A/N Ok, here is another update. Again thanks to everyone who is reading! I was a little pressed for time, so I'm sorry if there are some spelling or other errors. I tried to fix as much as I could:) So, here we go enjoy!

Next day after school, instead of going to see Johnny I was walking towards 8th street - the middle class neighborhood, where Jesse worked these days. He worked at a diner as a waiter. Said the place is always packed and people leave pretty good tips.

When I walked in, the place was crowded, and there were lots of waiters and busboys walking around. Jesse wasn't one of them though. I kind of felt out of place - most of them were much older than me. I felt awkward and kind of self-conscious, but I put all the effort to look tuff, and came up to one of the waiters, and asked in a tough voice if he knew where Jesse was. He sized me up with his eyes, and kind of smirked. Then he yelled in a loud voice for someone to go get Jesse for me. He then left to take an order or something, and I just stood there waiting, feeling uneasy.

Soon enough Jesse came out from the back. What if he's going to be mad at me for just showing up like that at the place where he works?

"Hi," he said, and he sounded friendly. "What's going on?" Before I answered though, he waved to one of the guys "I'm on my break 'til 4, tell the big man if he asks."

"Ok," the guy answered.

Jesse led me outside. "So, what's up?" he said, lighting his cigarette, and offering me one.

"No, thanks." I shook my head, and then I didn't know how to start. Jesse was looking at me expectantly.

"Well," I blurted out, "I'm looking for a part time job, and I was wondering if this place needed a bus boy." I was cursing myself for coming in like that. It looked like the place was full of people and it didn't seem like they needed anymore.

"Yeah, they may hire you," Jesse said exhaling the smoke. "You ever worked as a busboy before?"

"No, I shook my head again."

"Never mind," he said. "Stay here." He grounded his cigarette, and went inside. I saw him talking to some fat guy, probably the boss. He was pointing and nodding in my direction.

In about 5 minutes Jesse came back out, holding some papers and a pen in his hands. He motioned for me to come in.

"I just talked to the boss, put in a good word for you, ya know?" He grinned slyly. "Can you start today?"

"Sure," I said, not believing what I was hearing. Just like that Jesse went in, and got me a job.

"Oh, you still got to fill in this junk though. Just for 'em to keep it on file and shit." He said, giving me the papers he was holding, which turned out to be the application.

"Bring it up to the counter when you are done." He said, handing me the pen.

"Ok," I nodded.

"Your brother ok with this?" Jesse asked when I was handing him my application.

"We didn't exactly discuss it, I don't think it's really up to him to decide." I replied. He only chuckled in response.

"So," he said then, "you are not gonna ask?"

"What?"

"You are not gonna ask how much they are paying?", Jesse laughed.

"Oh," of course I wanted to know how much they were paying, but I felt kind of awkward asking. A bus boy job usually pays around 7 or 8 bucks per hour. So I figured that's what the pay would be. (A/N I don't know what the pay rates and prices were back then. So, I'm using current time rates.)

"They start you at 6.50." Jesse said, "and in about three months they up you to 7 I know it's not much, but that's how they start all the busboys around here, you dig?"

"Sure," I nodded again.

"C'mon now, I'll show you where the stuff is." He led me to the back, where I left my bag, and put on the uniform, which was really only some cheesy looking apron with the logo of the diner on it. That sure makes me look tuff, I thought, but everyone was wearing one, and that made me feel better.

So, for the rest of the day I was cleaning tables and sweeping the floor and helping around with some other stuff. From time to time, I'd mess something up, and someone would make a joke. The guys that worked there weren't too friendly at all. I didn't let them get to me though. I just kept doing my job. At one point the fat guy, the boss came up to me, and introduced himself. He said that I can come in every other day for the rest of the week, and that by the end of the week, he'd work out my schedule, which was just dandy with me.

When it was time to leave, I was really tired. Jesse's shift was over a few hours before, so I came outside all alone. It was dark and chilly out, and I was rushing towards the bus stop. When I got there, it was empty - not a single person around. I've been waiting for about 10 minutes, and the bus still didn't show up. I was getting frustrated.

Suddenly I saw a figure approaching the bus stop. It was a girl. She was wearing a jacket, and the hood on. She was having a hard time walking through the snow, and kept stumbling, and almost fell a few times. She didn't see me, and when she came up closer, the light from the street light lit up her face, and even though she was wearing a hood, I recognized the girl as Angela. What is she doing here at this hour, I wondered? Wait isn't she supposed to be in a girls' home. She must be running away, AGAIN!

Right at that moment she noticed me, and recognized me too. I didn't know what to expect. Knowing her, she probably would curse me out, or say something really obnoxious. To my surprise though, she came up closer to me, and asked me for a quarter so she could take the bus.

I felt blood rush to my temples. She's got some nerve. The other day she was cursing me out, and calling Johnny a coward, but now when she needs something, she is asking me for help. And she's acting all nice and vulnerable. Screw that.

"So, do you have a quarter?" she repeated.

"I got a quarter," I replied, and my voice sounded mean like it almost never does, "but what makes you think I got to give it to you?"

She looked confused, - "What are you talking about?"

"You got short memory, I see." I said. "You insult people, and then you don't even remember that, and you are asking them for help. Or are you just playing dumb? And aren't' you supposed to be somewhere else right now?" I cleared my throat knowingly.

"That's none of your damn business." She snapped. That's more like it I thought. That's her real personality coming through.

"So, you are gonna give me a quarter or not?" She asked again. "Even crude like you can understand that I can't walk all the way home from here."

"You can walk all the way to the north pole, for all I care," I said disdainfully, and turned away from her, so that she now was facing my back. I was mad. She is a user. She insulted me and Johnny the other day, and now she is asking me for help.

