Stray

by Solveig Yrsa

  Liam looked over at the two girls. “Ummmm… looks like she’s trying to make a friend, but she is going to end up running away if Sammy keeps coming off that strong.”

  “I’m going to see what’s going on,” Spencer said, leaving the two behind and walking down the sidewalk. Once he got to the girls, he halted, confused by the sensations he was feeling. His heart was heavy, a pounding, burning sensation ran up his neck, and his ears were ringing. He didn’t understand why, but suddenly he felt the urge to beat someone. Taking a breath, he tried to shake it off, and then looked again at the battered girl.

  “What happened to you?” His question came out far colder and harsher than he had intended.

  Layla just continued to avoid eye contact and shrugged. Why couldn’t he tease her like usual? Or just leave? She was honestly completely okay with either option at this point, just as long as he wasn’t doing this. She didn’t want all the attention brought on her. She just wanted people to give her their loose change and leave her be.

  Noticing that they were silent, she dared to look up, to find all four of them were standing there, looking at her, all apparently waiting for an answer.

  “I… I couldn’t stop coughing. Now please, will you all leave?” Layla begged them. She looked behind them as pedestrians were walking by, unable to see her small soup can. She was losing potential money. Marcus is going to kill me for sure, she inwardly sobbed.

  Samantha’s perfectly arched brow rose over the frames of her Ray Ban aviators. “Did somebody hit you? Sweetie, you need to go to the police!”

  Layla gave a short laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Standing up, she looked at them all. “Look at who you are talking to. I’m not you. I’m not some high-class, clean, well-educated person who society gives a damn about. I am homeless! No one cares about me! As far as they’re concerned, I deserve this for not being productive. I am the dog crap that this city has stepped in, and they are trying their hardest to scrub me off and pretend I never happened. You’d think you all would realize that, considering your friend there,” she stopped and stared at Spencer for a moment before diverting her attention back to Samantha, “stole my money without even a thought of what that would do to me. The police will not help me because I have nothing to offer. Now, if you don’t mind, I haven’t eaten in a very long time, I’m starving, and you’re all blocking people from seeing my cup.” With that, Layla sat back down and stared straight ahead, as if looking through them to the people walking by.

  Samantha opened her mouth to protest, but Liam grabbed her elbow, motioning for her to leave and drop it.

  Samantha sighed in defeat. “Okay, will you at least take this,” she reached in her pocket and grabbed a twenty-dollar bill. “Please, go get some food.”

  Layla furrowed her brow as she stared at the bill. She had never seen one of those bills before. “I don’t know what that is,” she whispered.

  Samantha nearly choked. “It’s umm… it’s twenty dollars. Y-You’ve never seen a twenty-dollar bill before?” Layla continued to stare at the note, and shook her head. “Well here,” Samantha placed the bill in Layla’s cup. “This is yours.”

  Layla’s cracked, chapped lips formed a small smile. “T-thank you.”

  “Just be careful alright.” Samantha stood up and adjusted herself. “Whoever is hurting you, obviously doesn’t have your best interests. You need to get away to somewhere safe.”

  Spencer watched as Samantha and Liam walked off. He motioned for Jensen to follow, and he mouthed he’d catch up. He watched as Layla winced while trying to stand back up. Grabbing her arm gently, he helped her. He was shocked by how tiny she felt. “Show me what is hurting you,” he said softly.

  Layla could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and pushed away from him. She didn’t like how close he was to her. She took him in with her eyes and for what must’ve been the first time, really looked at him. He was so tall, she only came to chest level on him. When she had pushed him, she could feel how firm he was. His short, messy, black hair was covered by a black baseball cap, and his emerald colored eyes were so bright in the sunlight they almost didn’t look real. She looked at his square jaw covered in stubble and his full lips.

  “I-I got to go.” Layla started backing away, trying to put distance between them. She didn’t like this feeling. She didn’t like what was happening.

