FULL NAME: Bannerly Woods
DATE OF BIRTH: 19th of November
BIRTHPLACE: Fordbay, Canada
OCCUPATION: Nutristionist
PLACE OF RESIDENCE: Faraday Heights
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Abandonment, Abortion, Single Parenting
Bannerly Woods was a glamorous woman who always looked the part from her heels that looked like they were designer, right to her head where her perfect hair never seemed to have a hair out of place. If the people of Fordbay didn’t know any better, they’d think she’d never defied her parent’s wishes and lived out the life they’d had planned for her.
However, that was not how life was supposed to go.
Growing up Bannerly had never wanted for anything, to put it plainly she’d been brought up around the likes of designer clothes, weekends at the Hamptons and luxurious gifts that her father always felt the need to shower her with. It was, to put it plainly, just like a movie. Adam Woods, her father, was a multi-millionaire multiple chain hotel owner with businesses set up in New York, London & Paris. While her mother, a socialite originally from New York City worked in Charity and animal preservation.
In her junior year her parents befriended a family who had moved into town, The Vanderbilt’s, wealthy just like they were and oozing with class; Bannerly knew straight away that it was just another way for The Woods to climb the social ladder. Her parent’s had always stuck to their own, making sure they were the front of all the events at the Country Club and that their perfect pristine daughter was a picture of perfection.
Bannerly had been a straight A student with no tardy record and the need to succeed driven into her since the day she had began talking. What her parent’s hadn’t expected was for The Vanderbilt’s to have a son the exact same age as their perfect daughter, and for them to take a liking to each other almost instantly — in reality, her parent’s thought they’d be the perfect match.
They were only thirteen at this stage but it was obvious they were inseparable. Bannerly and Jaxon hadn’t known at this point but but nights at the country club, while they had snuck off to eat snacks and chat about school, there had been a slight push from their parents to get to know each other. And they did, they were best friends pretty much straight away.
At school Bannerly was top of the food chain, being head cheerleader as well as Valedictorian; but nothing could stay perfect forever, especially when the road to success had already been painted for her. Jaxon, always by her side eventually became something more than just a best friend, it wasn’t until they were fifteen that they even explored the possibility. He hadn’t liked the attention that she was getting when she began to come into her looks, at first he put it down to the fact that he thought he may lose his best friend to another guy — it later dawned on him that it was because he wanted to be that guy. It didn’t take long before the two were dating and their parent’s were delighted, especially with them both being of money and status.
High school was a breeze for the likes of two of the most popular kids in school, Bannerly got her acceptance with Columbia while Jaxon was going to study at Yale in Business. But their future’s were about to change entirely when three days after her eighteenth birthday Bannerly found out she was pregnant. It was like her entire world came crashing down around her, the life she had planned for herself now greyed. When she managed to pluck up the courage to tell Jaxon, she got the response she never expected. He wanted her to get rid of the child.
It was like devastation had rained on her as she looked at the man that she loved and saw someone she didn’t know. Had this all been a facade so he could have her and then be on his way? Was his future so important that another life was so easily disposable? She knew what dishonour it would bring to both of their families, but it wasn’t about them anymore and she knew that right in her gut. She’d loved her life of luxury, but she knew that she was destined for greater things and maybe being a mother was that, in it’s entirety. Bannerly gave him the ultimatum, it was either her and the child or there was nothing.
And he didn’t choose her.
What should have been the burden of them telling their families together left it all down to Bannerly, the weight of the world now on her shoulders as she devastated her parents. But in turn, they broke her heart. They said if she carried through with the pregnancy, she would receive her trust fund; it left her in shock. But there was a catch. She’d receive the money from her fund as severance pay from the family. It would be as if she never existed too them. But Bannerly wouldn’t settle and told them that she would take the money and live without them as a mother.
And just like that, she was eighteen years old and living in a one bedroomed poxy apartment trying to figure out how the hell she was going to raise a child all on her own. It started with night courses after she’d finish her day job as a waitress. She’d always had a love for the law and keeping in shape, now that she was pregnant there wasn’t much she could do — but she could study it. Bannerly wouldn’t ever admit it but being a single mother, working two jobs and going to class was one of the hardest thing’s she’d ever done, especially for someone who’d had everything handed too her at the beginning of her life. But she made it work the best that she could and knew that no matter what it took she would make sure that her child had the best life possible and if she ever got into the same situation, she’d never abandon her daughter like her family had abandoned her.
She just hoped her daughter would have a better taste in men.
Bringing Jessica into the world was her biggest accomplishment and would become the joy of her life. The trust fund that she received was enough to buy herself a reasonably small two bedroomed house that she thought she’d be able to fix up and hopefully sell off when Jessica hit her teenage years. And even though most of their clothes came from places such as the thrift stores and donations — they still always managed to be the best dressed. Bannerly learnt that she could work with anything that she was given as long as she had Jessica with her.
When Jessica was old enough, Bannerly re-enrolled to finish her course and was soon passing with her degree in Law. She never thought she’d finally get there with having a small child but she did and she was extremely proud of herself. She just wished that her family had been there like everyone else when she did walk the carpet. Over time, as Jessica grew they became best friends — it was obvious to everyone that met them that they were close, doing pretty much everything together.
Bannerly opened up her own firm in time which began to boom just around the time that Jessica went to High School. Just like she’d been Jessica made it as captain of the cheer squad, something that Bannerly loved but struggled with. Although she had her own business she was not made of money and often had to take on extra cases so that she could afford the clothes, cheer classes and uniforms that came with it — it was another reality check to how lucky she had been while growing up.
Known around town as someone who is generally always happy on the surface, but beneath that is dealing with the turmoil of her daughter’s father being back in town and seeing him around all the time.
It’s been a few years now, the family were doing well until Jaxon made his famous return too town. It was like the life had been sucked out of everything she’d ever known. Jessica believed that her father had passed away, it was the only way she could keep her daughter from the feeling of abandonment that she’d felt. Jessica doesn’t know yet and it has been eating Bannerly up alive. How is she supposed to tell her eighteen year old daughter that she’s been lying to her this entire time? Her business is just taking off and she worries that if she isn’t careful it’s going to come tumbling down around her.
WRITTEN BY: Angie, 27, She/Her, GMT+1
