Alrighty, first off I have to apologize for the long delay between updates, but my brother came down for a visit and I couldn't exactly sit down and right my lesbian love story with him sitting in my room half the time, now could I? Lol.

Okay, to all of those that reviewed and added this story to their favorites already, thank you very much. As always the support helps a lot and is very appreciated.

I don't own SoN, but I'm pretty sure we've established this already;)

Bad Reputation

Chapter 2

Carmen was hungry.

It was apparent in the way her eyes glazed over at the sight of the full bowl of soup in front of her as well as the fact that she was practically drooling. The look on her face could only be described as aching with want, the way she bit the corner of her mouth and her narrowed eyes showing how serious and absolute her focus was.

Kyla watched her closely and eventually just rolled her eyes as Carmen sat stock still, a minute shiver running through her body and making her look very much like a race horse waiting for the gates to open before making a mad dash for the finish line. The finish line, Kyla supposed, was the bowl of soup and bread resting untouched in front of her.

"Do you mind if I dig in?"

Carmen's eyes never left the food as she spoke, her hand actually suspended over the bowl just waiting for the okay. She didn't want to seem impolite, but God knew that if she didn't eat something and soon, she'd start chewing her own foot off.

"Not at all."

It was all she needed to hear. She laid into the food heartily, bread being dunked and soup being shoveled into her mouth in record time. She wasn't sure when she'd get a hot meal, as much as watery soup counted as a hot meal, again and wasn't wasting the opportunity. She would eat until she exploded, would store as much as her short frame could keep and try to ignore the fact that a pretty decent looking girl was watching her do it.

Exactly two minutes and forty two seconds later, Carmen pushed her empty bowl away and brushed the bread crumbs off her t-shirt. Kyla simply sat watching her with an eyebrow slightly raised.

"You were hungry."

It was a sad statement made by someone that had vary rarely been faced with this kind of reality. Kyla lived in a world that was made up of rock star fathers, Porche driving half sisters and all night parties at clubs where drinks and drugs where thrown at you from all angles.

Her biggest problem was a fight with her sister and the niggling suspicion that her coke habit was getting out of hand. Somehow Carmen's genuine, simple hunger made her feel guilty for thinking that her life really sucked that much.

"That I was."

Carmen sat back and wiggled her belt a bit, her jeans having become uncomfortably tight after the amount of bread and soup she just stuffed herself with. Still, sitting there with a warm belly and no hunger pangs was pretty much the highlight of her month. Well, it came a very close second to getting drunk with this old bat shit crazy bum the week before.

That had been surprisingly fun.

Who knew drunk, sixty something year olds could imitate Marge Simpson's voice so well? Sure surprised the shit out of Carmen.

"So you're friends with Spencer?"

Kyla's voice shook her from the memory of Martie doing the polka around her park bench and she blinked for a second or two.

"Uh...yeah, we actually used to date a while back. It didn't really end well..."

Carmen felt heat creeping up her cheeks, shame once again making her replay the image of Spencer banging into the wall. She'd been so angry, felt so used and hurt, the anger had all but numbed her from rational feeling and thought. When she'd done it, she'd watched in the way you'd watch a car accident happen, feeling scared and powerless to stop it.

Only thing is she could have stopped it.

She could have screamed more, or simply given Spencer the finger and told her to fuck off, but she had literally pushed her away in the end. Sure the fact that there had been a wall behind Spencer had made it seem worse than it could have been, had made the difference between what would have just been Carmen trying to get Spencer out of her face and something that seemed so...abusive, but Carmen couldn't let it pass like that. That's why she'd given in that day standing in front of the school with Spencer, because she did get it. She understood why Spencer couldn't give her a reason to stay, she understood painfully well.

She remembered her dad, remembered how things had started small and only escalated each time. One shove had turned into one slap and one slap had later turned into a fist in the gut, until finally he managed to even work in a steel tipped workman's boot against fragile ribs. So she knew what she was becoming, or could become if she didn't somehow find a way to curb her anger and her darkness.

Though knowing something must be done was completely different from actually knowing what to do.

"Spencer dated you? But...I...well, I guess I lost touch with Spencer for a while there, so I guess I missed that she dated someone new."

Carmen's dark brows rose as a crooked, puzzled smile formed on her mouth.

"Your sister didn't tell you about that? That's funny, 'cos I got the idea she didn't like it very much."

Her words were laced with sarcasm, because saying Ashley Davies had simply disliked Spencer dating someone was putting it mildly. Carmen had got the idea that if Ashley could have quietly made her disappear (and by that she meant cut into itty bitty pieces and dumped into the ocean) she would have.

