The harsh winters and intense emotions numbed Nora's mind as she found herself walking aimlessly through the suburbs surrounding her house and the school. She didn't even go back to the café that she had originally intended her trip for. Clutching her stomach and her black, trash bag of clothes and miscellaneous belongings, Nora found herself desperately trying to find a bus stop to sleep under. Even if it wasn't shelter per say, Nora felt that at the very least, her head would be protected from the rain that was to be forecasted the next day.
After shuffling her feet for a good 45 minutes, Nora had finally saw a bus stop towards the end of a middle-class block, next to a stop sign at the intersection in front of it. Feeling herself growing weaker and hungrier as the night went on, Nora paused and set her stuff down to catch her breath, next to a house with a lime-green roof and maple walls, not too far from the targeted intersection. Forcing her knees to straighten, Nora re-fastened her grip on the black bag, only jumping as a soft voice called out to her.
"Nora? What are you doing out here?", Linnie, dressed in a long, soft green coat, asked, frowning at the black bag and watching as Nora shivered miserably. "Where are you off to?"
"None of your business? That's where I'm off to.", she snapped, glaring at him, "How did you know where I am? Were you following me? You creep."
"I live here, Nora.", Linnie said, motioning to the lime green house, "I couldn't help but notice you while I was out checking the mail. Um…are you alright?"
"Of course I am. W-Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well you just seem so cold…a-and it's getting pretty late..shouldn't you be at your place? O-or Arthur's?"
"Damn Mr Nosey, don't you remember what happened in AP Lit? Arthur and I are done, not that it's any of your business."
"I-I'm sorry Nora. I don't mean to intrude, but I-I don't know…I know it's silly but it just seems like you need some help.", Linnie said softly, "Do you not have anywhere to go?"
Nora was about to retaliate and tell Linnie to stuff it as he continued to investigate. Before she could open her mouth however, her stomach let out an ear-piercing growl that made Linnie's concerned look blossom.
"Oh dear..Nora, why don't you come join us for dinner? I don't think my parents would mind, given your situation."
"The hell do you mean by my situation."
"Nora look at yourself. You look almost like a block of ice, and with the size of that bag, I'm assuming you're carrying more than a few things. Plus, when was the last time you ate anything?", Linnie asked, crossing his arms, "Please Nora? I just want to make sure you're ok. You can be honest with me. I wouldn't think any less of you."
"I can take care of myself perfectly fine, thank you.", Nora yelled, though Linnie didn't lose his worried look.
"Really? Freezing and starving yourself is taking care of yourself."
"Why you-", Nora said, before her roaring stomach interrupted again, "You know what, fine. What are we having?"
"Nothing too fancy. Just some grilled cheese and tomato soup. Something warm for the winter.", Linnie said, a small smile now on his face, "You'll love it though. I promise. My dad makes the best grilled cheese."
"What? Is he like some sort of chef or something? Isn't professional cooking for women only?"
"Well, he's not a professional..but he does a really good job taking care of the house.", Linnie said, as he led her inside the door. Nora looked around and smiled slightly as the warm air filled her body, and she was finally allowed to drop her black bag, even if it was for a little bit. The smell of tomatoes filled the air as Nora felt her body relax slightly, allowing itself to enjoy the comfort Linnie's house presented.
"Mom? Dad? Daisy?", Linnie called out as he and Nora entered the kitchen, where Nora saw a green-haired man and woman; the man stirring the pot sitting on a black stove and the woman setting plates down on a glass table. The woman wore a green-striped dress with a white belt, and her hair had swirls at the end of her tips, while her husband wore brown suspenders over a while shirt, and his hair was rather short and choppy, compared to Linnie's soft, shoulder-length hair. "We have company."
"Oh? Who's this young lady?", the woman, Linnie's mother, asked, looking up and down at Nora, "You didn't tell us you were inviting someone over."
"I-I'm sorry mom. I was checking the mail like you asked me too, and I just happened to see her walking past by. She was carrying this black bag and she told me that she was planning on camping out at the bus stop."
