugh…” The sound of that obnoxious beeping once again ripping [url=https://i.imgur.com/hqZnWmH.jpg]Karen[/url] from her sleep heralded the approach of yet another shitty day of school. Rolling over in her bed, she folded one end of her pillow over and pressed it against her exposed ear. That was much better. The alarm was out of reach—something she had foolishly done on purpose—so turning it off was too much of a pain. How long did she ignore the alarm? No clue. Long enough for the sound of her dad beating on her door to draw yet another groan from her. “Karen, get up and fix breakfast!” He yelled from the other side. “Fine, fine!” She snapped back, slowly sitting up. She’d forgotten about that part, again. Oh, how she [i]hated[/i] having to be the one that did everything around here. Why couldn’t her dad learn to cook something? It sucked [i]ass[/i] having to get up a whole hour earlier than the other kids just to make sure the laundry was done and food was prepared. ~ [b]6:50[/b] “You not make any bacon?” Her dad asked, eating his fried eggs and whole-wheat toast, still eyeing his plate critically even as he wolfed its contents down. “Do you [i]see[/i] any?” Karen muttered. “The doctor warned you about your cholesterol, so no, ‘I not make any bacon’.” Would it kill him to eat a bowl of cheerios for once? No, that would actually probably save him. And save them quite a bit of money in groceries, too, now that she thought about it. At least he wasn’t perpetually drunk anymore. He had never been quite the same since her mother died. He still went to work every day, but there was seldom a smile on his face, and he refused to contribute to the housework or do any sort of chores. She could [i]definitely[/i] understand being depressed, but it wasn’t as if she wasn’t exhausted after getting home from school, too. “You should make pancakes tomorrow,” he ripped her from her thoughts with his unwanted suggestion. “We still have syrup, right?” “Well, I appreciate your [i]advice[/i], dad, I’ll take it into consideration!” Karen growled, shoving in a mouthful of cereal. She hadn’t felt like fixing anything more for herself, so this would do. Hopefully her dad wouldn’t start texting her a menu for supper on the way home. ~ [b]7:10[/b] [url=https://i.imgur.com/H5kYOij.jpg]The Wedge[/url] was always so pleasant to stroll through. The scent of a burning barrel, the echo of distant gunfire, the hobo vomiting into the ditch...there was no other place in the world quite like it. That was Karen’s hope, at least. Apparently, the gang war she heard yesterday afternoon had broken up by “The Question”, according to those who had witnessed it. A lot of people in the city apparently thought he was just an urban legend, somehow…but everyone in [i]The Wedge[/i] knew he was real. Onlookers had caught him on their cellphones before, though, and the cops seemed to understand that he existed. Not that they would do anything about it, so long as he stuck to slums like this one. After all, it wasn’t as if the cops ever came here. Offering a wave to the cluster of homeless people she passed every day on her way to the train stop, Karen otherwise kept her head down and her hoodie up. Overall, it was generally a good idea to avoid making eye contact in places like this, lest someone consider it a challenge. Said train station was always packed with people commuting to and from work and school, and it was there that she had met Clarissa: her very first friend in elementary school. “Heya Karen!” She waved, standing in the doorway of the train. That was probably against the rules. Raising her own hand in greeting, she smiled. “Hey. You hear about the gang war yesterday?” Stepping aside to allow her onto the train, Clarissa eagerly nodded while they walked to the nearest available seat that wasn’t coated in something unpleasant. “I heard. The Question—“ “—IS [i]SO[/i] HOT!” Clarissa exclaimed with entirely too much glee. “Wah?” Karen laughed, briefly leaning away from her. “But he wears a mask and a trench coat! How do you even know [i]what[/i] he looks like?” Clarissa tapped her chest. “I know in here. I mean, he’s a hero, right? So he [i]must[/i] have a kind and gentle face, and a slender but toned physique…” “Guess I know what [i]your[/i] next upload to DeviantArt will be about,” Karen muttered. Clarissa was actually a [i]really[/i] great