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Jeno sighed in exasperation as the tap failed to produce water for the second time that week. He twisted and twisted the knob in hope that clear liquid would spring free....but it didn't.....because he couldn't afford for it to.
He had long since given up on electricity, deciding that hot showers, WiFi, phones and all that simply weren't worth it. Water, food and some semblance of a bed were necessities along with the crappy books he had borrowed from a friend of his who had already graduated his school.
This was Jeno's life. At first, it was hard.....but he was used to it now. Crying over it would've been pointless.
As he sucked in a deep breath to hold himself together, he pulled his tatty bag over his shoulder and looked at his reflection in the poorly kept windows above his sink.
Dark hair, chestnut eyes and clear skin gave him a model like appearance. It was unfortunate that his money situation was so dire, and he couldn't afford to date people.
The seventeen year old lived alone. His mother had passed away the previous year from malnutrition and his father died before he was born for some reason his mother never cared to share.
"I'm so tired," he whispered to himself, feeling like he couldn't drop any further than this. He was at rock bottom.
Of course, he always attempted to remind himself that he had a house at all, even if it was in shambles, he had a job even if it paid very little, and he had school which his mother paid for all upfront when he started with the remaining money she had.
He stepped out of the building, closing the wooden door with peeling paint behind him. He locked it, as usual, though he wondered why he even bothered.
The journey to his school wasn't all that long, only around ten or fifteen minutes by foot. He didn't have neighbours he spoke to, or any relatives who knew he was in desperate need of help.
He was alone for the most part, but he was done crying over it.
The school came into view after the moderate walk, the spring breeze getting warmer and warning everyone that summer was on the way. Jeno wasn't a huge fan of summer since he had no air conditioning, but he hated the winter even more.....so there was no winning.
The bell rang loudly as he walked up the steps to the front doors. The junior disciplinary committee were out, talking to each other casually and making sure no one arrived horrendously late.
"You're later than usual Jeno. Might want to hurry," one of them chuckled. He had luminous orange hair, since their school had no hair dye rules, and was Chinese. The other was a little stricter and had light pink hair, and didn't have the same sense of humour.
Jeno nodded politely in their direction, "Good morning Chenle, Jisung."
Jisung shrugged, nodding back and returning to leaning on the wall calmly. Chenle continued to tell the younger all about his weekend.
As the dark haired male made his way over to the long line of lockers that faced another queue of them, creating a corridor of lockers, he dropped his bag on the ground and started to open his.
The hall was just about empty since the bell had already chimed to signal that everyone should've been in their classrooms. The creaky sound his locker made as it opened made him want to grit his teeth. He was later than usual because he had intended to wash his hair but the plumbing decided to shut off.
The teen threw his bag into the small metal space, grabbing books for his fist three classes and slamming the door shut again.
As his tired feet dragged him to his first class, his mind ran elsewhere. He pictured his mother, his situation, all the possibilities he didn't have in his future. He didn't have material to study with and therefore got mediocre grades. He was always hungry and couldn't focus or play sports.
His life was in the same state as his house.
As he took a seat in the middle row one over from the window, he placed his books in front of him and tried to prepare for class. The teacher arrived only seconds behind him, and called attention to the students.
Jeno exhaled roughly, his stomach eating itself internally and making noises as it did so. The fact that he hadn't had a drink yet didn't help at all either, only inducing a killer headache.
He watched the adult at the top of the room rant on and on about physics. Jeno tried to choose subjects that could take him to good job possibilities....but at this rate he wouldn't be able to pay for the exam, let alone actually study for it and sit it.
Someone opened the window near him, and he inhaled the fresh air like a man who was close to drowning. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. A year was too much time for a weak high schooler to survive alone with no money, guidance or help.
He was sick. He needed proper treatment.
As he caved in and rested his cheek on his hands which lay on his desk, he allowed his eyes to flutter shut. He had gotten next to no sleep the night before due to the sound of obnoxious dog barking next door. The walls were so paper thin, he could hear pets, sex, snoring and even cooking from his anonymous neighbours.
'Things could only get better when you were at your worst', he liked to believe.
