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“About an hour. You miss your stop?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I mumbled, my cheeks flaming red over my stupidity.
“The next bus heading that way isn’t scheduled until tomorrow at ten in the morning.” He adjusted his sunglasses as the sun began its descent, painting the sky in brilliant pink and blue hues.
“Can I stay at the station tonight?” I held my breath and hoped his answer would be yes.
“Not allowed, miss. It closes in another five hours at nine. You can hang out until then and stay warm, though.”
I mentally swore at myself for falling asleep and missing my stop. “Okay, thank you.” Sinking back into the seat, I watched the city buildings pass by and tried to form a plan. Maybe Spokane had a shelter, too.
Tears threatened to spill over, but I refused to fall apart. I’d lived through worse. I could handle one night as a homeless person.
I tapped out a quick text to Shirley to let her know I’d arrived safely. I couldn’t bother her anymore. She and Ed had helped me enough, and I was worried that she’d hop in her car and drive all the way here to rescue me. I refused to be a burden.
I shivered and rubbed my arms rapidly, hoping to generate some heat. Not only had I gotten lost from the bus driver’s directions to the shelter, but I’d managed to find myself in a neighborhood. A really nice area where the people would think I was scoping out houses to break into if anyone spotted me. Dammit.
Growing up in a small town, I’d never needed directions anywhere. Shopping, restaurants, and gas stations were all off the main road, and with a population of less than ten thousand, it was easy to find my way around. What I did realize was that I couldn’t stop moving or I would freeze to death. I’d survived too much shit in my life to die now.
I cupped my hands over my mouth and blew a warm breath on my fingers. A dog barked in the distance as my tennis shoes slapped against the sidewalk, echoing through the otherwise quiet night. Wherever I was, it was obvious the people here hadn’t ever missed a meal or lived in a shitty trailer park. The houses were so large, I could probably live in one room and be happy.
My legs ached from walking around for hours. I reached a small tree and leaned against it while I emptied a rock from my shoe. I’d paid so much attention to my surroundings and who was near me that I hadn’t noticed the sharp edge cutting into my heel. Wearily, I slipped my shoe back on and scanned the area. Streetlights lit the neighborhood well, allowing me to see the mansions lined up next to each other. Most homes were dark inside, or they had a small amount of light from a room. An idea suddenly occurred to me, and I glanced around nervously, but there was no one else outside.
I rubbed my arms, willing the blood to keep flowing. I hurried to the other side of the street and up a hill between two large homes. As I suspected, they both had a fence around the backyard. I followed the pristine wood barrier until I located a door that was cracked open. Relief washed over me as I slipped into a massive backyard with a swimming pool and a covered outdoor kitchen. A small pool house that looked more like a shed would allow me a safe space to hide until the sun came up and I could be on my way.
I moved silently to the small building and tested the door. It opened with ease. Maybe people didn’t feel the need to lock anything here, but they were stupid. I gawked at the number of boxes, outdoor furniture, and swimming toys that were piled to the ceiling. No way would I be able to fit inside and sleep. I chewed on my bottom lip, then my attention landed on what I thought might be a sleeping bag.
I slipped my backpack off, set it on the ground, then wedged my body between a small gap. My fingers were just short of reaching for what I hoped was a blanket or bag. Grunting, I shoved my upper body against the boxes and stood on my tiptoes. My boobs screamed at me for smashing them, but I didn’t care. With one last try, I grabbed the soft material and I pulled it down, the blanket piling on top of my head. I gripped it tightly and buried my face in it.
I closed the door and scooped up my bag. Now I had to find a place to curl up and try to sleep. I crept toward the house, and my heart skidded to a stop as floodlights caught my movements and lit up the backyard. I stumbled backward and tripped over a nearly deflated ball. Although I tried to regain my footing, I landed against the unforgiving ground with a thud, and my body scolded me. I scrambled around the corner of the house as the sliding glass door opened and a guy stepped outside, searching the area for the cause of the commotion.
“What is it, baby?” A girl that didn’t look much older than me slid her arm around the guy’s waist. Her platinum blonde hair grazed her back as she pushed her enormous chest against him.
“Probably just a cat. I don’t see anything. These lights kick on all the time.”
I strained to see him, but she was blocking my view.
“It’s cold. Why don’t we go inside, and you can warm me up?” she purred.
“Probably because your ass cheeks are hanging out of your see-through pajama shorts,” I muttered to myself, wishing I could sneak inside and sit near the heat for a few hours. Blondie had no idea how good she had it. I chastised myself for being childish. At least I had a safe corner of the world to sleep in with a real blanket, not the threadbare ones I had back home. Unfortunately, the covered patio offered no place for me to sleep without being seen.
The slider lock clicked into place, and the shade slowly lowered. I released a heavy sigh. At least I hadn’t been caught. I stood at the edge of the patio and searched for a hiding place. A soft pitter-patter reached my ears, and I glanced around, then tilted my face up to the sky. Rain. It was warm enough to rain? I barked out a laugh, then smacked my hand over my mouth. Plump drops ran down my hair and onto my forehead, and I wiped the water off with my sweatshirt sleeve.
Frantically, I searched for a place to stay warm and dry. My nose wrinkled as my attention landed on a large container with the word recycle on the front in bold white letters. I hurried to it and gently laid it on its side, opening the lid to extend the length of the container. Poking my head in, I surveyed the space. I would easily fit. I shrugged off my backpack and placed it at the other end of the recycling container. It would have to work as a pillow. Before I crawled inside, I reached into my bra and removed my knife. If anyone found me, I would be ready to protect myself.
A few minutes later, I settled into my home for the night and covered up with the multi-colored blanket. At least I wasn’t sleeping in an actual garbage can, and this one was pretty clean. At this point, I couldn’t afford to be picky, though.
The sound of the rain bounced off the top, and I gazed up to search the opening, tucking my feet in. I hoped like hell I was hidden and safe. I stifled a yawn while my eyes fluttered closed, and exhaustion pulled me under.
I wasn’t sure if the bright sunlight woke me or if it was the jerk to my leg. My body moved without my permission, and I immediately transitioned into fight mode. Pulling the knife blade out, I also kicked at the mysterious fingers that were wrapped around my ankle.
“Ow! What the hell?” a deep voice said without releasing me.
With a forceful pull of the stranger’s hand, I slid out of the recycling bin and onto the ground. I held the knife to my chest with the tip pointed outward. What I hadn’t counted on was the merry fucking sunshine being so bright I couldn’t see shit. I waved the blade around, blinking rapidly, trying to clear my vision.
“Hey, hang on there. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” He stepped toward me, invading my personal space.
“Promises don’t mean shit,” I retorted as my sight finally cleared enough to see who was in front of me. I scrambled to my feet and shifted the knife in my hand, ready to swipe at him. I stood there as my cheeks blazed, eyes burned, and every sore muscle in my body was taut as a bowstring. An icy shiver traveled down my back.
