{It had been the weekend from hell, and for the first time in my life I was glad that Monday morning had rolled around to give me >>

<< something to do; something to concentrate on. Standing in front of the mirror in the tiny room I'd rented in my bid to find work or >>

<< something meaningful to do with my days, I study my features. My skin, although always pale looked slightly off colour this morning >>

<< and there was clearly some troubled thoughts lingering in my eyes, turning them a darker shade of green than usual. Inhaling a deep >>

<< breath, I try to put everything that happened during the weekend to the back of my mind but every time I did I saw him standing before >>

<< me, wobbling on his feet in his drunken stupor. It was impossible in those moments to believe that I'd been a creation of his, that >>

<< somewhere deep within the core of what makes me me, was a tiny version of him planning his take over. I vowed in those moments that >>

<< I'd never turn to drink; that I'd never let it take over my life and I would never touch drugs. The next image passed behind my closed >>

<< eyes and I saw Fahri standing there, the small vial filled with heroin held out in front of me and I feel my skin crawl. Running my >>

<< nails up each arm, I try to praise myself on saying 'No' to his offer but I couldn't deny that even the slightest part of me had >>

<< considered taking a bump. Of course I'd maintained my dignity and I'd declined even after we'd sat and had a conversation about >>

<< his line of work and what he actually did. He'd offered a few more bumps and he'd offered a job - again, I couldn't say I hadn't >>

<< thought real hard about taking up his offer. I was after all living on my own, in the halls of some college I hadn't payed to attend >>

<< while taking up a few extra curricular classes in said college. The prospect of earning as much money as he'd offered was very >>

<< enticing, but for some reason- probably the decent person in me that I'd learned from my mom had declined this offer too. I'd come >>

<< away on Friday night with Fahri's number - just in case, and the regret of turning up to meet my father. For the first time in my life >>

<< I was certain I'd never meet my father again, and I was okay with this. Lifting my hand, I run my fingers through my straightened >>

<< black locks and allowed them to fall back down naturally around my face and shoulders before nodding. I didn't have much plans for the >>

<< day except sneaking in and sitting in on a media class later on in the day - a normal Monday for me with the added bonus of having >>

<< breakfast in my favourite diner and then then meeting up with @TheBlondeDecoy in class later. Today was going to be a good day.}