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Rayanne tightened her hoodie on her head and shivered in spite of herself. She hadn’t realized how much the temperature had dropped at night, she remembered the weekend before it was only a little chilly in the middle of the night.
Though, winter was right around the corner, so it was to be expected to get cold before too long. She stuffed her hands into her hoodie pockets and glanced behind her at her best friend Lizzy.
Lizzy was about ten steps behind her, with her head down making sure she didn’t trip over anything in the dark. She knew Lizzy was annoyed with her for making her go with her. Lizzy told her she didn’t think it was a good idea.
But of course Rayanne never listened, when an idea would hit her she tended to grab it and run with it. Lizzy would forgive her, she always did. Rayanne turned back around and noticed the tall wire fence up ahead.
She could hear the cars beyond the fence as they drove by fast on the highway. She stopped once she got to the fence and gazed at the bridge ahead of her. They were almost there.
Lizzy came up beside her and they stood for a few moments watching the cars pass by them. They glanced at each other then and Rayanne nodded her head. Lizzy sighed and squatted down.
She grabbed the bottom of the fence and pulled it up. They had already pulled the fence up last weekend when they were there, so it wasn’t hard to pull it back up. Once Lizzy had the fence pulled up, she ducked under it.
She crawled along the dirt in the hole below the fence. Lizzy grunted as she climbed out onto the other side of the fence. Then Rayanne climbed under the fence herself. Once she stood up on the other side she adjusted her bookbag on her back.
“Okay, let’s go.” Rayanne exclaimed, and they headed for the busy highway. The two made their way to the road and stood in front of it, watching the cars pass. When there was a break in the traffic, Rayanne grabbed Lizzy’s hand.
“Come on!” She said, and pulled Lizzy along with her. Lizzy glanced down at their hands grasped tightly together. They jogged across the road just in time before another group of cars passed by.
Once on the other side of the overpass, they both squatted in the tall grass. “You see anyone yet?” Lizzy asked Rayanne. “No,” Rayanne whispered. They slowly descended the grassy overpass.
Rayanne noticed some movement under the bridge and grabbed Lizzy’s arm. “I see someone!” Rayanne whispered. “Is it the same ones as last time?” Lizzy whispered back. Rayanne peeked through the tall grass and squinted her eyes in the dark.
Rayanne could make out five people on the side of the underpass. They were sitting down and talking. “I think so,” Rayanne finally responded. They were only about twenty steps from the people.
Rayanne started to move closer when Lizzy grabbed her shoulder. “This is far enough!” Lizzy exclaimed in a loud whisper. “Let’s just leave the food here and leave!” Lizzy said to her friend.
Rayanne had wanted to get close enough to see if she knew any of the people. But she knew Lizzy was nervous. Last time they were there the people had started to chase them. “Okay,” Rayanne finally agreed.
They both took their bookbags off of their backs and sat them down in front of them. As quietly as possible they took out some bags of chips and canned food and started sitting them on the ground.
As Lizzy went to set a can down it knocked one of the other cans and the can went rolling down the underpass. “What’s that?” They heard one of the people exclaim. They both looked up at the crowd standing to their feet.
“They’re back! Let’s get ’em!” Someone yelled, and they all started to sprint off after Rayanne and Lizzy. “Come on!” Rayanne exclaimed, grabbing up her bookbag and throwing it onto her back.
Lizzy did the same and then they both ran up the underpass. Luck happened to be on their side, once they reached the road there were no cars coming. They quickly ran across the road.
“Come back here!” They heard one of the people demanding. A shot from a gun met their ears and Rayanne and Lizzy ducked. “They’re fucking shooting at us!” Lizzy exclaimed as she puffed.
Once across the road they ran to the fence. Lizzy got there first and dived head first towards the hole under the fence. She squirmed under the fence and out onto the other side. Then Rayanne climbed down into the hole.
“If you don’t stop we’ll fucking shoot you!” A voice met their ears. As Rayanne crawled under the fence, her sleeve to her hoodie got caught on the barbed wire fence and ripped her hoodie and pierced her skin.
“Ugh!” She exclaimed, wincing from the pain. “What is it?” Lizzy asked her. Rayanne tried to pull her hoodie free. “It’s my hoodie, it’s caught on the wire!” Rayanne explained to her. Lizzy glanced up at the people.