Kyla for her part looked down onto the table and traced a slightly skewed heart that was carved into the tabletop.

"I guess she could have mentioned it, but I haven't exactly been...available as much to her as I used to be. So I guess I missed that."

Truth was that Kyla hadn't been available to anyone but Kyla for a few months now. There had been the fashion blog and her appearances at exclusive parties and clubs, her relationship with Jake and if she was honest she hadn't felt like she had time for anyone or anything else. Ashley and her usual drama had been on the bottom of her list of priorities.

For the last few months everything in Kyla's life had revolved around her needs and wants. Jake had seen that and used it to integrate himself into her life, had used it to in a way control her even, because he made himself an integral part of her success. She craved the limelight and he made sure she got it, she needed something to help her keep up with the lifestyle and he got her the coke. Her selfish lifestyle was nursed and encouraged by someone that exploited her in such an obvious way that even Ashley, who was easily as blind and self involved as Kyla was any day, could see it.

Now Kyla was reminded everyday of how she had lost touch with everything and everyone that was of any real importance in her life. Her sister was angry enough at her to threaten to throw her out of their apartment and she was hearing relatively important things that had gone on in Ashley's life from complete strangers.

Sometimes she thought she was much more like Raife Davies than she ever thought possible, especially when it came to Ashley, because despite the fact that she loved her sister she had abandoned her just like Raife did. Add on top of that the drugs and the parties and she was really living up to the legacy Raife Davies left behind.

They were a cursed lot in the end, the Davies.

"Yeah well, in the end it couldn't have bothered her that much, because Spencer and I broke up the night Ashley found out we were dating."

Carmen couldn't help feeling a bit resentful towards both Kyla and Ashley. Ashley had talent and, if she guessed right about Spencer's feelings that night, she probably got the girl she didn't deserve in the end too. Kyla for her part had money and family that cared about her, but from what Carmen could tell from the tabloids she'd read was that the girl was squandering the money and now she knew she'd blown off her sister too.

Some people had all the ingredients for the perfect life and still ended up fucking it up, which drove Carmen up the wall, because she couldn't help feeling that if she had been given half the things they had in life she could have done okay.

With the money Kyla blew on clothes and shoe's alone, Carmen could probably have paid for college. It just didn't seem fair that all that money was in the hands of someone that wouldn't do anything but waste their life away because of it.

Fine, Kyla was trying in her own way seeing as she was dishing up food at a soup kitchen, but Carmen still got the feeling it was a halfhearted attempt at best.

"Oh, well they're dating again if you wanted to know. Not that you could really call it dating, because mostly I find them in various stages of undress or in the middle of actual sex. I don't know what's got into them lately, but I mean they almost never leave the apartment! Not that I'm really complaining, 'cos they look happy, you know?"

It was true, Kyla had caught them in the middle of...whatever it is lesbians do when they do it, more times than was good for her mental health. No one wanted to see their sister's ass from such a revealing angle, especially not before breakfast as Kyla had only two days before. At least Spencer had the decency to blush fire-engine red, unlike Ashley that usually just tells her to get out so she can get her groove on.

Kyla kinda hoped she killed the mood that time, because Ashley deserved it for using the words 'get her groove on' in her book. It was way too seventies porn movie-ish in her opinion.

"Yeah, thanks for sharing that. I'm ecstatic that they're having such great sex all the time. Warms the heart and all to hear that about your ex and the girl she dumped you for."

So it was maybe not the complete truth to say that Spencer left Carmen for Ashley, but Carmen figured that's what would have happened if they'd continued dating anyway. The push just happened to speed things along a bit.

"Oh God, I'm sorry! Sometimes I don't think before I talk. I mean I didn't want to rub it in your face or anything, I just thought you wanted to know about Spencer and that seemed somehow...relevant. I have no idea why now though. Hindsight, you know?"

Carmen nodded her head and gave Kyla a pained smile.

"Oh yeah, I know all about hindsight. If life's a bitch, then hindsight is the dirty man whore that gave it crabs in my opinion."

Kyla smiled, not because she understood what the hell Carmen was trying to say, but because the words bitch, man whore and crabs made her remember a story a very drunk Ashley once told her about Madison, Aiden and a case of the crabs shared by the two.

Crabs were funny when it happened to other people, don't you think?

Especially when it happened to assholes who took you to prom only to declare his undying love for your sister and bitchy ex-cheerleaders that used to make your sister's life a living hell.

