Warning: You must read the WHOLE story. If you skip a chapter, you will understand NOTHING!
A/N: When I first wrote this, I was going to make it one of those random 200 word one-shots. But as I wrote the story, it changed. COMPLETELY.
This was rated K+ because Max says the word 'hobo'. My mom said hobo is a mean word. So that's why it is rated K+.
I hope you enjoy this!
3 The Girl That Dropped the Nickel (read the story to find out what I am talking about)
No one knows I exist. Alex and Justin get all of the attention. People call me 'Alex's little brother' or 'Justin's little brother' or even 'that guy that smells.' But I am not just what they say I am. I have feelings too. And to clear up a rumor, I actually take showers.
Some people say I smell like a hobo. So that is what I am going to do. Live with the homeless people and get to smell like them. I bet they will be way nicer than people who sleep on beds. Goodbye.
Love, Max.
It is 3 o' clock in the morning in late February. I read my letter over and over again before putting in the cash register.
I already packed what I needed. A coat and money, that's it. I had money from the time I sold my plate of trash to a little girl.
Four hundred dollars is a lot of money. Of course, I already spent half of it… which is… Ah. I'm too lazy to do math. And so, I walked out the door of the Waverly Place Sub Station.
I was already a block down the treat when somebody popped out of nowhere.
"Hello." A hobo said.
"Hi!" I said. "What's your name?"
"Jeremy." He said, looking confused.
"Nice to meet you!" I shook Jeremy's hand. I knew I wasn't allowed to talk to strangers. Mommy told me it was dangerous. But she wasn't my mother anymore.
Jeremy was a man about the same height as me. He looked like he was around my parents' age.
"Do you have any money?" Jeremy asks.
"Yeah. Do you want me to buy you something at McDonalds?" I asked.
Jeremy looked surprised at my generosity. "Yes." Jeremy had a very kind smile on his face. "I also have a wife, five children, and a brother." He said.
"Okay." I said. "What do you guys want from McDonalds?"
"Anything." Jeremy pleaded.
"Okay. Stay right here and I will be right back."
I walked to the nearest McDonalds. I decided to buy them chicken nuggets and milkshakes.
"I'm back!" I said carrying Jeremy his food.
Jeremy didn't know how blessed he was to have a me buy him food. "Thank you, so much!" Jeremy said with joy.
"No problem!" I said. "Where do you live?"
Jeremy brought me to an abandoned New York tenement. They all lived in one filthy room. It was basically empty except the cardboard boxes on the ground and some blankets that the smallest children had on them. There was one boy that looked 12, a girl who looked 11, twin boys who looked 3, one baby held by a woman, and a man that looked Jeremy's age.
"Who's this?" The woman asked Jeremy gesturing to me.
"This is Max. He bought us McDonalds." Jeremy replied.
"Yay!" The 11 year old girl said. She came and hugged my waist. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome." I said to the little girl.
"My name is Hannah." She said letting go of me.
"Mines Max." I said.
She smiled and went back to sitting next to her older brother.
"Did you force him to buy you food, Jeremy?" his brother asked.
"No, Nathaniel. I didn't. He asked." Jeremy replied to Nate.
"Can we eat already?" The 12 year old boy asked.
"Sure, Josh." Jeremy said.
"Yay!" Josh said as he rushed over to run over to me and grab all the food he could carry. "Matt, Mike, wake up. We have food." He said waking up the 2 twins who looked like they were 3 years old.
They all got their chicken nuggets and milkshakes. I didn't get anything for myself. I wasn't hungry.
I soon learned that Jeremy's wife's name is Andrea and their baby was Ava. Their family couldn't pay for their apartment's rent, so they were kicked out onto the streets. They would do anything to get money.
"Do you have anywhere to spend the night?" Jeremy asked me.
"No." I said.
"You can stay here if you want." He offered.
"Okay, thanks." I said.
After they finished their meal, we fell asleep.
The next morning at the Waverly Sub Station, Mrs. Russo walked to the cash register to put in some change before the customers came. Instead, she found the note Max wrote her.
"My son… He's gone." Theresa started panicking.
"I'm right here, mom." Justin said as he walked down the stairs.
"No, my other son." His mom said.
"Where is Max?" Alex asked walking down the stairs.
Mr. Russo walked down the stairs humming a song. "What?" he asked.
"Max is missing!" Theresa, his wife, said horrified.
"What?" Jerry asked more concerned this time.
She handed him the note.
"We need to call the police." He said, running back up the stairs to the house phone.
"I'll go search town." Alex said.
"I'll go with you." Justin said as they walked out the door together.