They were making their way across the highway now. “Just take your hoodie off! They’re almost here!” Lizzy said to the girl. Rayanne continued to wrestle with her hoodie. She glanced over her shoulder and could see the people still coming after them.
“Come on!” Lizzy insisted impatiently. A ripping sound could be heard and then Rayanne’s hoodie came loose from the wire. “I got it!” Rayanne exclaimed and quickly crawled out of the hole.
“Come on, come on!” Lizzy coaxed. Just as Rayanne climbed to her feet another shot rang out. They both then sprinted off through a field, Lizzy glanced back and saw the group of people were almost to the fence now.
“If you come back, we’ll kill you!” They heard one of them shout after them. They kept running until they found a bus getting ready to take off. “Wait, wait!” Both Rayanne and Lizzy called as they ran up to the bus.
The bus driver had just closed his door and started to pull away. He stopped abruptly and opened his door back up. Rayanne and Lizzy scrambled onto the bus. “You better be glad I’m in a good mood tonight!” The bus driver huffed.
They put their change into the machine and went and flopped down onto a seat at the back of the bus. They sat quietly for a few minutes trying to catch their breath. “That was close.” Rayanne exclaimed, heaving a sigh.
Lizzy nodded. “Next weekend we’ll have to figure out a different way to get over there, since they know which way we’ve been coming now.” Rayanne explained, as she inspected her arm.
Blood ran down her arm and her hand and soaked her hoodie. She swallowed hard, as she tried to surpass the trigger that it caused. Lizzy looked at her quickly. “I ain’t doin this again!” Lizzy said stubbornly, shaking her head.
Rayanne covered the wound with her hoodie sleeve and then looked up quickly. “Aww, come on! It wasn’t that bad!” Rayanne argued. “Not that bad? We got fuckin shot at!” Lizzy exclaimed, her voice rising.
“Shhhh!” Rayanne said, as she glanced around the bus. A couple people glanced their way but then turned back around. “I’m done, I’m serious, it’s too dangerous.” Lizzy explained, lowering her voice.
“And I don’t think you should do it either.” Lizzy added, watching Rayanne closely. Rayanne thought about what Lizzy said. “There’s gotta be an easier and safer way to give out food to people if that’s really what you wanna do.” Lizzy exclaimed.
“Cindy told me I could help out at homeless shelters, but I really don’t wanna do it that way.” Rayanne explained to her. “The people I wanna help don’t go to the shelters.” Rayanne added. “I know,” Lizzy replied softly.
Thirty minutes later, they descended the steps of the bus near the neighborhood where Rayanne lived with Cindy and Grace. Rayanne had been living with them for almost two years now.
She loved her new life now, but it still held its challenges. She had been severely abused by her father, and her father let other men abuse her in exchange for drugs. It went on until she was ten when she ran away from home.
Then she lived with a group of girls, that is where she met Lizzy. The two became fast friends, and their bond was very strong. Rayanne didn’t have an easy life, she had become addicted to drugs and alcohol.
She met Cindy while she was living with the group of girls. Cindy was a journalist for the New York Times, and was doing a story on homeless and runaway teens of New York City. And then Rayanne was kidnapped and severely beaten and raped again by a man.
Once she got out of the hospital she was put into a juvenile delinquent center where she received treatment for her addiction to drugs and alcohol. What started out as just a story Cindy was writing turned into Cindy eventually fostering Rayanne.
The teen went and lived with Cindy once she was out of the juvenile center. Lizzy, who also ended up in the juvenile center, went to live with her aunt and uncle. Though on the weekends, Lizzy usually stayed at Cindy’s house.
Cindy loved them both as if they were her own children. It certainly wasn’t easy, and the teens faced many obstacles in their lives. Dealing with the many triggers they now had, along with their severe trauma.
But with the help of therapy and being away from drugs and alcohol they were thriving, despite their challenges. As they neared Cindy’s house, Rayanne stopped abruptly. Lizzy almost ran right into her.
“What is it?” Lizzy asked her, and then followed Rayanne’s eyes. A light was on in the kitchen of Cindy’s house. “Uh oh,” Lizzy muttered. They started walking again but now they walked slower.
