A Cinderella Story

Chapter One: A Usual Day

"Someone once told me that people write fiction because through the course of time something happens that changes a piece of fiction into reality..."

Everything's warm, are peaceful. Well, until the alarm clock goes off...

Jessica groaned and rolled over she glanced out her small window to see the sun was still more or less, nonexistent.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, she slapped off the annoying buzzer, checked to make sure the numbers if her old clock weren't stuck, she was relieved to see the clock remained at four-thirty in the morning.

She slipped of the bed and headed for the bathroom, which was small enough be be qualified as a closet. She was only in for a few moments, the hit water had disappeared again and cold in late September didn't really appeal to her.

She rushed out and grabbed her uniform she was still putting on the blouse when she walked in her small kitchen, well at least most the appliances worked at any given time. Not that she had much anyway.

She grabbed her bottle of water, on a but would actually drink what came out of the taps. And grabbed the last stale bagel from the cupboard, not that Jessica was worried, she'd get fed at work.

That reminded her, it was a half hour walk, and she needed to get moving.

As the exited her small apartment she heard yelling, she sighed, she lived in a small three story apartment building. There were only four or five rooms to a floor, and they were small.

Quickly she scooted down the stairs towards the ground floor, in earlier years she would have slid down the banister, bug now the thing was pretty loose and wobbly, it wouldn't do any good to mention it. The management of this place was...

"Ms. Terrence!" A shrill voice called behind her, inwardly Jessica winced, speaking of the Devil.

"Yes Mrs. Ratchet?" She asked turning around, from the looked of it she must have appeared from her small ground floor office.

The women was nearing the end of middle age, her face would be pleasant if she wasn't always yelling or belittling someone, usually Jessica.

She never under stood what the woman's problem was, perhaps it was because she had two daughters just around the same age as Jessica. Also she had money, it didn't really make sense to Jessica because the place was in ruins, but she and the girls were always dressed in high end fashions. 

"Where is you rent check? The lease states that the money is to be paid on the nose every first Tuesday, and Ms. Terrence it is Friday!" The woman demanded, Jessica only listened to half the woman's words, she knew the basic idea. Trailing just behind her was her youngest daughter Trisha. 

Jessica couldn't say they were mean, as they never actually said anything, while Maria, her oldest was just as snobbish as her mother, Trisha seemed more like her mother's bragging board. 

"The rent check is in the mail Mrs. Ratchet, I put it there on Monday." Jessica said simply, breaking in when the woman paused for a breath. 

Apparently she didn't like the interruption, as her eyes flashed for a moment, before she turned a carefree hand towards the girl behind her.

"Did you know Trisha and Maria have been accepted into one of the best colleges around? Maria is going for theater, and Trisha is going for masters in art." She explained haughtily, as though expecting some sort of reaction. 

In reality Jessica was shifting impatiently, she'd have to race to work that this point...

"That's wonderful Mrs. Ratchet, if you'll excuse me I have to get to work." She explained, edging herself around the belligerent woman. How she knew she was coming downstairs at this hour was hard enough. She was starting to believe she listened at her door. 

"Very well, I will check the box again, but I'll warn you that if it's not there I will have to have a serious discussion with you when you return." She muttered, her tone serious. Behind her back Jessica rolled her eyes, the woman must do this just for the sport...

She basically flew out the front door, outside she unlock the rickety bike from the lamppost she had chained it to. Getting on she checked her watch and pedaled off towards the center of town. 

It didn't take her long, they town seemed to have shrunk since the Recession. It wasn't very big to begin with , and now only the basics were running, you had to go to one of the other cities to find any of the extras that people wanted.

In a way that was good, Jessica worked at one of the few remaining diners in town, and with little choice most of the people who could afford it could be found there.

Her bike was still coming to a stop when she jumped off,  She pushed the bike behind the diner and came up the back stairs. Inside she was greeted the dine of clattering pots and shouting voices.

"Where have you been? You're late!" A voices asked next to her, as she pulled her apron off the hook.

"Sorry Cara, Mrs, Ratchet stopped my again, and there was some type of construction on the Broad Street sidewalk." Jessica answered, turning around to face her friend Cara Williams. The girl was a little younger that Jessica, but the two had become fast friends since working here.

"What did the Fuss-Bucket want know? Did she accuse you of stealing the rent checks again?" The girl asked, moving to the large fridge and pulling out a bowl with some sort of batter in it.

Jessica shook her head, moving over towards a huge pile of potatoes.

"Nope, she thought I hadn't paid my rent yet." She explained as she went to work with the peeler. Cara sighed and put the bowl down on the opposite counter, moving to the side to allow one of the chefs to get through.

"You know if she's going to insist everyone put their money in that contraption she could at least keep security on it. You're in a bad place Jess..." She commented, turning to loading cups into a tray.

Jessica shrugged, her eyes downcast as she concentrated on her work.

"It's cheap, you know they took my car last month. And today is my last dance lesson at the club." She reminded the other, her shoulder slumping just slightly. 

"You're giving up your dance lessons? Why?" Cara asked, moving so she would be directly in front of the older girl.

"They're getting too expensive, plus my teacher wants me to move on to an advanced course, and I don't have the funds for that." Jessica explained, moving just a few steps away so she wouldn't be under Cara's direct gaze.

"You're impossible you know that?" Cara asked, giving up and going back to her own duties. 

The day was it's usually state of hectic business, once her shift ended Jessica took her bike and set it towards the community center, there she took her weekly ballet/dance lessons. 

The instructor thought she had a natural gift for it, and had her as the head of the class. Usually Jessica felt free when she danced, completely unattached. But not this lesson, instead of concentrating she was thinking on what she had to tell the instructor afterwards. 

Once the lesson was concluded Jessica hung back, waiting until the others where done. 

"Is there something you need Jessica?" The older woman asked, a pleasant smile on her face. Jessica put a small smile on her face, before speaking. 

"No ma'am. I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to be dropping the class, some things have come up and I won't be able to continue them." She explained, her eyes travelling to the floor as she spoke. 

"I'm sorry to hear that Jessica, you have real potential in your dancing. I hope you'll pick it up again when you can." The instructor replied, an apologetic smile, she put a hand on the girl's shoulder before turning back to her work. 

Jessica stood for a moment before turning and exiting the room. Maybe years from now she'd start again. But defiantly not soon, luck just wasn't in her cards anymore.

Well, maybe it was because this is reality, and you don't get happy endings here.