artist for her age, practically a prodigy! She could easily draw Manga when she grew up. It honestly made her just a little jealous. The sound of a man hacking up something onto the floor of the now moving train caused Karen to scoot closer to her friend in revulsion. Such a thing was pretty common, but it was something she would never truly get used to. Not that she held it against the man; it probably needed to come out, but wowzers… Oh well, things would probably be better at school, right? Haha, yeah no. ~ [u][b]Hub City Elementary, 2:47 PM[/b][/u] Karen enjoyed reading articles online that delves into concepts such as societal entropy. Looking around her, she felt that [url=https://i.imgur.com/Q4oFWBs.jpg]Hub City Elementary[/url] embodied that concept fairly well. Not just in the dilapidated state of the building, but in the way the teachers carelessly threw packets onto their desk with an expression that said they would rather be [i]anywhere[/i] else. Her grades trended in the “pretty high” direction, at least. In truth, focusing on her studies in class helped her avoid noticing just how shitty this place was. It wasn’t like the view outside was any better, either: they were next to a gas station run by the guy NASCAR banned from their events for being too much of a redneck. Hopefully, one day they would allow her to get into a good college, if she could somehow scrounge up the money. That was her thought, at least, as she slammed the door of her locker shut. The day had been long and tiring, per the norm, but it was thankfully close to being over… “Please, just...I just want to go home…” A familiar voiced whimpered. Feeling her jaw clench, Karen turned to see an equally familiar sight: Poor Jennifer Mateo being backed against her locker by two girls, Kendra Walters and her best skintag, Rebecca Brooks. “What’s wrong, are you in [i]that[/i] much of a hurry to stuff your fat face?” Kendra taunted, reaching out to seize a hunk of Jen’s cheek. “Or are you afraid they’ll stick you in a [i]zoo[/i] if you’re caught out too late?” Rebecca gave her obligatory laugh at this point. Watching Jennifer tear up at this was just a bit too much for Karen to walk away from, even if her better judgement told her she was a bit in over her head. Reaching out, she firmly placed a hand on Kendra’s shoulder and pulled her back away from the other girl. “I think this school smells badly enough without you airing your stank-ass breathe everywhere, Kendra. Back off.” Spinning to face her along with Rebecca, they closed in around her as best as two people could. “Hey look, Becka, it seems the garbage just keeps on piling higher here.” “Says the girl who is a walking landfill,” Karen noted, honestly feeling a little sick due to her notable body odor. Didn’t she bathe? Scoffing, Kendra folded her arms. “You’re one to talk, living in that shithole neighborhood. Bet you have to give it up crackheads just to get home safe!” “I’ll bet the crackheads would [i]send[/i] you home just to [i]avoid[/i] having your rotten ass give it up,” Karen replied. That seemed to do it. And by do it, she meant get her slammed against the back of the lockers as Kendra and Rebecca began to pull at her hair and scratch at her with their dirty nails. She had raised her arms in defense, but that just meant they took the punishment instead, and some still got through. She could hear the other kids cheering on their ‘fight’, while Jennifer screamed in the background for them to stop. Thanks for the moral support, Jen. There wasn’t really a chance for her to attack, nor was there a chance for to escape. Thankfully, the booming voice of Principle Dolton brought an abrupt end to their assault. “Walters, Brooks, in my office, [i]now!”[/i] He barked to the two girls. Quickly backing off of her, they gave Karen one last glare before disappearing behind Dolton’s broad frame. His gaze was now firmly on her. “Hernandez, I don’t know what your role is in this, but I may need to have a word with your father,” he stated. She knew he probably wouldn’t, though. He didn’t care [i]that[/i] much. Kendra would just get a slap on the wrist, again. “For now, though, head to the nurses office before you go home. Is that understood?” “Yes sir,” Karen replied, turning to head to the nurses office. Probably to expose her cuts to unsterilized equipment. [/center]