Upon entering the house they were greeted by Rayanne’s pit bull named Blue. The dog was a gift to Rayanne by Grace. He had been severely abused as a pup, and now had anxiety, so he and Rayanne helped each other a lot.
Cindy even got him certified as an emotional support animal for Rayanne. So he could go anywhere with her. He could read her very well and knew when her anxiety went up or when she was depressed.
In the doorway of the kitchen was Cindy and Grace. Grace had just gotten dressed and was about to go looking for them. “What the hell were you two doing out at two in the morning?” Grace demanded angrily.
The two teens glanced at each other. Cindy rested a hand on her girlfriend’s arm. “I tried calling you both many times. And neither of you answered my calls. Come into the kitchen, we need to talk.” She said and then turned and entered the kitchen. She sat down at the small table.
Rayanne and Lizzy silently joined her at the table, Grace stood behind Cindy with her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Alright, start explaining yourselves.” Cindy said to them. They hesitated a few moments, and then Rayanne plunged forward.
“We were feeding the homeless.” She answered honestly. Cindy and Grace stared at them incredibly. “What?” Grace exclaimed with a scoff. “It’s true,” Lizzy replied. “Let’s show them.” Lizzy added glancing at Rayanne.
The two teens opened their bookbags and then brought out food and set it on the table. “That’s where my BBQ chips went!” Grace exclaimed, snatching them up off of the table. She dropped them back down on the table again.
“So, you took food from us to feed homeless people?” Cindy questioned, still in disbelief. “I told you we could go to the homeless shelters if you wanted and you could volunteer.” Cindy reminded Rayanne.
“I know, but the people we’ve been taking food to don’t go to the homeless shelters.” Rayanne explained to her. “Wait a minute.” Grace said, holding up a hand. “You mean you’ve done this before?” She asked them.
The teens glanced at each other again. “Yeah,” Lizzy answered her. “Unbelievable!” Grace exclaimed, angrily. “It’s not like we don’t know where we’re going. We go back to our old neighborhood and around that area.” Rayanne explained to them.
“Do you realize how dangerous that is? Anything could happen to you!” Grace said, her voice rising. “And if you two were picked up by the cops, you’d be in a load of trouble! Because your case manager would be contacted!”
Grace replied. “Why would you do something so stupid?” Grace asked them. Cindy rested a hand on Grace’s arm again. “I understand wanting to help them, but you need to do it safely.” Cindy replied.
“No more going out in the middle of the night, that stops right now.” Cindy added. “Well, we weren’t gonna do it anymore anyway.” Lizzy admitted. “Why not?” Grace demanded. “Cause tonight we got shot at.”
Lizzy admitted, Rayanne kicked Lizzy’s leg under the table. “Lizzy!” Rayanne whispered, Lizzy winced. “Oh my God! You were shot at?” Cindy asked incredibly. “Yeah, all we were doing was bringing them some food, you’d think they’d be grateful.”
Rayanne replied, she rested her hand on the table and Cindy saw the dried blood. “Are you bleeding?” She gasped, standing up quickly. She grabbed Rayanne’s hand before the teen could move it away.
“I’m okay, I just cut it on some wire.” Rayanne shrugged it off. “How did you do that?” Grace asked her. “Well, we had to go under a fence to get away from those people who were shooting at us. And I got my hoodie caught on the wire when I tried to crawl under it.”
Rayanne explained to them. “Will you get the first aid kit please?” Cindy asked Grace. “It’s not that bad.” Rayanne insisted. “Yes it is, take your hoodie off.” Cindy instructed. “But,” Rayanne started, but Cindy cut her off.
“Now!” She said sternly. Rayanne sighed and pulled her hoodie over her head, and rested it on the table. Grace brought the first aid kit and Cindy sat back down and started cleaning up Rayanne’s arm.
“We just wanted to help them.” Rayanne admitted quietly. “And that’s great that you want to, but it isn’t safe the way you’re doing it.” Cindy explained to her. “Thank God you got a tetanus shot last year.” Cindy observed.
“You’re not gonna tell my aunt, are you?” Lizzy asked, watching Cindy with a worried expression. Cindy thought for a few moments before replying. “I should,” She finally replied. “Please don’t! She might not let me come back over!” Lizzy pleaded frantically.