  Spencer noticed her panic, and he knew she was about to run. “Okay here,” Spencer held one hand up to motion for her to stop trying to bolt, and then with the other, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “This is a hundred dollars,” he stated, pulling the bill out. “I want you to take this, and use it to get the hell away from whoever did this to you. I mean it, I do not want to see you here anymore.”

  Layla looked at him in shock. Her blue eyes were wide and her mouth hung open. “Like… to a shelter?” she said in awe.

  Spencer nodded. “Yes, a shelter, a different town, different city, different state. Just take it and get away.”

  She slowly took the money from him and smiled. “Thank you… thank you so much.” Her voice was shaking, she was so nervous. He just nodded before turning and heading up the street to meet back up with his group.

  Once he got to them, he looked back to see her walking the opposite way. “Goodbye,” he whispered.

  Layla ran back to the nest as fast as her broken body could. She ran to her area, and grabbed an old coffee can and a ratty scarf. She then stood up and made her way back to the fence, but bumped into someone. Looking up, she saw Old Man Marcus with his new buddy, Jackson, standing in her way. Jackson was a gargantuan man, in his mid-forties, and was just released from prison for charges that were better left unsaid. Let’s just say, since he came to the nest a couple weeks earlier, Layla made sure she did not sleep if he was awake. She hated having him in the nest, but Old Man Marcus seemed to keep him away from her, as long as she continued to pay.

  She gave them both a nervous smile. “E-excuse me,” she whispered, and tried to move.

  Marcus grabbed her arm, and yanked her back. “LaLa, you best hand it over.”

  Her heart sank. No, she thought, He couldn’t know… Please no…

  “H-Hand what over?” she asked, trying to play dumb.

  Marcus read right through it and slapped her across the face. “Now, let’s try this again…” He stuck out his old, dirty hand. “LaLa, hand over the money. All of it.”

  “No!” She gulped. Her body shook with fear, but this was her only shot to get out. “It’s mine!” Mustering all the strength and courage she had, she pushed through them and ran off as fast as she could.

  Marcus shook his head. “Stupid LaLa.”

  ***

  One Week Later

  Spencer sighed softly as he and Rachel walked past Layla’s regular spot. He hadn’t seen her there since he had given her the money. He honestly didn’t know how to feel about it. Part of him was happy, or relieved because he felt like she may have taken his advice, and actually left and found help. The other part of him was concerned; did she really find help? Was she lost somewhere? Or worse…

  Rachel looked up at Spencer’s serious expression. “What is the matter with you? Have you been listening to a single word I’ve said?”

  He looked at the bratty women next to him. He was really regretting his decision to date her. “That homeless girl that is usually there, she hasn’t been there in a while.”

  Rachel looked from him, to the spot he was looking, and then back towards him again. “Yeah, and? She’s probably off getting high or something. Why do you even care?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t care, I was making an observation.” His eyes looked from the spot to Rachel, and his eyes fell down to her wrists. “I could also make an observation about your naked wrist.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I told you, I decided that look was too old for me. I want their new design.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not the only thing that is seeming to
o old for you.”

  At that comment, she stopped walking and turned to him, putting a hand on her hip. “Look, Spencer, just take me home. I don’t really feel like going shopping with you anymore.”

  “Oh, really? What a shame, you don’t feel like spending all of my money? How will I ever recover? Go get your own ride.” With that said, he walked away, leaving a flabbergasted Rachel behind.

  Walking into the coffee shop, he took a seat by the window just as a loud boom of thunder rattled the building and rain poured from the skies. “I hope the rain melts you,” he muttered.

  ***

  Layla flinched as water dripped on her face. She opened her eyes and looked around at the dark cloudy skies that were releasing rain. Sitting up slowly, she bit her lip to keep herself from crying out. Her left arm hung limp at her side and it hurt to breathe. She couldn’t believe how badly Marcus and Jackson had beaten her. She couldn’t take it anymore. Slowly standing up, she made the decision to leave the nest, even without the money to do so.

