A dream hidden behind a sweat shirt

Chapter forty five

*mollys prospective*

My heart beat raced in my chest. My mouth was dry and the only liquid was my warm saliva. My side aches as well as the rest of my body. Me, Cassidy, zavie, and the little girl ran with us. Through the green cedar and red oak trees. The shade they provided shielded us from the blazing sun. We had been running half the day by now. The sun was it's hottest it could get.

The air smelt like rain and damp soil. The ground I walked on mushed from the untouched dew.

I heard a thud and looked up from my feet. Being at the back of the small group we had I saw the small girl fell.

She had shining black hair, big blue eyes and a long narrow face. She had a big lower lip and a thin smaller one. Her skin was pale making a contrast with her jet black hair. The same color as mine, except shiny and long.

"Stop Cassidy." She slid to a halt and zavie bumped into her. Cassidy whipped around and ushered zavie towards us.

"What happened?"

"She just collapsed."

"Common nala wake up." Cassidy gently slapped the girl - who I found out was named nala's cheek. Her eyes flutter open a bit but her pupils where rolled back into her eye sockets.

I put my hand up to her forehead. It was burning hot. The sun didn't help as well. I took out my water bottle and carefully put it to her lips making some come out. She didn't respond to it. The liquid just ran down the side of her cheek not bothering to get any in her mouth.

"We need to get to a hospital." I practically shout.

"We aren't close to any."

"What about a phone?" I immediately thought of Andrew. He could drive us there.

"Well there is a gas station not that far away." She glanced at me nervously.

"Then why are we just sitting here." I scolded her and scooped up nala in my hands. Surprisingly she was really light.

I started to jog. Leaving a dazed Cassidy behind.

"Hop on honey." I heard Cassidy murmur.

"Okay mummy." Was all zavie said in reply.

I soon saw Cassidy jogging along side me. Zavie's head was bobbing on her mothers shoulder as we ran at a slow pace.

What felt like five minutes ago was now four hours later. Sunset was now upon us. The gas station was now only a few minutes away and my legs burned. Nala just felt like she was sleeping but I wasn't taking my chances by slowing down. Realizing now mine and Cassidy's thinking of "not to far away" were completely different.

Sizing up on the small building I noticed a guy coming out of the door in a red vest with an indigo blue shirt underneath.

I ran to him. I ignored my pounding heart, my nipped cold burning legs, and stress on my back from the small child resting there.

"Wait sir please" I heaved out. I swallowed large gulps of air trying to catch my breath. Once I was standing Infront of him I set nala on the ground and regained my breathing. Although I did pant for a while.

I looked into his eyes. His skin was a dark almost light cinnamon color. He had a small Afro but it fitted him well. It was a sandy blonde color. His eyes looked like mini green and blue mixed galaxies. He had full lips that looked completely soft. For some reason I had an urge to kiss them. Then jasper popped into my head.

"I um I need your help."

"Sorry miss it's after hours." He gave an apologetic smile.

"Please it's about my child."

I just realized I had called nala my child. But I ignored it.

He sighed a big sigh and I searched his eyes for any signs of sympathy.

"Please my little girl she idk she just her eyes." I started stuttering not knowing what was going up.

"Okay miss come with me." He hastily walked back to the store and Cassidy came up to me. Zavie was rubbing her big eyes with her small hands. She was mumbling something to her mother. She had sleep covering her whole body. Cassidy just grabbed her hand lightly and gave her a reassuring smile.

The man lead us in and I rushed to the phone. I dialed in the numbers written on my wrist and it rang three times.

"Hello?" His voice was husky.

"Andrew?" My voice sounded small

"Hey... Who's this?"

"Molly. I need your help."

"Ahhh Molly from the bar. Yeah what can I do for you?"

"Okay well long story short I was beat, ran away, with two little girls and Cassidy and one little girl had a melt down you could call it and we need to get her to a hospital." I told him where we were at as well.

"I'll be over soon." I smiled even though he couldn't see me.

I set the phone down and looked up. The man was looking at me like I was the only one in the room. I smiled shyly at him and smoothed down my hair. I walked over to nala and gently pet her hair. I took her frail body into my arms and stroked her hair and planted small kisses on it.

I wasn't sure why but this girl reminded me a lot of myself. And I felt a connection to her.

"You could be a mother." Cassidy whispered to me.

"I'm only seventeen."

"Well maybe you could adopt her... I can't support two children." She locked her eyes with the tile floor.

"Maybe." I smiled at the thought. She stood up and walked over to zavie picking her up in her arms and stroking her hair. I just smiled and continued cuddling nala.

"She looks a lot like you." I heard the man say. We weren't blood related but he didn't know that. And I guess with the black hair and long face we looked like each other. Yet she had fuller lips and blue eyes where as I had a sliver of a bit smaller lips and green eyes.

"Thank you." I smiled politely at him.

"And thank you..." I realized I didn't know his name. I looked at him for help.

"Ryan."

"Thank you ryan for helping us."

"Anytime miss." he said

He smiled a Million dollar smile.

I heard a car pull up and then a car door slam and looked out the glass gas station windows. I saw Andrew running towards us. Once he got in the small golden bell rang from tapping the door.

He immidiately brightened up when he saw Cassidy and zavie. He walked up to them and hugged Cassidy and then took a sleeping zavie in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and then kissed Cassidy. I didn't know that he liked her. Yet maybe they are just good friends. He smiled at me and then wraped his arm around Cassidy while the other held zavie who was peacefully nuzzled into his shoulder sleeping.

"Shall we go?" I nodded and cocked out my hip and rested nala on it. Her head rested in the crook of my neck.

"Bye Ryan." I nearly whispered but he heard and waved back at me. He smiled a crooked smile and then I turned around and walked to the bright red pickup that stood out even in the dark. I was gonna go save nala.