“I doubt she’d do that.” Cindy replied softly. “Carl might tell her not to let me come back over.” Lizzy admitted, barely above a whisper. Carl was Lizzy’s aunt’s husband, he had a bad temper and he always made Lizzy feel uncomfortable around him.
“Alright, I won’t say anything.” Cindy agreed. “Thanks!” Lizzy exclaimed with relief. Cindy finished cleaning Rayanne’s arm up and Grace put the first aid kit back where it belonged. “Now, I think it’s time for us all to go back to sleep.” Cindy announced.
Rayanne and Lizzy nodded as they got up from the table. “Hey,” Cindy called after them as she rose from the table. The two stopped and turned to face her. “I really think it’s great that you want to help them. I really do.”
“But, we need to find a safer way for you to do it.” Cindy said to them. “Okay,” Rayanne and Lizzy said in unison. Then they turned and hurried for the stairs, Blue was close on their heels.
“So, you’re just gonna let them get away with it?” Grace asked, once the teens had disappeared up the stairs. But they both heard it and paused at the top of the stairs to listen. “Well, I can’t punish Lizzy, she’s not my kid.” They heard Cindy say.
“I wish I was,” Lizzy muttered under her breath. “But Rayanne is your responsibility.” Grace reminded her. “I know that, I didn’t say I wasn’t going to punish her.” Cindy countered. “If she sees she can get away with shit, she’s gonna keep doing stuff.”
Grace explained to her. “I’m not going to treat her like she is in boot camp, which is how I know you want me to treat her when she does something. I’m going to handle it my way, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t criticize how I raise my kid.” Cindy said tartly.
Grace held her hands up in front of her. “I got it, I know my place.” Grace said and turned and headed for the stairs. “Grace,” Cindy sighed, calling after her. But Grace ignored her. Rayanne and Lizzy hurried to their room and closed the door behind them.
In Rayanne’s room the two were laying on Rayanne’s bed together on their backs. Blue was laying at their feet. “Do they argue a lot?” Lizzy asked, breaking the silence that had fallen around them.
Rayanne turned her head to look at her friend. “Uhm, not really I guess.” Rayanne exclaimed, stifling a yawn. She noticed the worried look on Lizzy’s face. “Hey, don’t worry about them. Couples can argue, but it doesn’t mean they’re gonna break up.”
Rayanne reassured her friend. “Yeah,” Lizzy mumbled. Rayanne pulled the blanket up to her chin and turned on her side facing Lizzy. She wrapped an arm around Lizzy as she yawned again.
“Goodnight,” Rayanne mumbled, as her eyes slowly closed. Lizzy peered over at her friend. Even with the dim light from the light on the nightstand, Lizzy could still make out Rayanne’s delicate facial features.
The time she had kissed Rayanne while Rayanne was asleep entered her mind. She shook her head of the memory and let her eyes close as she slowly drifted off to sleep. The next day Cindy and Rayanne were driving down the road.
Rayanne was leaning her head on the window gazing out of it. They had just dropped Lizzy off at home. Cindy was noticing a recurring habit of Lizzy where the teen would stall as long as possible going home.
She assumed it was because she just wanted to be with Rayanne. The two were very close. But Cindy sometimes could tell Lizzy’s anxiety would go up when she had to go home. She figured she was just worrying more than she should about it.
“Are there shelters for just kids?” Rayanne asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Well, not specifically for just kids. Kids are welcomed at all shelters, I’m pretty sure.” Cindy answered her. “But kids don’t like going to those shelters.” Rayanne admitted.
Cindy glanced at the girl. “Why do you say that?” Cindy questioned her. “Cause I used to know kids who were homeless or ran away from home, and they wouldn’t go to the shelters. Cause of what they heard about them.” Rayanne explained to her.
“What did they hear?” Cindy asked her. “We’ve all heard stories about how kids get messed with in shelters. I even knew of some people who got raped in shelters. That’s why they don’t like going to them.”
Rayanne replied. “Unfortunately that sometimes happens.” Cindy agreed. “There should be shelters for just kids. Where they could have somewhere to sleep. And maybe get help if they want it.” Rayanne exclaimed.