  I’ve waited and waited for a miracle. I’ve tried to escape and go to a shelter. I always end up back here. I’m tired, I’m sick, and this pain is too much. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she made her way through the fence, and up the street towards the city. She looked at the dark skies, and listened as the thunder rolled. The cool drizzle became more of a downpour. She sighed softly. It was almost fitting.

  She limped towards the busy street, watching as cars and trucks zoomed by. Please, all I ask is that you make this quick, she prayed as she closed her eyes, and walked into the middle of traffic.

  Spencer walked out of the coffee shop and groaned. He cursed himself for waiting until it began to downpour to leave, but his mother had called and he needed to get home. He looked up to see if he could spot his driver, and that’s when he saw the homeless girl. “What in the hell is she doing?” he muttered, then his eyes widened when he saw her walk aimlessly into traffic. He looked down the street to see a large truck barreling down towards her.

  “Fuck!” he cursed, and ran into the street.

  Layla kept limping through the road, wishing someone would just hit her already. Suddenly, she heard a loud horn. She stopped where she was and waited for the hit, but she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her tiny waist and yank her back to the sidewalk. She opened her eyes just in time to see the semi-truck fly by.

  Blinking, she realized that she was on top of someone. She looked down and gasped. “I-it’s you!”

  Spencer had barely made it to her. He had grabbed her and got to safety just in time, but he tripped and fell in the process. He glared at the filthy girl on top of him. “Are you that fucking stupid!? You could’ve killed yourself!” His voice boomed as he pushed her off and stood up.

  Layla blushed and looked at the ground. “That was kind of the point,” she muttered.

  He looked down at her and cocked a brow. “Why? Why on earth would you want to do that?”

  Tears flowed down her cheeks, but they mixed with the rain. She continued to look down, almost ashamed of what she had tried to do.

  “I-I’m tired alright! I’m tired of starving, of getting beaten, of being sick, of sleeping on concrete. I’m in so much pain and I’m dying anyway! I just wanted to speed up the process!”

  “What about the money I gave you? I told you to go to a shelter! Why didn’t you listen to me?” He looked at the poor girl. She looked so broken and defeated.

  “Two men, in the nest I’m in, they saw you give me the money. They… they beat me and took it.” Layla let out a shaky breath. It hurt every time she tried to breathe.

  Spencer kneeled down next to her. He touched her arm, but when she winced and cried, he drew his hand back. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

  She shook her head. “It’s not you, I think they broke my arm.” She choked back a sob. “D-do you know how long these take to heal?” she asked him as tears continued to pour out of her eyes.

  Spencer’s heart felt like it was in a vice. What was he supposed to do? How could he just leave her here? He pulled out his phone and sent a text to his driver. The couple sat there in silence for two minutes before a black Land Rover pulled up in front of them. He stood up and gently helped Layla to her feet. “Come on, let’s go,” he said, helping her into the car. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

  She looked at him in confusion. “Why?” she asked softly as he pushed her gently into the car. “Why can’t you just let me go?”

  He shrugged and got in the car behind her. He told his driver where to go before turning to her. “Believe me, I wish I could,” he muttered.

  Once they pulled up to the entrance, Spencer ran in and grabbed a wheelchair. He helped Layla into it, and wheeled her through the doors of the emergency room. Once inside, Layla became extremely self-conscious. She was used to the stares on the street, but she couldn’t hide from them here. She covered her eyes with her good hand, and pretended she was back in her nest, lying on her cardboard bed.

  Spencer signed Layla in under his name, and gave the woman at the counter his information. In a matter of minutes, Layla was being wheeled back to a room with Spencer walking behind her.

  Once they were in the room, a nurse came in with a gown and a pair of socks. “Okay sweetie, change into this and I will be right back.” And without another word, the nurse walked out.

  Layla looked at her gimp arm, and then at Spencer. Spencer shook his head. “I swear people can be so damn clueless,” he grumbled as he walked out of the room. After about a minute, the very flustered nurse came running back in.

