Finding My Way Home - Short Story

Chpt. 3 - A Rainy Day

*Hailey's POV

It was currently about three in the afternoon. I had just had lunch and now I am getting ready to go boxing.

It is a hobby of mine and is also a great way to relieve stress. I was really looking forward to today's lesson. Not so much because of what we're doing today, but because since yesterday, after saving that girl from the three guys, I haven't stopped thinking about her and boxing will hopefully take my mind off of it for a bit.

I don't know why, but for some reason she isn't going out of my head. I keep thinking if she's okay.

I grabbed my sports bag and my keys and put on my jacket over my exercise clothing before heading out of my apartment and locking the door.

I walk quickly to my car, trying not to get that wet because of the rain. It didn't look like it was calming down anytime soon.

-

I stepped into the boxing room after having put away my things in a locker. I already saw my trainer stretching, getting ready for the next hour.

His name is Mark. He is an okay guy and has really helped me with my boxing skills. He isn't annoyingly trying to get in my pants all the time like most of the guys I meet and actually acts professional. He has however, been in trouble with the law before.

He had made some stupid decisions in the past, which resulted in him serving a couple years in jail. But now he has turned his life around and started his own boxing 'school'. He has become sort of a friend of mine and I am really proud of him.

"Hey whats up Ley. Ready for some sweating?" He said as he noticed me approaching.

"I'm always ready for some action." I told him.

As he was wrapping my hands in the boxing tape, he noticed my slightly bruised knuckles on my right hand that had gotten damaged in the fight yesterday.

"What happened here? Got into a fight again?" He asked me.

"Just some dicks that don't respect woman. I took care them through." He just nodded his head and didn't question any further.

"Okay, let's do some warm ups first and then focus on some leg and foot actions today, seeing as your hand isn't a 100 percent. I don't want to be responsible for it if you get further damage." He told me and turned up some music that had a good beat to bring us in the mood.

-

After that great workout, I felt way better. I had learned some new moves and catched up with Mark. I had a good time, but now I'm exhausted.

I drove home and immediately had a shower when I arrived. Then I put on some casual clothes and sat down on my couch, turning on the TV. Seeing as today was Saturday, I decided to watch a movie.

Halfway through the movie, I got up to grab some snacks. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl and poured some candy into it.

When I opened the fridge to get a beer, I noticed it was pretty empty. That's when I realized I was supposed to go to the supermarket yesterday. It completely slipped my mind because of what happened.

I looked outside and saw that the rain had luckily stopped. It was still windy, but at least that's better than both.

I knew I could just order in, but I'm not one to do that. And I needed to get food anyway. I could quickly make a trip there and back, then it's done and I don't have to think about it anymore.

Besides, tomorrow it's Sunday so the shop is going to be closed. I don't want to wait until Monday. We have a little local supermarket in the area and it isn't open on Sundays. I don't want to travel further when it's not necessary.

So I decided to finish watching the movie and go after that.

It was around 5:30pm, so I did need to hurry up a bit because it closed at 7.

I drove my way there after grabbing some bags to put the groceries in and parked the car in the parking lot.

I grabbed everything I needed like bread, eggs, some meat and a six pack of beers and paid. I said goodbye to the nice old lady that worked there and then proceeded to load everything into my car.

As I was on my way home, it had started to get dark. I turned on the lights of the car and some music to make the ride more enjoyable.

But as I was making my way around a corner, I noticed someone walking into an alleyway. I wouldn't really have thought much of it, but they seemed familiar.

I slowed down a bit and came closer. That's when I noticed the long hair and ruined clothes. I couldn't believe it.

It was the same girl as yesterday. The one that has been on my mind ever since. I turned down the music a bit and stopped my car.

Then I shut off my lights and thought about how I could best approach her without making me seem like a creep.

I could just notice her in the dark as she stopped at the end of the alley and got down on her knees, crawling into a self-made like shelter. That's when I remembered her going through the trash I had taken outside yesterday.

And my suspicions were correct. She was indeed homeless. I put my hand up to my mouth and tried to stop my tears from coming out. She seems so young, how did she end up like this?

I decided to just head home, seeing as it was too late right now. But I wrote down the street name into my notes on my phone and made a plan to come back tomorrow when it's light.

I want to see if she needs anything and if she's okay. I'll be sure to bring some food with me for her.

I also rememberd that it had rained quite a lot today and felt sad, knowing she had been all alone in the cold rain.