16-year-old Jessie left home because of family problems - but now she's having problems keeping up with her studies and paying her rent.

Things are going a bit wrong here. I'm 16 and I'm at college, doing my highers, but I don't live at home any more cuz, well, it's a bit complicated. Mainly cuz there wasn't any room for me when the twins came along, but also cuz I don't get on with my stepdad that well so it seemed like the best thing to do. Anyway, mum helped me find a bedsit near college – it's nothing special but it's kind of cool having my own place, and my friends stay over quite a bit so I don't get lonely.

Trouble is, I don't think I'm going to be able to afford to live there much longer. I work part-time in a clothes shop and my mum gives me a bit of money every month, but my rent is such a lot, and then there are all these other things I never even thought about before I left home – like when I was at home I just took it for granted that there'd always be milk in the fridge and cornflakes and bread and stuff, and toilet paper and hot water. And now I have to put money in the meter for the electricity if I don't want to sit in the dark!

Anyway, the last two months or so, by the time I've paid for the electricity and food and laundry and some books I needed for college and these boots I really needed, I haven't had enough money for the rent, so I've paid what I can but not the whole lot. So now my landlord is not a happy man, and he says if I don't pay what I owe by next month, he's going to kick me out. I'm right at the limit of my overdraft, so I asked mum for a loan and she gave me some money, but not enough, and my stepdad was really hacked off with me for asking, which made my mum upset.

I really really don't want my landlord to throw me out – I don't know where I'll go if he does – but I don't know where I'm going to get the money, unless I drop out of college and start working full-time, but I've only got six months to go before my exams, and I really want to get my grades. I've taken on some extra shifts at the shop, so I should be able to pay the rent in the future, but that won't cover the rent I've missed. My friend Alisha says I can stay at hers for a bit if the worst comes to the worst, but I can't see her parents letting me stay for six months – and there's no room for me at home. Have you any idea what I can do?

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