A vibrant orange tucked beneath the clouds slowly poked its head out as dusk licked the horizon. Like a soft cry, gray clouds soon followed and streams of rain ascended upon the earth. A city with tall buildings and streets that never seemed to empty could be seen from down below as many people started their day. The hustle and bustle of the large city was comparatively milder than the boisterous afternoons, but it was still dense and crowded and generated a lot of noise. In the midst of all that noise, tenants in the apartment buildings were abruptly woken up and grumbled to the sound of cars honking and the lively atmosphere. However, in a small studio room with soundproofing so poor that even the neighbor's breathing could be heard, was a girl who slept through all the noise. Her one room studio had a makeshift kitchen and a shabby couch with cigarette burns, and in a little corner of the room was a mat with soft fluffy pillows and blankets. In the heap of fluffiness, her little head poked out as she shifted in her sleep uncomfortably and started to shiver. She groaned out in discomfort and slowly lifted her eyelids, which revealed brown eyes that almost looked red when they hit the sunlight.
With a yawn, she rubbed her eyelids and walked into the bathroom that was putrid with the stench of vomit. She gagged, hurriedly grabbed a hand mirror, and looked at her reflection. Much to her dismay, her hair was greasy and she had dark circles under her eyes. She still had a tight mini dress on from last night, and sleep had not left her as she fumbled around in her drowsy countenance. A throbbing pain in her head gradually increased and she winced while taking a dose of pain reliever. She reeked of alcohol and her face was stained with makeup. She sighed at her unkempt appearance and combed her hand through her matted greasy golden brown hair. Her tangled curly locks flowed down her shoulders and slightly touched her collarbone as she splashed cold water on her face and slowly regained full consciousness. After properly taking in the familiar surroundings she shuddered and caught sight of her trembling hands. 'I had that dream again,' she thought while steadying her breathing. In an effort to calm her nerves, she opened the medicine cabinet and took out a pack of cigarettes.
Her hands continued to visibly tremble as she took out a lighter and lit a cigarette. She held the cigarette to her mouth, took a deep breath, and let the smoke slide down her tongue as she pursed her rosy pink lips. Her head suddenly felt like it was floating on clouds and she felt her body ease out of its stiffened state and slowly relax. Moments later, puffs of smoke filled the bathroom as she washed herself in the euphoric pleasure and drifted away from her body. The light slowly left her clouded eyes as she collapsed to the floor and let out a few shallow breaths. Hours later, as the sun left the sky and the sky darkened she woke up to the sound of banging on the door. She was still in her mini dress and her complexion looked worse than before. Her pasty pale skin was dry and her hair was in a tangled mess. With a sigh she stood up on her wobbly legs and exited the bathroom; she grabbed a sweatshirt on the couch and slid it over her head. Suddenly the banging on the door worsened and a voice could be heard on the opposite side of the door. "Open the door! I don't have all day!" She sighed and walked over to the worn out wooden door and turned the knob. In the entrance stood a large man with a pudgy belly that stuck out from his shirt and foul smelling breath. His skin was tainted by a sickly green, and his teeth were stained yellow.
The girl glanced at his chubby face and struggled to hide her discomfort. The large man was her landlord and didn't hesitate to constantly pester her about her smoke filled room at every opportunity. In annoyance, she openly rolled her eyes and pinched her nose as if gesturing that his stench was unbearable. The man only glared, but she was insensitive to his overbearing presence. While clicking her tongue to purposely annoy him more, she walked over to the door to close it, but the large man was already halfway inside her room. He crinkled his nose and began to nag, "Your room is so filthy and always smells like smoke, you don't even have a proper bed." He turned around and almost instantly caught sight of the case of beers she had tried to stash away and frowned. "You're always out during the weekend drinking and now you come home with even more alcohol! You should be careful. Your mom entrusted you to me so I check up on you sometimes, but each time I visit your room is even more filthy than before."
The girl sighed and crossed her arms in irritation. 'Why is this guy mom's childhood friend? He nags too much,' she thought while chewing on her tongue.