  “I am sorry, sweetie, let me help you.” Her round face was almost as red as her short, curly hair. The nurse helped Layla remove the rags she wore as clothes. The woman’s face showed pity. “I’ll tell you what, once the doctor gives the okay, I’ll help get you cleaned up, would you like that?”

  Layla looked at her and smiled softly. “Yes, thank you.”

  The nurse helped her into the bed and then wrote something on the board. “This is my name, if you need anything, just hit the button on your remote there, and I’ll come for you.”

  Layla stared at the scribbles on the board and frowned. “W-what is your name?”

  The nurse looked at what she wrote, and then at the obviously embarrassed young woman. “Sue darlin’, my name is Sue. What is your name?”

  Layla looked up, her eyes almost beaming. She couldn’t remember the last time someone wanted to know her name. “I’m Layla,” she replied softly.

  Sue flashed the girl a big smile and gently squeezed Layla’s tiny hand inside her plump one. “It’s nice to meet you, Layla, like I said, if you need anything press this button and I’ll come running.”

  Layla watched as Sue left, and then she rested her head on her pillow. The hospital bed was so soft, and she couldn’t remember a time when she’d had a pillow. It wasn’t long before there was a tap at the door, and Spencer came walking in. She gave him a small, tired smile and shivered slightly. He must’ve noticed because he walked over to the cabinet and grabbed another blanket before laying it on top of her. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

  Spencer sat down next to her and handed her a piece of paper attached to a clipboard. “The hospital administration needs you to fill this out.”

  Layla looked at the paper, and then back at him. “I uhm… I can’t read,” she whispered. It was painful and humiliating for her to talk about. She was the only person in her nest that couldn’t read, and no one would take the time to teach her. She could only understand numbers, and even that was still a little fuzzy.

  Spencer didn’t seem phased by it. He simply nodded and took the clipboard back. “Okay then I’ll read you the questions and write your answers. Whatever you don’t know, we’ll make up.” He winked at her to try to lighten the mood and make her feel better.

  She gave him a small laugh and nodded. When she saw him smile and look at the paper, she instantly closed her mouth. His teeth were absolutely perf
ect. They were white and perfectly straight. She knew what her teeth looked like. Brown, rotten, constantly hurting, some in the back were missing. She sighed, but her attention was brought back to Spencer when he spoke.

  “Okay, first question, what is your name?” Spencer blinked, and stared at the paper in shock, it occurred to him that he had no idea what her name was. He actually felt bad.

  “Layla.”

  He blinked and shook his head. “What?”

  She cleared her throat. “You asked my name, it’s Layla.”

  “Oh, okay. That’s very pretty.”

  Layla blushed, and she watched him write something on the paper. “I-is your name, Spencer?” she asked softly.

  He looked up at her. “Yeah, it is, how did you know that?”

  “Umm… a few months ago, you threw your burger wrapper at my head, and that one guy you hang around said ‘Spencer, don’t be an ass.’”

  Spencer wanted to punch himself in the face. He really was a complete asshole to her. “I’m really sorry about that, Layla, I should never had done that to you. What’s so funny?”

  Layla covered her mouth as she giggled slightly. “Huh? Nothing, it’s just weird hearing someone say my name.”

  “Well, do you have a last name? I need to put it on the paper.”

  She thought for a moment, and then shook her head. “I don’t remember it.”

  He nodded, and just wrote his last name. “What about your birthday?”

  “September 24th…” she said thinking of what the date was. She wondered how many birthdays had gone by.

  “Do you know the year you were born?”

  She used to remember. She closed her eyes and tried to remember. “2000, I think…”

  They spent the next several minutes going back and forth, trying to fill out the paper as best as possible. About the time that they finished, an older man walked into the room wearing a white lab coat. He had combed back, salt and pepper hair, and dark, warm eyes. He looked from the tablet he was carrying to the two of them.