Lucky Ones

Chapter Two

Joanne woke up at the first ring of her alarm.  She shot up in her bed before she opened her eyes, rubbing a hand over her face in tired frustration.  With a sigh, she swung her legs over the side of the bed to stand, finding her legs weak under her body weight.

She reached a hand back towards her bed to steady herself as she moved down to the floor to pick up her discarded bag.  Her phone continued to blare as she peeled her eyes open and plunged a hand into her purse.  Rummaging her hand around aggressively, Joanne grabbed the phone and pulled it out of the bag.

She threw her purse back onto the floor as she clicked the alarm off.  Tucking the phone into the waistband of her work pants, she moved through her small room, stepping over piles of dirty clothes and discarded blankets.

Joanne made her way into the narrow hallway and cringed as her eyes adjusted to the light.  She padded towards the steps, her feet cold against the wooden floor.  At the top of the steps, she clutched the banister, swinging her way down the stairs as fast as she could muster.

As her feet hit the scratchy carpet of the first floor, Joanne heard the bustle of kids returning home from school outside the front door.  She rolled her shoulders back, holding her position at the bottom of the steps as she listened to the familiar voices bickering on the front stoop.  The door swung open and banged against the wall as Joanne's brother shoved his way into the door, knocking his sister backward with his hip.

"Callan, bug off!" the younger girl shouted at her lanky brother, pushing her way through the space to slam the door behind them.

Callan only laughed and shucked off his tattered backpack, throwing it on the couch.  He sat down next to it and turned to face Joanne.  His younger sister didn't miss her opportunity and swung her large purple backpack at him.  Joanne turned to hide her laugh.  "Abby!" she scolded through grinning teeth.

"Hey!  He started it," she chirped, putting her hands on her hips as Callan rubbed his wounded arm.  Joanne only sighed and moved towards the kitchen.

She rummaged through the cabinet beside the refrigerator, pulling out the last box of Kraft mac n' cheese.  "Anyone hungry?" she called over her shoulder to her siblings who had seemed to call a truce, lounging side by side on the sofa.

"I could eat," Callan responded, making his way into the kitchen.  He swung open the fridge and grabbed the milk, tossing it to Joanne.  She thanked him and called Abby into the kitchen to join them.

Joanne filled a pot with water and set it to boil on the stove as she turned to her siblings who had situated themselves at the small wooden table not far from where she stood at the stove.  "So, how was school?" she mused.

"Good," Abby replied, letting her brown hair splay across the table as she rested her head down on her arms that she situated comfortably on the table.

"Fine.  Work?" Callan answered, not looking up from where he picked at the markings on the table.

Joanne grimaced at the returning question, turning to face the bubbling water.  She grabbed a spoon from the drawer to her left, stirring the empty pot of water as she managed her reply.  "I got fired," she mumbled, unable to face the pair.

Callan started, but Joanne put a hand up before turning to face him.  "Don't- I know I fucked up... But I'm gonna start looking for another job today, alright?"

Callan only nodded in return.  Joanne looked at him, and she saw herself staring back.  Their matching dark curly hair and green-brown eyes could have made them twins.  While the two looked similar, their personalities rivaled and conflicted fiercely, making their relationship nothing short of complicated.