Five months ago.
There was a young homeless teenage girl, tall, curly dirty blonde hair, torn up dark blue oversized sweater that went past her knees, ripped red tee-shirt under just a bit shorter but still oversized, worn out black backpack, black ripped jeans that got even more ripped from her low lifestyle, and ripped up red high top vans all from her past. She roamed around the streets but mostly stayed near a 7-Eleven just a few blocks away from a school in a well known middle class city. The city was known as a place where the houses were expensive, the schools were so great, and there was a long street of the Apple's headquarters and buildings. Everyone always wondered how someone like her could be laying around the streets. Everyday people would walk by her and look down at her. Nothing ever changed, everytime she begged for even just a cent or a crumb of food, yet they would shout at her "Get a job, go work hard everyday, or learn something and then you can ask for something in return!" They would throw food on her and everything. Although to her that was better then someone walking by and staring because at least they acted like they saw her and wouldn't look away whenever she made eye contact.
One day a guy named Tom came up to her. He bought her a meal, took care of her, and brought her to his house to clean up. What she never knew was that he was also a famous actor due to the lack of entertainment and money she had as a homeless person.
After she got finished taking a shower she ate a meal he prepared for her in extreme silence. Until he asked, "What is you're name? Also, what's up with the military necklace thing? Were you in the army? Why do you have so many bruises and scars?" Then she finally spoke, "Sorry I never introduced myself. My name is Jude Grey and I wasn't in the army it's my dog tag because I work for the FBI. One day someone tried to steal from the owner of the 7-Eleven I sit by. The guy had a mask on and a gun. Thing is the store was technically a gold mine because after school ended all the high schoolers, middle schoolers, and elementary students go to there immediately because it's not that far and buy loads of junk food and candy and hang out in the parking lot or walk back to school to hangout there. I obviously don't have a phone so I couldn't call the police and I owed the owner everything and couldn't just watch him stand there putting money in a bag shaking and trembling in fear with a gun to his head, so I went inside from the back door and slowly snuck through the isles with a huge metal pole I found. Since the guy was to focused on the money and getting out in time before anyone noticed through the glass front of the store I took my chance and hit him with the pole. He shot the gun once as he fell and he missed me...barely. Then I kicked the gun out of his hand and knocked him out cold with one more hit using the pole. Every once in a while the owner gives me food, a blanket, even some money once because he knew he couldn't afford to be paying another employer, all just so I can survive. He wanted to give me a job and a living so badly but he never could and still can't because he still has to pay the workers, use the money to stack up the isles, and make enough for himself to care for his family and himself. He couldn't be any kinder. The police looked over the security cameras and asked me some questions. They asked me to wait a bit longer and someone from the FBI came in because apparently they were looking to train four people around my age, all alone or abandoned, and apparently just as 'brave' to fight. They would give us all the things we needed to live as long as we worked. I'm just here again because I wanted a quick peaceful break from all the violence. The dog tag, 'army necklace thing' in other words is because if I die while fighting they'll know who I am and the three people I'm friends with, that I fight with right now can see it as proof that it is actually my dead body they are looking at."
"And the bruises and scars are all from fighting." "Dang, that's a really deep story.", he responded.
"Thanks for the meal and the shower by the way."
"What made you end up here?"
"What do you mean?"
"What is your story? Why are you homeless when you're only 17?"
"When I was 15 my family abandonded me because I started to act differently. I started to care more about having fun than focusing on stuff that really mattered to them like school. Don't worry I was a straight A student. I drew, sang when no one was around, stayed after school a bit extra. Everyday I started to care less about living up to thier expectations so they continued to put even more pressure to be great in their eyes and their opinions. I took things for granted and wasn't as good as my sisters at most stuff. They would say stuff like, "You're just a waste of money! You never cared about anything we ever gave you!" First of all I made some of my own money like sellling paintings and drawings and second of all they never noticed that it was their pressure and high expectations that broke me. I felt like I was finally myself doing whatever I wanted, climbing the rooftops of the school, getting in trouble all the time. One day they called me and told me, "Go home and pack whatever you can in a backpack you're no longer part of our family. Not until you start acting like yourself again. Right now you're a disgrace, and us and your two sisters decided you don't belong in this family anymore. We are sending you to your cousins to fix you and if that doesn't fix you than your on your own." One thing I knew for sure is that I wasn't broken and I was finally myself. They got the car and all five of us drove over to our cousins, me with my bag and then suddenly the car from behind us speeds up and crashes into us both cars flip over. When the car stopped flipping it was crushed upside-down on the highway I broke the window and climbed out. Somehow there was just a few scratches and blood coming down from my head. They were either all unconcious or dead I couldn't tell so the police brought me "home" because my cousins didn't care to pick me up since I was a disgrace. Parents died, sisters brought to the hospital, I don't know if they are alive, probably dead and I ran to the 7-Eleven and stayed there. It was all because I chose to be myself instead of changing back to the person they thought I was when they gave me a choice, and when I did no one excepted me for who I was. That was the last memory I have of my family. That's my story." He could see the sadness in her eyes but for some reason at the same time you could tell she didn't feel any regret or guilt for choosing for being her self.
Jude then went back to the 7-Eleven and got picked up to do her job for the FBI. Every time she came back she hung out with Tom and they became best friends. All they did was talk, play games all day at his house, laugh, and watch movies while eating pints of ice cream.
Present day. July 19.
It was Jude's birthday. Tom walked into his house with two blueberry muffins one with a candle on top. Jude still didn't notice he had walked in and was singing for fun. Right when he heard her voice begin to sing he took a video of her to enter into a competition to sing with a celebrity on stage at a concert without her knowing. After she finished singing he snuck into the kitchen to light the candle on the blueberry muffin. Tom walked up to Jude and said, "Hey! Happy Birthday!", revealing the muffin.
"Hey! How are you? Thank you so much!"
"Sorry, I know it isn't much!'
"Are you kidding me? I love blueberry muffins! Thanks a lot!" Come enjoy your muffin with me! This is way better then any birthday I've had. So far I've spent mine alone or on an airplane before the whole abandoned,car, and homeless thing. Thanks!"
"No problem."
Two weeks later, Tom rushed over to Jude so excited and energetic. He said, "Hey Jude! Look don't be mad at me okay but on your birthday when I walked into the house you started to sing and it was really good so I took a video and uploaded it to a contest I heard about and...you won! So now you and me are going to go on a plane to LA and you are going to sing with a celebrity on a stage because that was what the contest was about and he knows me too because I'm an actor so don't worry. Go pack your things right now we are leaving in a couple of hours."
"You heard me singing? Well thanks! But you know that the only things I have is that backpack filled with ripped oversized sweaters, tee-shirts, pants, sunglasses, and the iPhone you got me and the ripped up high top vans on my feet. Everything is ripped and my sweaters and shirts are also oversized. So technically...I'm already packed", she said with a smile on her face.
"Yeah. I know.", he said with a small laugh, "Let's go!", he gestured for her to come.
"This probably the most I've ever felt like something good is going to happen in my life in two years. Thanks again.", she responded.