“Well, there are the juvenile delinquent centers.” Cindy replied. “But kids don’t like going to them. There should be a place for kids to go, even if it is for just the night. Sometimes kids need breaks too.”
“Or they could come and get some food if they were hungry. Lots of young people like in my old neighborhood never got medicine if they needed it. I knew one kid who had a broken arm, he didn’t have anyone to take him to the hospital.”
“And he didn’t have money to get his arm fixed anyway.” Rayanne explained to her. “That’s horrible.” Cindy acknowledged. “Yeah, but if there was a place kids could go to get help if they needed it, or a meal or a bed, one where it was just kids I think they’d go to it.”
“Cause if it’s just a shelter for kids, they wouldn’t be scared that an adult might do something to them. I didn’t always have medicine to take when I was sick, and it’s the same for a lot of other kids.”
“But if there was a place that kids could like, come and go whenever they wanted to, and not be made to stay and help was offered to them I think they would go.” Rayanne replied, she felt excitement growing inside of her though she didn’t know why.
“That sounds like a great idea, and I think you’re right about them being more willing to go if the shelter didn’t allow adults.” Cindy agreed with her. “There should be a place like that here.” Rayanne replied.
“Yes there should. But, that costs a lot of money, and a lot of people to work there. Because you would need rooms for beds, and you mentioned they could get a meal there. They would need cooks as well. And medical supplies.”
Cindy explained to her. “Lots of people need jobs, so it shouldn’t be that hard to find people to work, right?” Rayanne pressed. “It’s not that simple honey, you would need a big building as well.” Cindy exclaimed.
“There could be clothes for kids too, in case they need clothes!” Rayanne exclaimed. Cindy smiled and glanced over at Rayanne. There was a peculiar look on the teen’s face that Cindy had never seen before.
“You have some great ideas.” Cindy exclaimed. “If you opened a place like that, what would you call it?” Cindy asked as an afterthought. Rayanne frowned as she thought about the question.
“I would call it, Home.” Rayanne replied reflectively. “Why is that?” Cindy asked her. “Because, I know a lot of those kids are like how I used to be. I just wanted a place to call home. A place where I felt safe, and taken care of.” Rayanne admitted quietly.
Cindy nodded. “I like that name.” Cindy said softly. “If I was in charge, I’d have lots of people working there. I’d have cooks, counselors and nurses there all the time to help the kids.” Rayanne explained.
“And it would all be free to kids, the food, clothes, meds, whatever they would need. Cause for a lot of them, they have nobody, no parents to love and take care of them. If I was in charge, each kid who came would be welcomed and treated like family.”
“And the kids would be listened to, a lot of times adults don’t listen to kids. And sometimes kids who have run away from home because they were being abused, are taken right back to their parents.”
“Cause no one believes them that they’re being abused.” Rayanne replied, her voice was low and sad. “I imagine that happens a lot. That is so sad.” Cindy agreed, shaking her head.
“Well, maybe one day a place like that could be opened.” Cindy added. “I wish I could,” Rayanne said quietly. Cindy glanced at Rayanne. “Maybe you will someday.” Cindy replied. Rayanne shrugged.
“Oh, Saturday we are going over to Adam’s house for dinner.” Cindy announced she had almost forgotten to mention it to Rayanne. The teen sighed heavily and groaned. “What’s that for? You like hanging out with Alex,” Cindy said to her.
“I know, but her dad doesn’t like me.” Rayanne, confided. “It’s not that he doesn’t like you, my brother just hasn’t gotten to know you yet. Give it time.” Cindy explained to her. At first, Rayanne and Alex didn’t really get along.
They were very different from each other. But eventually they discovered even though they were different in almost every way they got along really well together. But Adam, Alex’s dad, still looked at her like she was a trouble maker.
“Does that mean Lizzy can’t come over?” Rayanne spoke up. “Well, at least not Saturday.” Cindy said carefully. “Because Adam doesn’t like Lizzy?” Rayanne guessed. “It’s not that he doesn’t like her,” Cindy started but then stopped.
“It’s okay, me and Lizzy both know he doesn’t like either of us.” Rayanne replied. “I just feel like it would be best if Lizzy didn’t come along.” Cindy said instead. Rayanne sighed again and rested her head on the window.
