CHAPTER 2:
As Tori headed home, rain began to fall. At first it was just a drizzle, but before long it was pouring down. She sped up, going from a walk to a trot. Along the way, she spotted a young brunette. The girl was crying near an alleyway, sitting on the ground as the rain pelted onto her back, soaking her clothes.
"Hello? You okay? What's wrong?" Tori asked, concerned, crouching down next to the girl.
The young girl sniffled. "Hi. I'll be okay."
"Are you sure?" Tori asked.
The young girl looked up at Tori, hesitant. But after a moment of indecision, she decided to explain herself, since she didn't know what else to do. "My girlfriend and I were out getting ice cream," she began. "But then we got into a fight and she broke up with me and ditched me. My house is 14 miles from here and it's raining."
"Can you call someone for a ride home?" Tori asked.
"I would, but I'm down to 4%. And I don't really want to call my parents anyway. They don't exactly know everything," the young girl explained, looking at her phone's battery status.
"They don't know you were out late?" Tori asked.
"Umm…yeah, something like that," the young girl responded vaguely.
"Well, here. You can borrow my phone," Tori offered.
The young girl took it, and used it to make a much needed phone call. "Hi, Mom. Is it alright if I sleep at my friend's house? We got back from the movie late," the young girl said.
Tori stood there watching the phone conversation. The young girl nodded to her mother on the phone, then thanked her and hung up.
"What'd she say?" Tori asked.
"She said okay. I'm in the clear for now," the young girl replied, handing Tori's phone back.
"Okay." Tori nodded uncertainly. It wasn't clear exactly what was happening, but perhaps there would be more time to get to the truth later. "I'm Tori, by the way," she said, offering the girl her hand for a shake.
"Leah," the girl replied, accepting the handshake.
"I don't live too far from here," Tori told Leah. "Why don't you come to my house, and you can at least charge your phone? That way you can figure out where you can stay for the night," she suggested.
"Are-Are you sure? I mean…" Leah asked.
"Of course. My parents won't mind. Plus, my dad is a police officer, he might have some ideas on how to help you," Tori added.
The two of them made their way out of the rain, and back to Tori's house.
Later that evening, at home, Tori introduced Leah to her parents. "Mom, Dad, I want you to meet my new friend, Leah," she said.
"Hello, Leah, what brings you here this time of night?" Holly asked.
"I needed a place to get out of the rain, and Tori invited me to come here for a while. I hope that's okay," Leah explained.
"Sure, honey," Holly said. "Why don't you come in the kitchen, and I'll make you both some tea," she suggested, guiding both girls inside.
Holly put on water for tea, while David waved his daughter over for a private conversation, out of Leah's earshot.
"Hey Tori, where did you come across this girl?" David asked.
"She was sitting out on the street by herself crying. It didn't look like she had anywhere else to go, so I brought her here," Tori told him.
"Yeah, okay," David replied. "That's very kind, but…you don't know anything else about her. Is it possible she ran away from home?"
"I don't know. She didn't say anything about that. All I know is what she told me. She said her girlfriend broke up with her and ditched her. Not only that, but she couldn't call for a ride home because her phone was down to 4%," Tori recapped.
"Listen, Tori; I think it's great you're doing something nice for someone in need, but if this girl is a runaway, we could all potentially be in hot water here," David pointed out.
"Really? Just for helping someone?" Tori asked, surprised.
"Yes. The law could see it as harboring a runaway. And you could be in for some trouble too, since you're 18 now," David reminded her.
"Dad look, I found her out on the streets," Tori argued, motioning to Leah. "I'd like to help her in some way without getting in trouble. And it's not harboring," she insisted. "Can't I do something nice for a person?"
David motioned Leah over. "Leah, if you don't mind me asking; exactly how old are you?" he asked her.
"Fourteen," Leah replied in a small voice.
"Hmm, that's pretty young to be out on the streets, Dave," Holly mused aloud.
"Tell you what," David decided. "You can stay here for tonight, but tomorrow morning we will have to figure something else out."
"Thank you so much," Leah said, clearly happy.
"Come on, Leah; you can stay in my room," Tori told Leah, as the girl followed her upstairs.
Tori updated her status on TheSlap which read: "When you see someone in need, you help them, right? - MOOD = Confused".
Later that night, Tori made sure that Leah was settling in well.
"Thanks for giving me a place to sleep, Tori," Leah said, plopping a pillow onto the air mattress Tori had provided for her.
"Of course. I hope you're comfortable sleeping on an air mattress," Tori said.
"It's alright. I've slept on one at sleepovers before," Leah said.
Tori came back from the linen closet, handing a blanket to Leah. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "So, now I know this is probably too personal," she began. "But is there a reason you didn't want to call your parents?"
Leah sat up, but didn't meet Tori's eyes. She sighed. "Because they don't know that my girlfriend that broke up with me was my girlfriend. I haven't figured out a way to tell them that I'm gay," she said, wiping away a few tears.
"I'm sorry," Tori said, kneeling next to her. "I can't imagine how hard it is to keep a secret like that. But don't you think your parents will be worried about where you are?"
"I know if I tell them, they'll try to kick me out. I know how they feel about gay people," Leah told her. "My dad once told me that 'four generations of Brownstones following the Christian faith doesn't end just because one family member isn't following with us.' And according to him, being gay isn't considered following the Christian faith."
"Well listen, either way, you're still welcome to stay here for tonight," Tori said.
"Thank you so much, Tori. I appreciate your family doing this for me even though you don't know me," Leah said.
"It's no problem. Let's get some sleep for now. Good night," Tori said, crawling into bed.
"Good night, Tori," Leah said, as the two girls went to sleep.
The next day, Tori drove Leah back to her parents' house. Leah was hesitant to go back, but Tori insisted that it was better than leaving them worried. And Tori wasn't about to make Leah walk several miles to get home.
It was a long ride back, but eventually, they made it to Leah's house. When Tori dropped her off, she typed her number into Leah's phone, in case she needed anything later on.