If you have any comments/suggestions, tell me and I'll make myself better. Enjoy!
Mary Margaret slipped through the back window of the house and snuck to the kitchen, looking through drawers and cupboards, for nothing in particular, but something good. She stuffed things into the satchel wrapped around her waist. She searched the house for a few more minutes, then heard the screeching of tires outside. He wasn't supposed to be back until ten, she thought she still had a half hour.
"Damnit," She muttered. She peeked through the window at him helping his dog out the truck door. She finished in his bedroom, then ran out from where she came in, and in the nick of time, as he entered, with the beagle not far behind. He caught a glimpse of her ebony hair flowing down her back, and knew right away that that was the thief going around town, but a woman? She sprinted for blocks, back to her home. It was a very small, abandoned house, but it was her home. She walked in to find a stray cat sitting on her kitchen counter. She didn't mind, in fact, she loved cats. She untied her satchel and emptied it in front of the cat, as it jumped off at the clutter of various materials. A few packs of spearmint gum, five $20 bills, a photo from high school (so she knew who to avoid), a pack of flossers, toothbrushes, and toothpaste, some snacks, and two hotel sized samples of shampoo, conditioner, soap, and makeup wipes. A very good haul indeed. She kept the $100 and a pack of gum in her satchel, then shoved the rest into the medicine cabinet, along with some other things she stole. She really didn't want to do this, but it wasn't fair everyone got so much, while she got so little. It wasn't all bad, she was free from any rules, any responsibilities; she was rebellious and free, as long as she didn't get caught by the town sheriff, who was always on her trail. She wasn't always poor. In fact, she once lived in a very large house with her father and stepmother. Both her parents died, and was cast aside by her stepmother like an old shoe, worn down and missing the other half, her parents. From then on, she looked after herself, and only herself.
The next morning, she woke up with Misty, the cat that she decided to name and keep, by her side, snuggled to her stomach, purring loudly. She got dressed into one of the only pairs of t-shirts she owns, and wriggled into her regular sweatpants. She sauntered to the supermarket a few miles away with her stolen grocery money. She loved looking at the people. She was a very good people reader, and can almost guess they're problems on point. One woman was in a rough divorce with her three kids, a gay couple strode in wearing the face of shame, maybe they're parents didn't approve? She could never actually ask what's wrong with them, but she knows she's always on the dot. She walked to the cereal aisle and stopped dead in her tracks, then ran to the next aisle over. She took out the picture she stole from his bookshelf. It's him. She heard footsteps follow her.
"Excuse me miss, are you alright?"
He was talking to the woman who robbed him, five inches away, staring eye to eye. She robbed one of the nicest strangers that has ever talked to her.
"I'm fine, thanks" she uttered. She spun and walked away.
"Hey!" He called. He recognized the same hair that flew away from him as it did the day before. By now, she's sprinting around the store, with him hot on her trail.
"Stop in the name of the law." She screeched to a halt.
"The sheriff. I robbed the sheriff. What the hell was I thinking."
"What the hell were you thinking is right. Now, hands behind your back." She slowly turned and he handcuffed her.
~
"Orange juice?"
"No," she said angrily.
"Grumpy in the mornings, are we?"
"Only when I get arrested."
"...but, if you promise to return my things, I can let you go without ever filing a police report..."
"You're not pressing charges? You're letting me go?"
"Only if I can get my stuff back." He stated
"Really," She asked, amazed.
"Oh, and, no more stealing." She returned to pouting, which he couldn't help but smile at, then she gave it a thought.
"Deal. Let me out, I'll take you to my house."
He drove her in the police cruiser, her handcuffed in the back seat.
"You know, you don't have to keep me in the cuffs forever..." she said coyly
"Oh, and why would I let a burglar out of handcuffs if they robbed me?"
"I don't think of myself as a burglar, more like a bandit." She said. He chuckled at that. They pulled up to the small, rundown house at the end of the block.
"Welcome to Chateau Bandit." She said.
"Am I not allowed to know you're real name?" He asked.
"Not if I'm to keep a clean criminal record."
"I'll keep you in custody and ask for a court hearing if you don't tell me your name," he taunted. She sighed and swallowed hard.
"Mary Margaret." He stood still, thinking.
"That's a very pretty name."
"Thanks, David."
"How do you know my name?" He shuddered a bit, knowing a bandit knows his name.
"Do you think I don't ask around for info on my target?" She asked, a bit dumbfounded.
"No it's just, if you asked around, how come you didn't know I was sheriff?"
"I ask specific questions and forgot to ask for your job title, an amateurs mistake."
"Can you just search me up?"
"Nope." She said sternly as she opened the door to her filthy pigsty of a house. His mouth gaping wide open.
"You live here?"
"Until I get enough money for an apartment, yeah."
"I have a feeling you don't own this house, do you," he muttered,
She looked at him with large eyes filled with tears yet to flow down her cheek. She ran around gathering his things from scattered places. He followed her las if he was in a trance. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke.
"You can stay with me until you find a place, and a job. I have a spare room." Her tears flowed down her face. She sprang up to hug him tight.
"Thank you so much."
"One condition. No more robbing." He said.
"You mean no more banditry." They both laughed as she hopped in the truck with Misty in her lap.