About another 15 minutes had passed, and the bus still was not there. This happens a lot during the weather like today – snow and wind and all of that. I felt really pissed. And the fact that Angela was here too was adding to my aggravation. I could just feel her standing there, behind me and piercing into me with her eyes. It got much colder and much darker too.

Finally, I saw the bus approaching. I sighed in relief. The bus stopped, and I proceeded to walk to the doors. In the corner of the eye, I saw Angela just standing there all alone.

"Here," I quickly grabbed a quarter out of my pocket, and placed it in her palm reluctantly. Then I just turned away, and quickly walked inside the bus. I was mad. I didn't want to give her the quarter, but I just couldn't leave her out there all by herself. I really must be soft, I guess. I felt her walking right behind me.

The bus was empty. There were 2 more passengers besides us, and that's it. Please don't seat next to me, I thought, sitting down. She didn't – good. I was looking at the window, thinking what a hypocrite this girl is, calling Johnny a coward for what he did, and now she's running away, and she's wearing a hood and everything 'cause she doesn't want anyone to recognize her. I was trying not to look in her direction, but I could still see her in the corner of my eye. She wasn't looking in my direction either, but every now and then she would give a quick glance at me, and then turn back around.

It was my stop, so I went upfront closer to the exit. She started getting up too. Shoot, she's getting off here too, I thought. I got off the bus in silence, determined not to say anything to her.

"Thanks for the quarter," she yelled from behind me, but her voice sounded more angry than thankful, and before I could think of what to reply, she kept yelling, "you really didn't have to make all that fuss about it." I couldn't believe she was acting mad. I should've just left her freeze to do death down at the bus stop.

"You are such a hypocrite," I yelled on top of my lungs. She turned around startled.

"Did you say something? 'Cause all I heard was some pathetic blab."

"I said you are a hypocrite," and my voice sounded firm and cold. "Look at you walking around with that hood on, hoping people won't recognize you. And you had the nerve calling Johnny a coward for doing the same thing."

"It's not the same thing. We have different reasons for dong that." She replied.

"Exactly! – He has a million more reasons to be doing that than you do."

"I'm only doing it 'cause if someone sees me they'll bring me back to that God awful place, but I'm gonna go back there anyway after I visit my brother and my mom. I'm going back for the night only. And comes morning I'll be back there. But he's hiding out forever, like he doesn't exist. He faked his own death for God's sakes. If that's not a coward, then I don't know what is."

"He didn't fake nothing!" I cut her off. "It was an accident. And he isn't doing it forever. He's only waiting 'til he's 18, so he doesn't have to go back to his old man, who beat him." She winced, and looked a little lost.

"And he sure is NOT a coward. You don't even know his whole story."

"Yeah, why don't you tell me." She said sarcastically.

"Forget you…" I said, and turned around walking away.

"Thought so," she yelled from behind me. "You've got nothing to say so now you just walk away."

"Ok," I said, slowly turning back around, and walking back towards her, you want to hear the whole story you got it. I grabbed her hand and started walking dragging her after me. "What the hell are you doing?" she screamed.

"You said you wanted to hear it, so lets go sit down somewhere. I'll tell you the whole story, or are you suddenly scared to walk with me?"

"Me? Scared of you? Please," she mocked, "even I could take you." She snickered. That sure wasn't true, but I didn't even care to bother with that at the moment. I kept dragging her after me. Stumbling through the snow.

"Here," I finally stopped right in front of the fountain, where the socs were trying to drown me. The whole thing was now covered with thin layer of ice. "This is where they tried to drown me. Johnny was beat up all the way in the back . He came up here, and stabbed one of them. He could've just ran, you know, but he stayed, and stabbed one of them so they'd let me go. Do you call that coward?"

"And he lived at home with his old man," I continued, "who beat him all the time with a 2 by 4, and Johnny didn't even cry. Is that a coward?" I knew Johnny didn't want anyone to know about the beatings, but I needed all the proof I could give her.

"Did you know that?" I repeated, not looking at her, but suddenly I was cut off by her "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I had no idea."

I hadn't been looking at her the whole time I was talking, but now I looked up. She took the hood off, and under the street lights I could see her face real good. She was really pretty. That disdainful expression was gone from her face. She was very pretty. Her hair was curling on the sides and it was wet from the melting snow. I could also see some water right under her eyes and some on the cheeks, but I wasn't sure if it was melted snow or tears.

"Forget about what I said before," she said quietly. "I say all kinds of stuff all the time. I don't mean nothing by it, really. That's just … that's just how I am." She added."

"Ok," I nodded. I was actually quite impressed by her. It takes guts to apologize like that. "C'mon I'll walk you home. It's too dark for you to be walking alone." I said.

We were walking in silence. "Carol is nice," she said, as we were passing Carol's house since Angela lived in that area too.

"Yeah," I nodded, "she's real nice."

"Please don't tell her…" she said pleadingly.

"I won't" I said friendly.

"My dad…," she said then, and stopped, looking down at the snow, "he's a real jerk. I don't feel bad for what I did ". She added with a little mischievous smile. "He deserves it. Trust me," she reassured me, "he deserves it! I can't imagine how your friend lived with a father like that. I'd run away or something."

"He thought about it many times." I said, as we started walking again, "but he didn't really have anywhere to run to. At least he has his friends here."

"I guess so," she shrugged.

"Hey, don't ever mention to Johnny that I told you. He doesn't …"

"I know," she interrupted, "I won't mention it."

"So you are going to go back in the morning?" I asked.

"Yeah, I have to." She nodded as she walked towards the front porch. "Thanks for walking me."

"Sure," I shrugged and turned around and started walking back.