Saint

1 | Cerise

For Cerise Rowan, her low-level perception of herself was always constant. Before college, before high school, before puberty, and even before she made her first friend. Simply put, she felt like a background character. She only existed to fill in space or progress someone else's story, and never her own. No one seemed to be excluded from this. From her perspective, the strangers on the street were worth more than she valued herself.

In her small friend group, she thought that she was the most average out of the three girls. Her friends were prettier, and if they were not more intelligent than her, then they were at least more fun. Cerise's version of fun was curling up in her bed with a book and elevating from the light red walls that enclosed her tiny bedroom. While reading, another world was beautifully created in her mind through the words printed on the pages. As a matter of fact, that was precisely what she was doing now.

New Message!
Q-Tip: Were u able to do the assignment for Prof Roberts??

She mindlessly swiped the notification away, her eyes quickly searching for where she left off in her story. The incoming text messages only caused her phone to vibrate in her hand, which was numb anyway from the way she was semi-laying on it. Her eye twitched as another notification came through, the loud ping associated with it completely knocking her out of the inner peace that she had been immersed in for the past few hours.

New Notification!
$827.00 at Mayfield Prk Aprtmts. Current Available Balance: $57.49

Her thumb hovered over the notification as she skimmed over the contents. After a couple of seconds, it cleared from her phone screen on its own allowing the words of her current book to take the spotlight once more. Cerise couldn't possibly get back into her tranquil state now that her brain switched from being relaxed to stressed. She let out a deep sigh before clicking her phone's power button and tossing her phone elsewhere. Rolling over onto her back, she began a staring contest with the poster on her ceiling.

I did not wake up today to be average!

The black calligraphy was boldly printed on what was once a smooth white background and was plastered to her ceiling with blue tacky putty. It was now crinkled and torn at the edges from all of the times she had moved. The poster had transferred with her from the bedroom back home, to her college dorm, and now her apartment that she shared with her betta fish, Patrick.

Cerise was starting to wonder how much peace she would have if she had simply not woken up at all, but after a moment the dark thought was shaken from her head. She shut her eyes and attempted to tune out the squeaking noise of her overworked and certainly underpaid bedroom fan that had been on its highest setting since she first unpacked it, and instead tried to focus on her next course of action.

"I need to get a job." She mumbled to herself.

Her tuition refund alone simply was not cutting it anymore, and though she had some savings she could always use more. She had a future to prepare for after all. Bills to pay, a fish to feed...And there was always something to be bought. She had worked before, albeit part-time at a retail location back when she was in high school. It sucked as first jobs usually do, and though she was blessed to not need to work at the time, she felt she needed workplace experience.

Luckily, this semester allowed for some freedom to work while simultaneously being a student in college. Cerise would figure it all out. She could get herself into a better spot financially come time rent is due next month. Plus, at the very least she could still buy a few groceries with what remained in her account.

With one more sigh, she opened her eyes and sat up in her bed, collecting her phone that was dangerously close to the edge of her bed. She finally responded to Quinn's message and afterward began her hunt for a job that would suit her.