Love Is Pain

Hobo Tells All

"What do you want?" he asked sourly.

"Look, I need a list of everywhere you went with Lily. Josh might be able to tell you guys that you can't look for her but he can't command me. I already got some information from the gum popper so make me a list and I'll check each place out and see what the workers know," I whispered.

He looked hopeful for a moment.

"You have to promise not to go after these guys alone. If we can just get the proof then Josh will go and get her," Matt said.

"If I get the chance to get her I'm not passing it by just because you guys think that I can't take care of myself," I snapped.

"Alright, it's your life," he grumbled and started to make the list.

"I'm going to go get some sleep, slip the list under my door. I'll have my door locked so no one can get the list but me," I said and walked off.

I got ready the next morning and repeated what I had done the night before with some of the stores that Matt had been in.

Two days went by after that and I hadn't found anything. Josh kept trying to get me to look at him and talk to him but I refused. I wasn't going to pretend like he hadn't hurt me.

I knew now that he had never had feelings for me and that was something that I couldn't ignore.

I still loved him... But he never had and never would feel the same way about me. So I avoided him at all costs.

Nearly a two weeks had past since Lily went missing and Josh was still doing nothing to help her.

"Have you found her yet?" Matt asked as I came in.

"No, but I have a lead and I'm going to check it out before I take it to anyone..." I said.

"You mean you just don't want to have to face Josh," Matt smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No! Maybe," I whispered.

"Arrow, you can't keep running from him," Matt pointed out.

"Yes I can. And I plan to until I have a reason not to," I said defensively.

I grabbed something to eat real quick before taking off again. Ryan and Drake tried to stop me and ask me a question but I ran off.

I had been keeping to myself, blocking out everyone, even my brother. The only thing on my mind was finding Lily.

I went out to the old diner. From there I followed the directions I had gotten from the old hobo man. I went down the road and onto the next to get to the old candy shop.

According to the hobo it had been closed for years and the only people who ever went all the way out there were 'bad people'.

I took the hobo out for coffee to thank him for helping me. I know, you must be thinking that a hobo couldn't possibly give me accurate information but I found the old shop without a problem.

I saw two older men talking in the front lobby area of the shop and there was another in the back room.

I slipped around the back and went down into the basement through the outter door. I hid behind some old crates when I heard movement up above me.

"No one came. What are we supposed to do with the kid now? You said to give them two weeks to find her and it's been a week and a half," the first voice said.

"And we'll give them until the end of the week. We can't be rash or we might miss out on the exchange. If we keep this up just a little longer then we'll get what we want," the second voice commanded.