For All It's Worth

Make Up Your Mind

“Don't leave me crawling,

Catch me and show me you care”

-next to normal

He saw the last name in the obituary section. He saw the fact that there were multiple obituaries with that name. His hands shook, and the newspaper soon became impossible to read. His heart seemed ready to break through his torso. His dry throat prevented any noises from emerging, but his face was scrunched up as if he was about to burst into tears. They were gone. He put down the paper and buried his head in his hands. Finally, the nineteen-year-old boy broke down into hysterical tears in the middle of Starbucks.

It was New York, though, and everyone there had seen worse on the subway. Still, his tear-stained face was slightly rosy from embarrassment, but he had few regrets about his break down. The pretty barista slid him a tall cappuccino for free, and smiled as if the two of them shared a secret. After her shift, she came back over to him and comforted him. Without a word spoken between the two teenagers, they became close friends.

Her name was Erin.

“Let her go!” Derek barked, not letting his gun move from its target. He was filled with blind fury. Erin. His Erin. He couldn’t lose her; she was his lifeline, his best friend, his confidant. The girl shrugged again, but she kept the cold barrel against Erin’s head.

“Put your gun down. I’m not afraid to get shot, but if I go down I’m bringing her with me.” The girl seemed to know that she’d won, and she was rewarded with Derek reluctantly putting the gun on the floor. She tilted her head, that crooked smile once again making an appearance, and he grumpily kicked the gun over to her. She picked it up and slid it into one of the large pockets in her jeans.

“Let her go.” Derek repeated. For once, he was at a complete loss of words. The girl let a thoughtful expression light up her face for a second. It was gone as soon as it appeared, leaving her face stony.

“On one condition,” She eyed him, as if prepared for a ‘no’. Obviously she didn’t understand how he was willing to do anything to get her to release Erin.

“What?” Erin finally spoke, forgetting about the gun pressed to her head. The girl faltered, and slid the gun back into her pants.

“Look, I’m sorry. I never really would’ve shot you. The gun’s empty. I don’t suppose yours was as well?” She looked at Derek, who wordlessly shook his head. “I really am just a kid. A runaway. I can probably get a place to live, but until I get a job…”

“What about your parents?” Derek asked. He could tell where she was going with this. While he was apprehensive, his tone was considerably softer. He crossed over to Erin and took her in his arms. The girl grimaced.

“Not much to speak of in that matter.” She looked up at Derek, her eyes wide and her face splitting into a hopeful smile. “So, can I stay, just for a few nights?”

“Why us?” Erin asked, still trembling from the feeling of having a gun against her temple. The girl sat on the arm of the couch, her shoulders sagging as if she was carrying a burden too much for her young age.

“Your light was off. I was really just looking for a random apartment to pass through. I planned on sleeping in the lobby bathroom or something. Then I crashed into your lamp, and now we’re here.” Her explanation seemed easy enough, almost as if she’d practiced it. Derek’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and he reluctantly released Erin to bend down to the teen’s level.

“Why are you ‘hiding’? There are plenty of homeless kids in New York. You would blend right in. You know that right?”

“Speaking from experience?” She snapped, causing him to reel back. Not even Erin knew about that. “Well, so am I. That’s always where they look for you. In the subway or under bridges and shit. They never expect you to crash in a fancy apartment building.”