On the Streets
She wasn't going back home. She had no clothes, and now no money, but she wasn't going back home. Would the three homeless kids let her back into their basement room, or would she have to fall asleep in a gutter for the night?
Simone only had to turn around to be facing the boy that was called Snake. He looked annoyed as he grabbed her arm and dragged her inside, and into the basement room.
"I found your new buddy Ratface. She was standing there just like she was when you found her."
"Kitty! I'm so glad you're back! Come on over and sit with me!" Simone lets herself be dragged to a corner with the girl called Rat, or Rat face, and listens to her babbling. "Before I came here, I was so popular in Harmony High School, do you remember that we used to be in English together? Don't tell Snake that I talked to you about high school, we are NOT supposed to talk about our lives before, but I only recognized you now, you have lost SO much weight! It must have been at least 30 pounds, because all the guys used to like stare at you because you were so cute, and all the guys were scared to death of your Dad. I really need to stop talking about the past, I'm just so glad that another girl is here, I hate living with two guys, well I love Flea, but Snake is such a brooder and all he does is complain, complain, complain. I never thought you would be the fourth one to join us, I thought - No, I can't talk about that, it would probably upset you. You are so quiet Kitty, is something wrong?"
"I'm cold."
"Well then here, take this sweater" Simone looks at Rats face with a spark of recognition.
"I remember you, with the stars."
"Kitty, you need to put some clothes on, I don't know why I thought you weren't freezing, is something wrong- Are you stoned?"
"Mother dear, see here, see here, your Kitten you have lost-"
"You weren't like this a few minutes ago, you were fine before you went outside-"
"She lost her Kitten, that naughty whore wench, and left her home to die. Meow, Meow, Meow, she left her home to die"
"Kitty, I'm worried, I'm going to get the guys and see whats wrong, SNAKE! FLEA! Help!"
The two young men look at the shivering young girl, and come to the conclusion of either drugs, or a total mental breakdown.
"I'm sorry, Where are my manners?" asks Simone before laying on the cold floor and falling unconscious. It was only then that an empty pill bottle fell from her limp hands.
"She left her home to die." repeated Rat. "This was all some suicide attempt, and she got us involved."
"She's not dead." Said Flea, kneeling beside her, "She's only asleep. We probably can drop her off at a hospital-"
"This girl is like us. She stays. Let her sleep." Snake orders, before retreating to his corner of the room.
It was the next afternoon that Simone woke up to an empty room. The empty pill bottle lay beside her, and she realizes what must have happened. They left her, because they thought her crazy, and suicidal.
The stupid pills, they made her forget. A few here and a few there, and the bottle was gone. But forgetting was so easy when she took them. She began to remember the girl called Rat. The one who remembered her from high school. The one who was sick of living with two guys. Rat, who was in school plays, the one who played the angel among the stars in the Christmas play.
The name escaped her. But it didn't matter if they thought she was crazy. Being crazy was almost as bad as being Whitney Russell's little sister.
Looking around the room, she saw a piece of newspaper, folded on the floor, with 'Kitty' written on it in black crayon. A note about clothes, and food, and them returning. The clothes and the food were there. After putting them on, she ate, and waited for her new friends.
They returned, and sat around a circle and talked. Simone realized that she was not Whitney's little sister to these people, she was Kitty. She was her own person, not attached to someone else. Her friends had weird 80's nicknames, and were homeless, but they were her friends. They wouldn't expect her to worship her sister. She didn't have to be the silent sister anymore.
Rat was her new best friend. They would take walks together, and talk about how annoying Snake and Flea could be. They would look in the windows of clothing stores together, and admire the clothes they wanted, but could never afford. Rat never asked her to help manipulate a guy, and Rat was there when Kitty had nightmares.
Snake and Flea were like brothers to her. They would make sure she had food, and a blanket at night. They always seemed to be behind her when she was alone, making sure that she was safe.
Everything seemed to be going great, so much better than when she was living with her parents, that is until they were in Harmony at the wrong time.
Eve was walking out of the book café, at the same time as Simone and her 3 new friends walked by.
"My baby! Simone, mommy has missed you so much!"
"When are you coming back home Mommy?" asked Simone, suddenly converting herself back into Whitney's little sister. "I miss you."
"Oh Sweetie, I'm so sorry for everything I've done, your father will never forgive me, do you forgive me sweetie? Mommy misses you and Whitney so much." Simone threw her arms around her mother, tears running down her cheeks.
Snake shook his head and walked away while Rat stared at her friend, and watched for the explosion she knew was coming. Except there was no explosion. The mother and daughter looked to be having a happy reunion, until a tall, thin girl walked by, and stole Eve's attention from her youngest daughter.
"Mom, I need to talk to you." Eve's arms released Simone, and grabbed Whitney as eve turned her attention to her older daughter.
"What's wrong sweetie? You seem upset." Simone watches as Eve walks off with Whitney, and out of her life again.
Simone looked first in her pocket for the pills that were not there, then she looked for an empty space, somewhere she could run to, before running past her new friends, and as far away as she could get from her mother, and Whitney.