Unlikely Love

Normal

Rue was too late..

Bert started throwing Sidney's food at both of the girls, Rue dodging and Sidney crawling away. "Help!" She called.

Rue started picking up the food that was thrown and throw it back. The Boxx Brothers stopped laughing and started dodging and throwing back. It became a full on food fight.

A lady walked by, and got a face full of burger, which made her very mad. A man jogged by to get a hot dog and pretzel from the nearby pretzel shop, and instead, he got some fries in his behind. By now, there was a circle of nothing around the fight, because people didn't want to get food on their fancy clothes.

The Boxx Brothers were panting. "BOUNCE!" Rue said clearly. She turned around, hoping to bow to an audience, but everyone was on their phones. Nobody even saw the food fight, and nobody even cared. As the brothers scurried away, she scowled at a teenage girl walking past her. She was in her phone, texting some guy named Carlos. Rue sighed and went to find Sidney.

—-

"M'am, where are your parents?" The police officer asked.

"Umm, at my house..." Rue lied.

"What's their phone number?"

"We are very poor, sir. We don't have phones of any sort," Rue fibbed.

"I find that hard to believe," The officer stated, glaring at Rue.

"I live by myself, I'm eighteen," Rue said, trying the truth for once.

"You seem, mm, smart. Why aren't you in college?"

"Umm... Can't pay for it?" Rue asked herself if that was a good answer.

"I see... Well, who is she?" The officer pointed at Sidney. Rue gulped.

"I'm babysitting her," Rue replied, feeling the weight of each lie on her shoulders. She was tired of the lies.

"Who is her Mother? And what is her number?" The officer asked.

"Officer..." She check his name tag, "Bloyman, she is my neighbor and she comes to my house after school and on weekends. Her mother died, and her grandmother takes care of her. Her blind grandmother... So I babysit her. As for her number, she doesn't have one. Good day!!" Rue straight up lied. She didn't know how she came up with that backstory, but it worked.

"Okay, okay!" The police officer cried. "Just one last question; Do you think I am dumb?"

Rue gulped. "No, sir."

"I know who you are, Ms. Rue. A runaway from the foster center. And Sidney, she is a foster care child as well!! Now you, Rue, are old enough to not have to go back, but Sidney here, she has a family waiting for her. Did you know that? SHE... HAS... A FAMILY... WAITING... FOR... HER!!!"

"I'm her family!!" Rue protested. Sidney started crying.

"No, you're not. You're a street rat. But Sidney here, she has a chance to be a NORMAL human being, a chance you were denied," The officer stated, enforcing the word normal, which hit Rue in the gut. He grabbed Sidney and walked out, leaving Rue by herself, lonely, sad, and hungry.

——

Rue walked the streets with no money. The officer didn't even offer her a penny, how very rude of him. She walked, hoping to find some free samples, or some kind people to get her food.

When she waited for an hour, she decided to give up. Her feet ached, her head hurt, and her stomach growled. Her shoulders sagged from the weight of her lies, and her teeth chattered, because the world seemed so dark. So cold.

Officer Bloyman's words rang in he hear. She felt sick. 'She has a chance to be NORMAL...' taunted her. Rue closed her eyes and stopped walking. This would have been the time of a musical where the main character sings a sad song. Rue opened her eyes as the more words flooded her ears; '...a chance YOU were denied...'

She tried to focus on other things, like the normal people around her. But she just thought about how normal they are, and how different she was. She could stand out from a crowd, just because she was so good at fitting in. Well, trying to fit in.

She had so many questions; How did the officers know me? How did he find me? Why did he take Sidney from me? Why didn't he take me? Why am I so helpless about this? Why don't I just burst into song? What does he mean by normal? How am I not normal? Am I normal? Is Sidney normal? Will my life get better? Will I be like this forever? Am I an idiot for raising her? For lying? For sitting here and doing nothing? WHO AM I?

Rue sat down on the side of the street. She counted the taxis that drove by. She started whispering her favorite song to herself. She told herself that she was normal. In her own way.

Rue drifted off to sleep. It was a long day, but it will only get longer, because it is only around two o' clock. Who knows what will happen?

——

(Away from Rue)

Carlos rounded the corner. He saw a girl sitting on the side of the road, sleeping. He chuckled, and took off his coat. He put it around her, while she snored. He caught a glimpse of her face. It was beautiful. He smiled to himself, and continued down the road. Something about that girl seemed familiar...

He heard many people talking, about the weather and other stuff. He heard one lady call, "Children were throwing FOOD at me! I got a burger to my FACE!!" to her friend, and he heard a jogger man with a stain on his sweatpants yell, "Now I need to go home and change because of some kids throwing food! It ain't fair!! Ugh, children these days!"

Carlos shrugged and walked to his destination; the bakery. He ordered a sandwich, some biscuits, and a lemonade. He got up to use the restroom, and he thought he saw that girl from the street. You know, the one that was sleeping? He decided it wasn't her, and continued with his trip, but when he came back, he found that the girl was under the table, munching on his biscuits.