a concern then?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
Yoss smirked. “Touché, smartass.”
“But I get it. I really do. I’m just surprised is all,” I said, wiping the smile off my face so I wouldn’t insult him any further.
“How old are you, Imi?” he asked after spitting the toothpaste into a plastic cup.
“Sixteen,” I answered.
“You’re a baby, then,” Yoss teased, putting his toothbrush away and pulling a pair of socks from the bag holding his clothes.
“How old are you ?” I threw back, annoyed.
“I’ll have you know, I just turned eighteen on Christmas Eve. I think I look pretty good for my advanced age.” Yoss grinned and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“You’re positively ancient,” I deadpanned.
Yoss chuckled. “Okay, so you’re sweet sixteen. Are you still in school?”
School. I hadn’t really thought about that. “Uh. Yeah. I’m going to be a junior in the fall. But I guess that’s not so important now.”
Yoss frowned. “Why wouldn’t going to school be important now? I’d think that would be the most important thing you have going on.”
I gestured around us. “Because I’m sleeping here . I can’t go to high school when I can’t go home.” I cringed at how shrill I sounded.
“Well, you’ve got a couple of months before you have to worry about that. Things could be really different by then,” Yoss said, taking off his old socks and putting on new ones. He followed that up by putting on fresh deodorant and running a comb through his slightly out of control hair. He seemed very particular about his hygiene, which seemed incongruous with the whole homeless thing he had going on.
“I can’t go home,” I told him firmly.
“You mentioned that last night.” He didn’t push for more information and I appreciated that. Because if he had, I would have told him to go to hell. But he didn’t. I supposed everyone had stories they didn’t want to tell.
Yoss got to his feet and he held out his hand. I let him pull me up. The sun was just rising, light streaming through the dirty windows. The Pit was even more depressing in the light of day than it had been during the dead of night.
“Come on, let’s see if we can find something to eat,” Yoss said softly, leading me out of the warehouse and into the cool morning.
I felt gross. As though a thin layer of grime coated my skin. I wanted to brush my teeth and put my long hair back. My deodorant had worn off and I could smell myself.
But none of that really mattered. I had to learn to prioritize the things I worried about. And getting food was way more important than washing my face.
I shivered, thankful that Yoss had been able to find a sweatshirt for me to wear. My bare legs were freezing though.
Yoss stretched his arms over his head. “It looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous day,” he remarked.
“If you say so,” I muttered.
Yoss looked down at me and he was much better looking in the morning light than he had been in the dark. His green eyes were intense and I found it impossible to look away from him. “Imi, if this is the life you want for yourself, though I can’t imagine why it would be, you’re going to have to find a way to embrace it. It’s the ones who wallow in self-pity that curl up and die out here. Seize the moments you’re given, otherwise the world will eat you up and spit you out.”
“Are you the Gandhi of the street kids or something?” I snapped.
Yoss chuckled. “I think someone needs to up their blood sugar. You’re a bit of a diva on an empty stomach.”
I crossed my arms over my chest belligerently. “You don’t know me, Yoss. Stop acting like you do.”
Yoss cocked his head to the side as he regarded me. “No. I don’t know you. But I’ve been you and it didn’t turn out well for me.”
I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant by that, but his hand curled around my wrist and he pulled me towards the sidewalk. “Come on. I know a place over on Vine Street
Yoss smirked. “Touché, smartass.”
“But I get it. I really do. I’m just surprised is all,” I said, wiping the smile off my face so I wouldn’t insult him any further.
“How old are you, Imi?” he asked after spitting the toothpaste into a plastic cup.
“Sixteen,” I answered.
“You’re a baby, then,” Yoss teased, putting his toothbrush away and pulling a pair of socks from the bag holding his clothes.
“How old are you ?” I threw back, annoyed.
“I’ll have you know, I just turned eighteen on Christmas Eve. I think I look pretty good for my advanced age.” Yoss grinned and I couldn’t help but smile back.
“You’re positively ancient,” I deadpanned.
Yoss chuckled. “Okay, so you’re sweet sixteen. Are you still in school?”
School. I hadn’t really thought about that. “Uh. Yeah. I’m going to be a junior in the fall. But I guess that’s not so important now.”
Yoss frowned. “Why wouldn’t going to school be important now? I’d think that would be the most important thing you have going on.”
I gestured around us. “Because I’m sleeping here . I can’t go to high school when I can’t go home.” I cringed at how shrill I sounded.
“Well, you’ve got a couple of months before you have to worry about that. Things could be really different by then,” Yoss said, taking off his old socks and putting on new ones. He followed that up by putting on fresh deodorant and running a comb through his slightly out of control hair. He seemed very particular about his hygiene, which seemed incongruous with the whole homeless thing he had going on.
“I can’t go home,” I told him firmly.
“You mentioned that last night.” He didn’t push for more information and I appreciated that. Because if he had, I would have told him to go to hell. But he didn’t. I supposed everyone had stories they didn’t want to tell.
Yoss got to his feet and he held out his hand. I let him pull me up. The sun was just rising, light streaming through the dirty windows. The Pit was even more depressing in the light of day than it had been during the dead of night.
“Come on, let’s see if we can find something to eat,” Yoss said softly, leading me out of the warehouse and into the cool morning.
I felt gross. As though a thin layer of grime coated my skin. I wanted to brush my teeth and put my long hair back. My deodorant had worn off and I could smell myself.
But none of that really mattered. I had to learn to prioritize the things I worried about. And getting food was way more important than washing my face.
I shivered, thankful that Yoss had been able to find a sweatshirt for me to wear. My bare legs were freezing though.
Yoss stretched his arms over his head. “It looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous day,” he remarked.
“If you say so,” I muttered.
Yoss looked down at me and he was much better looking in the morning light than he had been in the dark. His green eyes were intense and I found it impossible to look away from him. “Imi, if this is the life you want for yourself, though I can’t imagine why it would be, you’re going to have to find a way to embrace it. It’s the ones who wallow in self-pity that curl up and die out here. Seize the moments you’re given, otherwise the world will eat you up and spit you out.”
“Are you the Gandhi of the street kids or something?” I snapped.
Yoss chuckled. “I think someone needs to up their blood sugar. You’re a bit of a diva on an empty stomach.”
I crossed my arms over my chest belligerently. “You don’t know me, Yoss. Stop acting like you do.”
Yoss cocked his head to the side as he regarded me. “No. I don’t know you. But I’ve been you and it didn’t turn out well for me.”
I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant by that, but his hand curled around my wrist and he pulled me towards the sidewalk. “Come on. I know a place over on Vine Street
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