"The bus stop down the street?", she asked, before turning to Nora, with a somewhat scornful look on her face, "Don't you realize how dangerous that is, missy? We don't live in a very nice part of town. You could get mugged out there."
"Now, dear. Don't be too hard on her.", Linnie's father said, smiling warmly at Nora, "I'm Gonzo and this is my wife, Cassia. We'd love to have you for dinner."
"Well…I think we ought to keep you here longer that dinner.", Cassia said, studying Nora's shivering posture and the somewhat dirty state of her jeans, "Does you mother know you're here? Do you have her number? We can give her a call after dinner."
"Uh…n-no. I-I can't.", Nora stuttered, "She's not really speaking to me at the moment. She's kind of the reason I'm here right now."
"Oh…I'm sorry dear.", Cassia said softly, her voice somewhat gentler. An awkward silence filled the room as Cassia finished setting the table, allowing an extra spot for Nora, before it was interrupted by footsteps climbing down the stairs.
"Is dinner ready yet,,oh..", Daisy's voice dropped as she looked at Nora, her nose wrinkling, "Didn't realize we had a rat infestation."
"Daisy! Don't be rude! She's Linnie's guest. Now sit down. All of you.", Gozno scolded as the family took a seat, Daisy glaring somewhat at Linnie.
"What the hell, Linnie? Didn't I tell you to be careful around her?", Daisy whispered, making sure she was only audible to her brother. Linnie gave her a sorry look.
"I-I'm sorry. She just looked so cold and hungry, and she's got no where to go."
"And that's our problem, how?"
"Daisy Cosma, that's enough! Disrespect our guest one more time and we just might forget about going prom dress shopping this weekend.", Cassia snapped, making Daisy shrink in her seat. Nora snuck in a haughty smirk towards Daisy before Cassia shifted her focus on Nora, "I'm so sorry about her. My twins can be a bit shy, haha. Well, if you don't have anywhere else to do, you're more than welcome to stay with us until you get back on your feet. We've got a guest pull-out bed and some extra sheets if you'd like."
"Thank you, Mrs. Cosma. I'd really appreciate it.", Nora said in her sickly sweet voice as Daisy rolled her eyes, trying to keep her head down as she scarfed down her grilled cheese, alongside her brother who looked back and forth at the two girls nervously.
After supper, Gonzo began on the dishes while Cassia went to their garage, getting the guest bed set up for Nora, who had gone to take a shower. Seeing this as an opportunity to put Linnie in his place, she yanked his arm upstairs and led him to their bedroom, shutting the door behind them. As soon as the door closed, Daisy pinned Linnie against the wall, allowing him to squirm slightly.
"What were you thinking? I thought I had made it clear that she's not someone to be trusted."
"I-I know Daisy. I'm sorry..It's just…she looked to cold and hungry, and I just felt so bad for her.", Linnie squeaked and pleaded, "Please Daisy? She looks like she's really hurting. That's probably why she's always in such a bad mood."
"I know but still..that doesn't make hurting other people ok.", Daisy sighed, letting go of Linnie as the two sat on their beds. "I'm just worried she'll hurt you while she's here."
"I appreciate you looking out for me, Daisy, but please. Just trust me. I really want to help her. You should have seen how hurt she was in class the other day."
"Why? What happened?"
"She was yelling at someone, I'm assuming was her boyfriend, and she and another girl got into it and landed in detention. I-I'm not too sure about all the details but I think the kid she was yelling at cheated on her."
"Wow really?", Daisy asked, taking a somewhat surprised tone. Linnie nodded.
"Yes, and I'm not really sure what's going on at her home, but…I don't know. She's really struggling right now and I think someone should help her."
"Well why does it have to be you? I told you what she did to me, didn't I?"
"Yes, but I-I just think if someone were nice to her and helped her, then maybe she'll soften up and stop hurting the people around her."
"Fine. If you're sure about this, Linnie. But the second she lays even a finger on you, her little ass is out on the curb."
Though he hesitated, Linnie finally nodded as he heard the water turn off, and Nora digging around her black bag from downstairs.