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Imogen Halstead (age 15)
Word count: 1107
TW: aggression, verbal abuse.
Imogens POV
My dad has been drinking, therefore I have been demoted to using the bus in order to get to work... Work being a weekend job at a small pizzeria downtown. Jay isn't exactly fond of the idea of me working in the busy streets of downtown Chicago, but Will seems to love the idea of me taking some responsibility and earning some cash to keep me going. My dad for that matter... couldn't care less.
"5th avenue with a return, please" I hand a five dollar bill to the bus driver. He barely looks at me, let alone smiles, as he takes my money and hands me a bus pass. I take a seat at the back of the bus and pull out my ear buds, hoping my music will drown away the stench of the bus...
~
What. A. Shift... I had a slice of pizza thrown at me, I was called multiple things, and hey! I got a pay cut due to the business taking a hit. How amazing. So here I am standing at the bus stop on my own, in the pouring rain, in my uniform. Which pizza takeaway even gives their employees uniforms these day? I mean, c'mon... a red logo-shirt and far too baggy black tracksuit bottoms? Ew.
The bus takes an incredibly long time to get here, and I am freezing my ass off. The rowdy boys stood next to me are also getting very loud, and far too close... I sigh, stepping onto the bus as it arrives, making sure I sit in the middle of the bus so people can see me if anything goes wrong... those boys seem far too drunk to be trusted.
The bus ride takes roughly 30 minutes with all the stops, and I cannot wait to get off this thing. I've moved three times already since getting on, and now I'm currently sat opposite a man in a leather jacket who seems to be asleep. He has short brown hair and he's slumped over. Looks like he's had a rough night... snap.
"Hey! Sweet cheeks, come and give me a kisssss..." one man slurs and I visibly gag at his breath as he scoots in next to me. I. Am. Trapped. The men slowly get closer, one by one, and I look around hopelessly. Why is nobody doing anything to help me? What has this world come to?
"Come back with us..." the man snakes his arm around my waist and I instantly let out a small scream. The man opposite jumps, as I try to squeeze past the drunken idiot who has a strong grip on me, unaffected by my struggles, "hey! Let her go!" The man stands up, not hesitating to send a punch towards the coward, and I trip over someone's leg.
The bus slows to a stop as the man helps me up from the floor, "What the hell man?" The drunken idiot stands up with a bloody nose, "sir, get off my bus!" The bus driver shakes her head at the man who still has ahold of my arm. Him? He's the one who helped...
He looks down at me, "I'll get you a cab" he declares and I nod, not caring that he's a stranger, he's the only one who helped me. We step off the bus, which immediately drives away, and he looks at me, "you okay?" He sniffles as we move back onto the sidewalk.
"Yeah, thanks" I smile weakly, not knowing if I should run or not. He sighs, pulling out his phone, "you got a name?" He nods. I hesitate, debating on giving him a fake name, "yeah, uh, Imogen Halstead" I decide against it, he saved me from those guys... he at least deserves to know who he saved.
"Jay Halstead's your brother?" The man turns to face me. I slowly nod, confused to say the very least. He sighs, running a hand over his face, "I'll call him, get him to pick you up" he goes back to his phone. I pause, "you know my brother?" I shake my head in confusion. He smiles ever so slightly, "we're good friends" he nods, pulling his phone up to his ear. I shudder slightly, who is this guy? Almost as if he could sense my weariness, "I'm Kelly Severide. I work at firehouse 51" he elaborates.
"Oh" I mumble, I guess he does look like the type to fight fires. I look around as the man calls my brother and explains the situation. The man, whom I now know as Kelly severide, sighs, "you sure you're okay?" He enquires. I smile weakly, "yeah, I'm good" I nod. He smiles, "what're you doing on your own this late anyways?" A cool breeze sweeps past up. I shrug, "I was on my way home after work, my dad was busy so..." I awkwardly rub the back of my neck. I wonder if he knows that my dads an alcoholic, maybe jay already told him.
"Alright, well I'm sure jay'll be here soon" the man folds his arms. True to his words, my brothers trick comes speeding to a halt, "are you okay?" He rushes to pick me up into a secure hug. Jay sighs heavily, "thanks man, I owe you. Can I at least give you a ride home?" He shakes his head as he catches his breath back, putting his arm over my shoulder. Kelly smiles, "nah you're good, I'm just around the corner. Stay safe kiddo, yeah?" He points at me. I smile, "of course, and thank you!" I wave as he starts walking in the other direction, to which he returns a friendly wave.
Jay sighs heavily, pulling me into a side hug again as we walk towards his truck, "where's dad?" He enquires. I shrug, "drunk" I mumble in annoyance. Jay scoffs, "it's too late to drive around town, I'll bring you back to the district... you can stay at mine tonight" he smiles weakly as we get into the truck. I raise my eyebrows, "what about dad?" I huff tiredly. He smiles weakly, "I'll deal with that tomorrow, but for now... sleepover huh?" He nudges my arm. I shake my head, "yeah, yeah" I smile. One thing I know for certain... I can always count on my brothers. He sighs, "you sure you're okay? He looks at me again as he drives away. I scoff a laugh, "yes detective, I'm fine" I smile truthfully to which he replies with a curt nod... all thanks to Kelly Severide.
