“Hang on everybody. My laces have come undone.”  

Natalie reached down to retie her laces. She couldn’t remember when they’d come lose but they were about to take on climbing up some mountains and didn’t want to risk tripping.  

“Again? Surely you need to get some new shoes Natalie?” Oscar remarked.  

Natalie browsed up at Oscar so scold him while she tied her laces. Oscar was the youngest one of the group, yet his face added 10 years to his group. He had always looked older than everybody else but even more dramatically so at this point. His face looked wrinkled and even his recent attempt to adopt a skin care routine was proving to be pointless. He wore an expression which told everybody that he’d seen too much in his short time alive. After all, Oscar was only 19 but yet looked to pass for being in his 30’s.

“I’d love to be able to pay for and buy new shoes but you forget I can’t get any more hours at the restaurant.”

Money was never a problem for Oscar and his family. Both his parents worked as attorneys and made the conscious decision to live well below their means but when it came to Oscar. There was nothing that they wouldn’t pay for. He was spoilt in a lot of ways and came across as something of a preppy guy. HIs hair was styled short and his thick rimmed glasses gave off the vibe that he read far too many books.  

“Are they cutting your hours again?”

“They never cut my hours as there aren’t any to cut. I work on a zero hour contract remember?” she asked as she started to retie her laces on her other foot.  

“Are you still at that place?” Seb commented.  

Sebastian, or Seb for short, was the oldest member of their group. The group had met Seb under odd conditions. The group liked to go out to hike occasionally but on one occasion. They’d decided they needed a few extra supplies. Although they were nowhere near to the town center. They were near a shop that sold all the bits that they would need. The 6 of them decided to head into the store to ask the sales assistant which bits they would need. Sebastien had recommended everything before asking if he could join them. He’d told them that the store was shutting down and that he’d been made redundant so needed something to do with his time. Natalie had no complaints with inviting him along and the rest of the group agreed and it had been since that point that Seb had been a apart of the group. Given that Seb was older. He carried around an air of confidence with him. He had lengthy brown hair which he tied up in his ponytail and his beard must be close to be several years old at this point. He was stocky and well-built and provided the group with safety, should they ever need to rely on it.  

“Sadly so,” Natalie replied before standing up. “They contracted me to a zero-hour contract which worked well back then because I was at college and it just suited me to be able to work the hours that I wanted to work. Yet now it’s more of a hindrance.”

“How so?” Seb asked in a deep tone as they proceeded to walking.

“I’m hoping at some point to be able to apply for a mortgage. Now that I’m done with university. I don’t want to be having to rent for the rest of my life.”

“I get that. I’d offer you somewhere where I work, but as you know.” he let his voice trail off.

The group carried on walking down a steep path for a good while. Trees accompanied the path the entire way there. It was a breath-taking sight for most. Winter was beginning to arrive and although the trees had lost their lives. The coolness of the air was evident on the branches. Occasionally, Natalie glanced over to the trees and noticed the icy branches. Winter was the favorite season for Natalie but it also came with the harshest memories. It had been two years ago when she’d been dating Marcus that she’d miscarried. Everything had seemed perfect up to that point in her memory. Marcus was the perfect boyfriend in every way imaginable. They hadn’t been trying for a baby and she found herself worried about what to say to him or the way in which he was going to react. She explained him to freak out but it was the entire opposite. He remained calm and allowed her to cry into his shoulder that night. She was full of joy at the idea of having her own child. Even at such a young age. She didn’t expect that for one second the relationship would turn sour. She’d discovered that Marcus had been cheating on her the whole time. He’d kept it as quiet as possible. In fact, when she thought back to it. She couldn’t remember there being any moments whereby it seemed that Marcus had been cheating. He’d left at the same time to get to class and then come home immediately after university. The affair must have been happening during lunch breaks when he was coming home to see her afterwards. The thought made her feel repulsed.  

“Don’t worry about it. It should be more offering for you to come and work at the restaurant.” she quipped.  

Seb returned the laughter and the two walked side by side. Natalie was attracted to Seb. There was no doubt about that but Seb wasn’t looking. He was at a stage in his life where he didn’t need that. He jobless and was soon to be homeless. He carried the leadership of the group on his shoulders. Yet he also had his own worries. If he didn’t find paid work soon then he was going to be homeless for Christmas.