𝐷𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑏𝑜𝑦 ✪ ybn | 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝.

  𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 & 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬

After miles of walking the streets of Windell, our trip came long past overdue when we found a trailer park we had never came across before in the full year we've been homeless. The tin trailer homes were rusted and looked disused, I thought a bundle of hay had bounced across the street.

"Y'all think we can look in them?" asked Rae as she looks around the idle park.

"Wouldn't hurt, we could find one with water if we're lucky," Drea said as she began walking to the first trailer. We followed cautiously.

"Oh, look, bicycles," I pointed out, "they're a bit rusted out though."

"As long as they work, I'm fine with it," Drea shrugs as she tugs on the thin metal door. Rae and I stood back before walking up the wooden stairs.

She finally opens the door, looking in. The smell wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't bad.

"It's dark as a bitch in there!" Rae said, "Ain't no way I'm going in there."

"That's what a flashlight is for, you doh-doh," Drea laughs, "It's still light outside, Michiko, you want to check out the other ones?"

"Yeah, I could do that."

While Drea and Rae checked out the first trailer, I walked to the second one. I searched around for a weapon and found a metal bat, which was better than a wooden one. I walked onto the cheaply made patio and twist the doorknob, picking up my bat. I walked in seeing light peeking through the blinds of a window. I pulled the string down, causing the blinds to lift.

Looking around, there was a black sofa set with a coffee table. I walked into the kitchen area, which seem like it was a time capsule. There were still dinner plates on the brown round table with tall glasses, like the family had to be rushed out of their home. Once I was done analyzing the kitchen, I ventured into the back hallway where there was a bathroom, which I entered.

They were mostly like hair gurus. All of the Cuntu, Carol's Daughter, Doo Gro, African Pride, Hawaiian Silky, and the black ProStyle gel products gave them away. I looked under the sink, finding a old pink Alvins Island tote bag before clearing the shelf of still good hair products.

Leaving the bathroom, I looked through the two bedrooms, finding clothes that we could wash later.

After exploring three trailers, I was tired. Sitting in the middle of the street with bags, I waited for Drea and Rae.

"Hey, Michiko!" I turned around once I heard Drea, "What'd you find?" they approached me with three bags.

"Just clothes, body and hair products. The ones I looked through didn't have water or lights. The banks that owns these trailers made sure to turn them off," I told them, "I did hear a small water fall in the back at the end of the strip."

"Y'all want to distribute these clothes and wash them now? I found washing detergent and buckets," Rae suggests.

"Y'all want to do that while I find us a trailer to settle in?" asked Drea.

I nod, "Yeah, come on Rae."

I help her with the bags of clothes as Drea used my bat to look through trailers.

"Chiko, you think this gone come to a end soon? I'm tired of living like this."

"I don't know, Rae. We can only hope and pray that it will. I'm tired of having to steal shit. Everytime I do, I have to worry about getting caught and sent to jail for shoplifting."

"We'll get to a place where we can only go up soon."

We got to the stream where the water was falling off the rocks before sliding the three plastic tubs under it. Rae pour detergent into them as the water collide, making foaming bubbles in the process.

After the buckets were filled, I took off my jacket and laid it onto the grass. We separated tops, bottoms, and miscellaneous into the three buckets before hand washing them.

"Where exactly are we going to dry these?" I ask.

"There's a clothes line with pins behind the one Drea just went into," she answered as she rubs the fabric together with her fists.

"Oh, okay..." I sigh, "I just don't want to go to school tomorrow. I hate seeing classmates on the outside, but seeing them in school makes me feel some type of way. Like they're judging me or some shit. Just because I don't, but in reality, can't rock the newest and name brand shit they can. Society is pathetic."

I hated going to school in the situation I'm in. It was hard for Rae and I to gather our clothes every week so we wouldn't look like we wear the same clothes everyday. Drea didn't have school, she's eighteen and already graduated. Only reason why she's holding back on college is because of us, she couldn't leave us behind while she got to stay in a dorm room as we suffered to find shelter.

We tried to tell her to go on, but she refused and cursed us out. She said, 'I rather place my knees on rice than to leave y'all here in this town, fending yourselves ourselves at seventeen!' After that, we couldn't argue anymore. We were a team, when one eats-we all eat. Everything we do is for eachother, never a man for themselves. You can't be selfish in a life like ours.

Sometimes I wonder what our parents done that could've been so bad. We'll never get the answer to that because they're gone forever.

"Michiko, Michiko!"

I snapped from my thoughts and looked at Rae.

"Are you okay?" I nod, "Anyways, Drea said she found the best one. I'm going to go and pin these up while you finish the tops," Rae stood with the two drained buckets and walked towards a blue color trailer. I continued to wash the tops before draining and rinsing them.

When I was finished, I took them to the line and helped Rae pin them. Afterwards, we walked to the front of the trailer, seeing Drea inside fixing a lightbulb that weirdly came on.

"Does the water work, too?" Rae took the words right of my mouth. This is nice for us being squatters. I hate that term.

"The pressure isn't strong in the faucets. It's like something's blocking it, but it's there," she hops from the chair, "there's three rooms since it's a double wide trailer, each with it's own bed. I found tarp to put on every seat and bed. It's getting late and y'all have school in the morning. Lucky for y'all the school is only two to five miles away if you track through the woods."

I groan at the thought as I chose which room would be mine. The room I chose had a full sized bed with dusty artwork on its walls, along with a desk area. I placed my jacket onto the tarp along with my brown puppy pillow pet before heading to the bathroom to wash off for tomorrow. Drea had swept and cleaned the place a bit for the time Rae and I were outside.

Definitely not ready for tomorrow. Which was Monday, fuck.

𝖵𝖮𝖳𝖤/𝖢𝖮𝖬𝖬𝖤𝖭𝖳/𝖲𝖧𝖠𝖱𝖤