the world is ugly - mikey way

| one |

drip, drip, drip

I woke up to rain splashing on the pavement next to me. The morning was cold, freezing actually, and the hole in my sleeping bag wasn't helping. 

I checked inside my sock to make sure I still had my belongings.  Living on the streets is hard enough, but trying to get to sleep without getting mugged or arrested was even harder. Thankfully, I still had the $20 I had managed to save up, the photo of my mom and my pocket knife.

I fixed myself up a little bit and got my worn coffee cup out. It was a bit damp, but still usable. I put a few cents in there while I waited for the streets to fill up. It didn't take long. Within forty minutes, I had a turkey sandwich and a dollar in my cup. 

The clouds of grey slowly began to drift away and reveal the sun behind it. I didn't get much of it, as I like to stay in the shady part . Shelter and no sun burn is a good way to go for me. I never got my moms skin. She always tanned with ease, whereas I would turn bright red. "You  little tomato" she would say

...

"I'm not little, I'm almost as tall as you". I said. 

"Ah, so you are" she said with a hint of sarcasm, so subtle that I couldn't even tell when she said it. "Let's get some sun cream on you then" . 

She lathered the lotion on my back, then gave me the bottle to do the rest of my body myself. 

I began to rub it into my small frame as she stood up. "I'm going to get some more snacks. Do you want anything?" 

...

"Do you want anything?" I looked up to see a man in his early 20's. He had the most amazing hazel eyes I had ever seen, and messy, black hair. I snapped out of my daydream. Was I really just staring at this stranger? Oh god.

"Uh, u- I'm so sorry, I was-" 

"It's okay" he said as he slid down the wall next to me. "So... what's your name?" 

 "I don't know you".

 He looked..upset? But this could just be a game. He could just be wanting an easy target. You can't trust anybody when you're this vulnerable. "I'm not a weirdo, I swear. I just want to help. I-I've known someone in a similar situation".

 "That's what they all say" I rolled my eyes. 

We sat in awkward silence for a bit. "I-I'm sorry. Look I just- I don't know you and how do I know I can trust you."

"You can search me for anything if you need to? I have a squeaky clean record - well actually I did steal my dads car once but to be fair he was being a bit of an asshole but I didn't get caught and-"

"Hey, chill" I laughed. "I believe you". 

His face lit up like a kid who had just met his favourite superhero. "Alright, cool, so... what's your name? I can tell you mines first if you like" He said, looking over at his shoes. His feet were straight ahead of him. We were both wearing the same black converse, his a bit newer looking than mines.

"Sienna." I told him. I felt stupid now for not telling him before, he actually seemed decent 

"Well, Sienna, my name is Gerard, spelt G-E-R-A-R-D, and I was wondering, would you like to grab some coffee?" he asked, looking over at me with those hazel eyes.

 "Sure, Gerard, I would love to grab some coffee with you," I said. 

We exchanged a smile "Amazing, cool". I hurriedly shoved my sleeping bag, photo of my mom and change into my backpack. I nodded to him and we stood up simultaneously. 

 We walked in silence for the next five minutes. I had no idea which coffee shop he was taking to me to, but I trusted him, so I just followed.

We ended up at a small cafe just off of the main street. The walls were painted a cornflour blue, and there were fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. It had a very cosy atmosphere. We were two of the only people there,  apart from a few hipsters, an old couple and the staff. 

We made our way over to a table and I set my bag down underneath. I looked over to Gerard. He was already looking at me. 

"Oh, about earlier, sorry for being a bit harsh on you" I told him. 

"Hey, don't worry about it, totally cool, I'll go get some coffee. What do you want?" He asked with a grin. 

"Whatever you can you get for $1.26" I told him. He just nodded and made his way over to the counter.

I liked Gerard. He seemed like an okay guy, who wouldn't lay his hands on anyone unless they were being total dicks. I felt like I knew him for years, even though it had literally just been about ten minutes.

It wasn't long before Gerard came back with the coffee's. 

"I got you a cappuccino. I wasn't sure what you'd like and I thought black would be too strong so". 

"Thank you, I'll drink anything but this is perfect" I said with a smile. I took a sip of my drink and reached into my bag to get the money out. I slid it across to him over the table. 

"I can't take that" he looked me dead in the eye, "Its on me, don't worry". 

"No, I insist, it's  the least I can do" I begged. He just smiled. 

"No, I won't take it, now drink your coffee". I gave in and took another sip of the hot liquid. 

"Thanks again, Gerard"

"My pleasure"