Take the change

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Lying down beneth the covers, she couldn't feel any worse. Her life had done a 180 degrees turn, on the way to the cliff. She felt hanging over the realing, her feet tangling and her head dizzy. Grabbing her pillow, Anastasia poured tears into it, begging the pain to stop. Can't stay that way forever, she thought, but it hurts so much. Not pretty enought, can't touch me, can't love me! It hurts, hurts so much. Please, God, let it stop. Please, stop it. She thought, rolling over and facing the window. 

It was 6 o'clock in the morning and trees behind the window raked in the wind furiously. Tossed aound in the storm, tears of rain hitting the metal on the window side.

"Are you up?" a voice behind the door questioned her. "Hmhm!" answered, whiping her eyes and dragging herself out from the bed. 

Anastasia moved in with Laura, who was her college friend. They both studied journalism and they both worked in New York Times. After the break up with Shaun, she took her in. Cleared the guest bedroom for her and even got her a job in her work. That helped a lot, cause she didn't have anywhere else to go. 

Her bedroom was small, but comfortable. She didn't need much, only a bed to sleep in and a closet to put her things in. "Breakfast is ready" Laura yelled, knocking on the door and then leaving her alone. Anastasia stood in front of the mirror and started fixing herself up. She whiped her eyes, what were red and puffy from crying. She had a small pimple on her forehead but it wasn't something that foundation couldn't hide. Putting her hair up into a sloppy bun, she applied some mascara and a light pink lipgloss on her perky lips. 

To herself she didn't seem that ugly that Shaun told her. She had long slightly curly dark brown hair, highlights just giving some effect. Darkish grey eyes and perky lips just decorated her face features. Her body slinder, c-cup breasts and long mile long legs, she looked normal. But she guessed only to herself. 

Dressing up into navy blu colar shirt and dark jeans, she hung a scarf with butterflies on it around her neck and pulled on a black leather jacket. She looked decent and soficticated, but her looks begged for something extra. A smile on her face. 

She opened the door and walked up to the kitchen. Laura placed two plates on the table and handed her a cup of coffee. Taking a sip tasted like heaven. That 'wake-up' she really needed. "Did you sleep well?" Laura asked, taking bacon from the pan and placing them on Anastasia's plate. "No!" she replied, taking another larger gulp of her coffee and placing her mug on the table. "I really appreciate that you took me in. I can't thank you enought!" she said, almost giving her a smile. "Anna, this is nothing. You are my friend, and this is what friends do!" Laura hugged her, whispering into her ears. "But, eat up now! We need to get to work!" she said, mocking her slightly. 

After they had breakfast, Anita took her bag and hung it over her shoulder. "You should really buy a new one!" Laura pointed at her bag.  It was old and she knew it, but it wasn't that fashionable anymore. It looked more like her grandmother would had worn. 

"I know, but I love it!" Anastasia said, looking at it and slipping her hand in it, taking out her car keys.  A new BMW 3-series was parked out front. It was the only thing she had, after breaking up with Shaun. In their relationship, he was the one who had money and bought everything, but she had saved enough money to buy herself a car. "Don't forget! We need to buy food before coming home tonight." Laura reminded, before slipping in the car and putting her seatbelt on. "I won't!" Anastasia replied, turning on the ignition and pulling away from the curb. 

In her cubicle, Anastasia took her ipod and turned it on. She put on her headphones and started to work, music filling her mind. She was working on an article about city taxi drivers having a strike for raised taxes. She had interviewed around 20 of them and now was putting their answers together. A tap on her shoulder almost scared her to death. When she turned, she found the chief editor standing behind her. She pulled out her headphones and stood up. "Good job Anastasia, you are a miracle worker!" He said, putting a stack of papers on her desk. These were feedback from the readers and comments for her latest news article. "Reader love you. Phones been ringing off the hook all morning, asking for more." he said, grinning. "I might even raise your salary!" he said, before walking away and smiling to her. 

That really brightened her day. She flipped the pages and read the comments:

"Anastasia Howel really knows how to make a simple story interesting!"

"I love her writing, I only buy the paper so I can read her stories!"

"Her story about New York street artists really made me think different about them!"

It went on and on, like 30 pages of nice feedback and heart warming comments from readers.

Her day passed in a blur, people coming to her to pat her on her back for doing such a good job and gradualiting for her success. She was a hit in the office, everybody stopped for a moment to check on her. Before leaving, Anastasia checked her mail and found an e-mail from Shaun. Asking for her to take her stuff from his apartment. It had been only 5 weeks when they broke up and she knew that she took everything she owned. She didn't left there anything. She made sure, that she didn't need to go back there. 

"Hi gorgoeus!" A man's voice stardeled her. "Mike! You scared me!" she answered, turning around in her chair. "Sorry. I didn't mean to." he shrugged, "We are going out tonight. Will you join us?" he asked, leaning to the wall beside him, his arms crossed on his chest. Mike Beck worked as a photographer in the paper and they had become good friends since she started working for NYT. He was fond of her and she knew it. Mike was a really nice guy and knew how to make her blush by saying something like *You are the prettiest thing he had ever seen' or 'God even couldn't create a woman as gorgoeus as her'! 

"I think I'll pass!" Anna answered, patting him on his back and walking pass him. "C'mon honey. You have to come with us! I won't have anybody to dance with!" he said, turning on the puppy dog eyes and giving her that saddest look he could make. "No!" she said firmly, waving him good-bye and walking up to Laura. She was still sitting behind her desk, typing furiouslly, as there was fire about to burst. "Are you ready?" Anastasia asked, sitting down beside her. "A minute, maybe two!" she replied, not stoping her fingers running over the keyboard. Anna looked around in the office and everybody had already left. Laura was still wrestling with his deadline and Anna had nothing else to do, to go downstairs and start the car. "I'll wait you outside!" she said, while walking away. 




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