A Stray Cat

Sleeping With A Stray

Riley heard a strange noise and opened her eyes. It was too dark to see anything so she reached for her lamp on her bedside table. Light filled the room revealing someone sitting on her window seat. She jumped and yelped in fear until her vision cleared and it registered that it was just Maya.

"What are you doing in here?" Riley asked rubbing at her right eye.

"I remember your room, it hasn't changed much. I remember this window seat, where I met you, where we talked about being best friends forever and our futures and stuff."

Riley sat up in her bed. "I remember."

"I'm sorry I left." Maya whispered.

"It wasn't your fault." Riley sighed. "You should get some sleep. My dad is probably gonna enroll you at my school tomorrow since you're here."

"I don't go to school."

"You have to go to school."

"Nope. Didn't like it so I didn't go."

Riley chuckled. "Well you don't have much of a choice if my dad enrolls you. But my school isn't bad. You can hang out with me, and my boys too."

Maya scoffed. "School and I don't get along so unless your dad plans on showing up everyday to check if I'm going then I'm not gonna actually go."

Riley chuckled again. "Well good luck with that. My daddy is my teacher and he'll probably have you registered to his class." She giggled when Maya stared at her with a shocked look.

"Really?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah, I hope he doesn't follow me to high school." She sighed.

"What if he follows you to college?" Maya laughed then she coughed.

Riley looked over in concern. Maya did look a little flushed and pale. "I have a plan for that. I'm gonna wait until the last possible moment to pick my college so there is no time for him to get a job there." She smirked. "What about you? What's your plan?"

Maya shrugged. "I don't make plans."

Riley frowned. "Didn't you plan to run away from home?" She asked gently.

Maya shook her head. "Not really. I mean I always wanted to leave and one night I just had enough and left."

Riley blinked. "When did you leave?"

"About two weeks ago, and my mom hasn't called yet so I doubt she cares."

Riley gasped. "Two weeks?! Where were you staying before my Uncle Shawn found you?!" She panicked.

Maya shrugged. "Park benches."

"But it's cold out!"

"I have a jacket."

"B-But it's dark!"

Maya chuckled a little. "I was never afraid of the dark. That was you."

Riley gulped. "But there are creeps!"

Maya frowned and coughed. "They don't scare me either. I was fine."

Riley stared at her old friend like she was crazy, then she realized that it wasn't Maya's choice. "But Maya-"

"I'm fine." She coughed again. "I was usually awake anyway so if I saw someone creepy looking I ran."

"You didn't sleep?"

She shrugged. "Not much. I would pass out sometimes, but mostly the benches were too hard to sleep on."

Riley threw off her covers and went to sit next to Maya. She took the girl's face in both her hands and stared at her making Maya feel awkward.

"What are you doing?"

Riley pressed her forehead against Maya's making Maya freeze.

"What are you doing?!"

She pulled away with a concerned frown on her face. "I thought so. You're sick. You have a slight fever."

"What? How can you tell?"

"Because I pressed my head to yours like my mommy does and your hot." Riley gave her an innocent smile.

"Uh-"

"I'll go get you some medicine."

"I'm fine." Maya brushed her off.

"No, you were sleeping out in the cold for two weeks. You're sick."

"I'll be fine. I don't need-" Maya put her hand up to her head and groaned.

"And now you're light headed."

"I'm fine. Sorry I woke you." Maya quickly stood to leave, but suddenly felt dizzy and fell backwards.

Riley caught her and moved her over to her bed. "No. You're sick and you need to rest. I'll go get some medicine while you lay down." She gently sat Maya down on her bed. The blonde girl immediately fell to the side so Riley moved her comforter over top of her and brought the pillow down to place her head on top of it. "Rest."

Maya groaned. "I'm f-f-" The comfort of warm blankets and a soft pillow made her drift off to sleep. It was much better than a dirty old bench.

Riley came back in with some pills and some water, but Maya was already asleep so she set it down on her nightstand and left the room.

She walked out to her living room with a small smile on her face. Then she got under the spare blanket her mother gave Maya and snuggled her head into the pillow. "God, thank you for bringing Maya back to me. I know she must have been through a lot, but I'm glad she's safe with me again. Keep watching over her, and her mom too, I don't think her mother is as bad as Maya thinks she is, maybe she just lost her way like the sheep in the bible but I know you care for all your sheep so please care for Maya and her mom, and Farkle and his family, and Zay and his mom, and Lucas and his farm. Please watch after them all. Amen."

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She had the same dream she has had before, a reoccurring dream attached to an old memory.

"Riles?"

"Yeah?"

"What happens when we die?"

"I don't know Maya, but I know we are all sheep so maybe we go to a farm."

"We're sheep?"

"Yeah. God is a Shepard and we are all his sheep. It's in the bible stories my mommy reads to me. We're sheep."

"I don't feel like a sheep."

"What do you feel like?"

Maya growled. "A wolf!" She exclaimed pretending to bite Riley's arm.

Riley squealed and giggled. "Well I'd rather be a dove than a sheep anyway! Doves stand for peace!" She yelled.

Maya grinned at her. "You can be my dove if you promise not to fly away!"

"I would never fly away!"

"What if I really was a wolf?" Maya pouted. "Then would you fly away?"

Riley shook her head. "Nuh-uh. You could be the biggest and scariest wolf ever and I still wouldn't fly away."

Maya grinned widely. "Good."

"But you can't run away either."

Maya laid her head on Riley's arm. "Whatever you want." She smiled.