I feel the bright sun shining on my face and adjust the gray hood of my sweatshirt. I still can't let anyone see my face in case they saw that news show from the other day. So I have to wear my sweatshirt 24/7 even though it's summer. It's okay, though. Life right now is pretty good.

I've gone on a few missions for Cam already. And apparently, I'm doing alright. I just came back from one now, money in my pocket and my hood hiding my infamous face.

I've seen a few posters around the city with my picture and text that says, "Have you seen this boy?" But it's okay. No one really ever looks at those. The ones I've seen I've ripped down.

I come by the storage warehouse. Kurt is there, sweeping up some crap near the offices.

I think about calling out to him, but I spot the 7 Eleven and my stomach grumbles. Tightening the drawstrings on my hoodie, I head in, in search of some chips or something.

There's barely anyone inside, as usual. Just the lonely rows of various snacks and booze. I've come to this one a few times with Whatsername. She usually gets a Cherry Coke and Doritos. For me, it depends. I get whatever I'm in the mood for.

Today feels like a pizza day.

I walk over to the drink section and grab a cup, then fill the cup with red slushie. I think about grabbing a Cherry Coke for Whatsername, but I figure it won't be cold by the time I get back home.

Home?

I guess that apartment is home now. Huh.

After finding a plastic lid of the correct size, I take my slushie to the front of the store and wait for the cashier guy to notice me. When he finally looks up from his fucking phone, I say,

"Yeah, um...can I get a slice of cheese pizza? And this." I put my cup on the gray counter.

"Uh-huh," the guy says, pecking something on the keyboard. After staring at the screen and squinting for 50 years, he turns around and drags himself over to the plastic cabinet where the pizza and chicken wings are kept. Taking one of the thin brown napkins, he grabs a slice and hands it to me.

I nod, as if to say "thanks" and start walking out of the store. Just as I push on the glass door, the guy seems to wake up and calls after me,

"Hey, kid! You gotta pay!"

Shit.

Fine. I turn around and, reaching into my newly filled pockets, grab a ten-dollar bill. Cam won't mind. Danny says he does it all time, and Cam just thinks of it as a little extra to keep us working for him. I shove the ten at the guy, and he studies it carefully, like I was gonna give him fake money or something.

He eventually puts in the register, after taking the time to figure out how to get the drawer open.

"'Kay, you can go," he says.

"You gonna give me my change?" I ask.

"Oh. Yeah." He fumbles with the drawer again, then gives me back a few bills and some pennies. I don't bother counting them. He might have given me a hundred dollar bill, for all he knows.

I pocket the money and leave the store, slurping my slushie.

Wait. What the fuck was that in my pocket?

I feel around for the hard object I touched.

Oh.

It's that piece of tile I picked up from the subway last week. Whatever, I'll keep it. It might come in handy.

Making sure my hood still obscures my face, I turn left and start to walk back to the apartment.

When I get up to our apartment, I knock loudly on the door to be heard over the TV. Note to self: ask Cam for a key to the apartment.

Dave opens the door and grins. "Jimmy!" He lets me in and calls to the ones on the couch, "Hey guys! Look who's back."

"Jimmy! Bringin' in the money!"

"I know someone who missed you!"

"Did you bring food?"

"Hey guys." I walk over to the couch and join them in watching South Park.

"What's that, your fourth mission?" Frank asks.

"Aww, little Jimmy's growing up," Travis teases, nudging me.

I shove him into Dave. "It's actually my fifth, to be exact."

"Oh, pardon me," Travis says sarcastically.

"Cam's in his office," Danny says. "I would bring him the money now if I were you."

"Okay then," I reply, standing up. "Hey, where's your sister?"

He shrugs. "She went out. Should be back later."

"Jimmy's gonna score tonight!" Travis yells.

I roll my eyes and walk over to Cam's door.

He opens after the third knock.

"Oh, hey, Jimmy. How'd we do?"

"Pretty good." I hand him the contents of my pockets-other than the piece of tile, of course.

"Nice," he says, flipping through the stack of bills. "Good job, man."

"Thanks." I smile a little.

"Well," he says, putting the cash into his jacket pocket, "I better put this in the safe. Go have fun."

I nod and saunter back over to the couch after grabbing a beer.

Since it's a Friday, there's another pretty big party tonight. I would get drunk and hook up with one of these chicks Travis is introducing me to, but I can't get myself to stop wondering where Whastername is.

"...and that's how got laid at the age of ten," Travis finishes.

Everyone laughs, except me, since I was zoning out. I quietly step out of our circle, and walk over to the second bedroom.

Carefully opening the door, I hope I'm not interrupting anything. The room is silent and dark. Hmm.

I quietly walk over to the fire escape, and sure enough, Whatsername is sitting there, her long legs dangling off the edge. She's just chilling there, looking around at the buildings and stuff. The wind blows her hair into her face, and she quickly tucks it behind her ear.

"Hey, you," I say, sitting next to her. I still haven't figured out her name. Most people around here call her "kid", "kiddo", or, in Travis's case, "babe". I asked her once what it was. She just said it didn't matter. I haven't bothered to ask again.

"Oh, hey, Jimmy," she says, glancing over at me. She quickly turns her head back to the street. I watch as she clacks her yellow high tops against each other.

"You okay?" I ask, leaning toward her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she replies, running her hand through her hair. "I'm just..." She sighs and turns to face me. "My parents were killed in a car crash yesterday."

"Oh." I look down. "How'd you find out?"

"I was bored today, so I thought I'd read the newspaper. And...you get it." She turns to the street again. I watch her face carefully. A single tear drips down her cheek, and it feels like someone just stabbed me in the stomach.

"I...I thought you hated them," I say. "You're always saying how annoying they were, and you were glad you left."

"I am, but..." She sighs again. "After we came here, it felt like Danny was my only family left. But now, he really is all I have left." She shrugs. "It was just nice to know that there would be someone there for me if I needed help."

"No cousins? No creepy uncles?" I suggest.

She laughs a little, then shakes her head. "Just me and Danny."

"Well...you've got me," I say, touching her arm.

"Do I?" She looks at me.

I nod. "If you ever need me, I'll be here."

"Thanks, Jimmy." She leans her head against my shoulder and stares out at the street.

We just sit there together for a while, looking out at the city. It's a big place. Some people think of it as promising and full of opportunity, but it can be a pretty dark place too. Right now, it's a dark place for Whatsername. And I make a promise to myself to be with her for every minute of her trouble. She needs someone.

For some unknown reason, I suddenly lean over and kiss her, and, to my surprise, she kisses back for while. Later, when we're lying on the bed, she still kisses back. But that's as far as we go. As far as we want to go, for now.

I put my arm around her, and she cries a little in the dark. I keep my arm around her even as her sniffles quiet and her breathing becomes more regular, even as she cries herself to sleep.

And I fall asleep in the dark with her.