"SITTIN' ALL ALONE, MOUTH FULL OF GUM, IN THE DRIVEWAY"
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ARIELLA MERMADA has never had a great or "normal" life. The teenaged girl lives on the streets as an orphan, all alone and talking to no one. She doesn't mind though. Being lonely and silent...
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Ariella woke up and yawned. She pushed off the thin blanket and adjusted her jacket. She hadn't worn pajamas in years. She sat up, and her stomach immediately rumbled. It always happened, and Ari was always hungry, unfortunately. Time to go to the mall again. The mall was the place she was at most, and most restaurant owners had memorized her orders (the food was cheaper and better than buying groceries since she didn't have a working stove or kitchen).
The brunette stood up, stretching, and looked down at her clothes. She was still wearing the jacket and pants from the other day. She grabbed an clean shirt and her black backpack. Stuffing the shirt into the front pocket, she walked stealthily into one the apartment buildings' lobbies. They had nice bathrooms, and the secretaries almost never noticed her. It was the security cameras she had to worry about. She had memorized all of the locations already, though. Experience was a handy thing.
Ari pulled over her hood, put her head down, and walked through the lobby. She kept her eyes on the ground. Families were rushing around since it was Sunday, so she blended into the crowd. She went into the bathroom, locked the door of the stall, and quickly changed. Walking back out, she fixed her messy hair and was going towards the exit of the apartment building when she saw someone familiar.
It was the African-American girl from the other day. She was near one of the counters with a black purse. Ari widened her eyes and walked as fast as she could to the door. The girl gave a single glance but looked away. The sunlight hit Ari's eyes as she went out, breath fast and heart thumping in her ribs.
Had the girl been following her? Did it mean that Henry was also following her? Ari thought about it silently on her way to the mall again. As she strolled down the quiet street, she barely heard the men gather up behind her, secretly. She was about to go into the mall's food court, when someone grabbed her arms, causing her to want to scream. She didn't though. Too risky.
Ari powerfully elbowed the person behind her, also kicking them in the shins. The man yelled out in pain and let her go. Ari ran the other way, back to the apartment building. If she was in a crowd, it would be harder for them to find her. Ari was running, looking behind her, when she ran into someone. She fell down, almost about to cuss. Could the day get any worse?!
She looked up and widened her eyes to see Henry looking down at her.
"Oh you again, what's up-" She cut him off by getting up and pushing him away. Ari heard him running after her, and she wanted to punch everyone around her. Why was this happening to her?!
Ari sprinted faster and felt families looking at her in confusion. She twisted around the corner and right into Henry's arms. He put a hand over her mouth and pulled her into a smaller clothing store. There were no workers inside, and he lead her to a dressing room. Ari debated about kicking him in the balls.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, ok?" he put his hands up. Ari examined at him warily, standing in the corner by the opening of the dressing room. "So...you're welcome." She tilted her head. "I just saved your life." He crossed his arms. She made no response. "You aren't going to talk?" Ari shook her head and looked around as she always did. Not talking gave her a gift for observation.
