Change // H.S.

5. An Idea

*Dani's POV*

It's Monday morning and I'm standing where Lisa usually sleeps and she's not there. I smile to myself. She's finally getting the help that she needs.

I see Josh further down the street. He makes eye contact with me and waves. Well I can't avoid him now that he sees me. I need to find a way to distance myself from Josh safely. I know he's not quite right in the head.

"Hi Josh," I say quickly. Josh smiles at me.

"Hi Dani. No breakfast sandwich for me today?" he asks.

"Not for today. And probably not for a while either, sorry. My dad's on my case," I say apologetically. He nods in understanding.

"So how are you doing today? Maybe we can get coffee together right now?" Josh suggests.

"I can't, sorry! I need to head to class," I say quickly. The last thing I want is coffee with Josh.

"But your class doesn't start for another hour...." he says. I'm at a loss for words. He caught me. How does he know what time my class starts?

"I...I'm meeting up with my friend to study for a psychology quiz," I lie.

"Rachel, right?"

"Uh...yeah. Rachel. How'd you know?"

"I remember you telling me about her. Well I don't want to keep you waiting. I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Yeah," I say and I quickly walk away from him. Today's conversation definitely made me uncomfortable.

~

I was in the front of the classroom waiting for Rachel to arrive. She finally shows up.

"Good morning!" she sings. "Is everything alright?" She looks at me with a worried expression. How does she know something's wrong? I wonder. 

"Things could be better," I answer. "My dad recently figured out what I was doing and he's not happy with me."

"Are you talking about feeding the homeless? Why is he upset about that? You're helping the homeless!"

"That's what I said but he won't listen to me! But he did say something that was correct and I can't stop thinking about it."

"What did he say?"

"He told me that feeding the homeless doesn't fix their situation and it's true. I wish there was more that I could do to turn their life around. I can't feed them forever."

"Call me crazy but why don't you find someone at the homeless shelter to adopt?"

"What?" I ask. Did I hear her correctly?

"You should 'adopt' a person from the homeless shelter and change their life. Fix whatever underlying problems they have so they can get back on their feet again." Her idea is absurd but I like it.

"I don't know. I'll think about it." I'm scared of what my dad will think.

.

.

*Harry's POV*

It's evening. I should be heading back to the homeless shelter. I am not looking forward to seeing my aunt again but I don't want to sleep out here in the cold. I take my place in line. Before I know it, I'm inside. I see my aunt at the table again. Her long brown hair wraps around her face and I see the strong resemblance to my mum. I want to cry at the memory of my mum but I hold it back.

I finally reach the front desk. My aunt looks at me wordlessly. I can see the hurt in her eyes and I instantly regret what I said to her the other day. I want to say that I'm sorry but I can't. She gestures me in without a word.

~

I've been in and out of the homeless shelter for three days now and it's absolutely miserable. I still can't believe the situation I'm in. I worry every day that there won't be room for me in the homeless shelter so I have to make sure I'm in line early to be guaranteed a spot. In the morning I would walk to my boss' shop and ask him if he has anything for me to do. Work has been slow lately so I haven't been making as much money. I'm burning through my money quickly. It's only a matter of time before I run out.

I walk into a bar and buy myself a drink. Minutes turned to hours and before I knew it, I was absolutely drunk. Drunk to the point I was numb and couldn't feel anything anymore. Without warning, I burst into tears. A couple sitting beside me gave me weird looks and moved to a different table but I didn't care. All I could think about was the miserable situation I was in. What am I doing with my life? I think about my mum again and more tears spill out. I'm sorry, mum. I'm sorry for everything. I wish you were here with me right now.