"Hmm...guess that's one way of looking at it."

Then there was finally silence between them, because honestly, how much could a rich heiress have to say to someone living on the street? Kyla figured it would be rude to mention the great pair of Manolo's she picked up the day before for only four hundred dollars like she would to one of her usual acquaintances.

"So...you catch that new Will Smith movie yet? I heard it's kinda okay."

Carmen shook her head and smiled patiently.

"Nope. Homeless, remember? Being broke kinda goes with that."

Carmen decided that her first impression was correct: Kyla Woods would never be walking away with a Nobel prize. The girl was dumb as a post, but rather attractive with the slight blush that rose to her cheeks. Not that Carmen noticed that or anything. Nuh-uh.

"Right, sorry. I guess this would be a good time to get back to work."

Kyla stood and stared down at Carmen, taking in the slight bags under her eyes and the brave, cocky smile she wore despite it.

"If you want I can tell Spencer I ran into you. Maybe get her to contact you? If you give me your nubmer...uh...or something?"

Carmen shook her head and this time could only laugh a little at Kyla's face as she cringed after her slip up. The girl was unconsciously funny, she'd give her that.

"You know what, if she wants to see me or something I hang around the park on 5th. I do portraits for tourists and stuff sometimes for a little cash and there's this bench with a pretty good view at night, so..."

Kyla figured that she'd make it her business to tell Spencer. She'd fed the girl as best she could and talked to her, though that hadn't been all that successful in the end, but she felt she needed to do more. She thought that getting Spencer to help her out, seeing as they did date once, was the best she could do. Well, that and...

"Uh, here you go. I mean you should buy yourself something to eat for later, you know?"

For some reason Kyla felt uncomfortable stuffing the hundred dollar bill into Carmen's hand, but she shook it off and ignored the slight tightening she spied next to Carmen's mouth. She guessed there was no good way about giving someone money out of pity, so she tried to get it over with as soon as possible.

Carmen for her part had wanted this. She had seen the girl, took in the expensive glasses and clothes, and thought that she was owed some of that money in a way. She needed it more than Kyla did and even resented the girl for having it, yet when that crisp note hit her palm it burned her.

Carmen was proud, despite having nothing to be proud about. She enjoyed taking charity from someone about as much as she enjoyed getting punched in the stomach, but she thought that in her current situation she would be able to take it. She had slowly sat and convinced herself that she could actually score cash off Kyla, that she pretty much deserved it even and yet now the idea repulsed her somewhat. Still, if she could shop lift for God's sake, then surely she could take something that was actually given to her, right?

Turned out she couldn't, but she bit down on her lip and forced her hand closed around the bill, crinkling the paper almost violently in her fist, because she needed the money. Simple need was making her swallow her pride and anger and place the note securely in her pocket.

She didn't look up to meet Kyla's eye, didn't squeeze her hand in thanks, she simply looked down onto the ground and forced out a broken 'Thank you'.

Then she turned and ran, shame burning under her skin and her chest heaving with so many conflicting emotions. Mainly though she was bothered by the fact that she knew if she got the chance to receive more money from Kyla, she would probably take it.

Kyla stood and watched as the girl disappeared into the sea of people that was always present on L.A streets, sadness bubbling up into her chest and making her angrily shake her head. She could have handled that better, could have tried making it easier for Carmen to take it, but she'd screwed it up like she has everything else lately.

She walked back to the table with the big pot of soup and watched the people lined up to receive the food. The old men and woman looked haggard and thin, pale and dirty faces with sad, weary eyes. There were young people too, some looking like they were more likely to rob you then receive food from you and some with that same desperate look she'd spied in Carmen's eyes before the girl had looked down to the ground and pocketed the money.

It broke her heart a little when she took it all in, took in the young kids that would slowly through the years turn into the weary eyed old men and woman she so pitied now.

Somehow the thought of Carmen going down that same road made her bite her lip and blink back tears. She didn't know Carmen, didn't doubt for a minute that had they met in different circumstances they probably wouldn't have even liked each other, but the girl had somehow touched her.

So Kyla took a breath and went back to scooping soup into bowls, secure in the thought that as soon as she spoke to Spencer and explained Carmen's situation everything would be okay.

That assumption of course would turn out to be very wrong in the end.

- - -

Hope you all liked, though I know it's hard to really form an opinion on a story when it's only two chapters in. Still I'd love it if you told me what you thought about it. Constructive criticism is welcome as always, but do it...you know...constructively!