to Dumpster dive,” Maggot said.
In an alley behind a pizza place, Maggot climbed into a dark green Dumpster. I heard a loud meow, and two scrawny cats shot out of the Dumpster and scampered away down the alley. Maggot climbed back out. In his hands were a bunch of pizza slices.
“Check it out,” he said. “Frozen pizza.”
The slices were hard as rock, but we broke off pieces and put them in our mouths and waited for them to soften. Eating pizza that way just made me feel colder,and before long I felt as chilled inside as I was outside.
“What a feast!” Maggot raved when we were done. “Who wants to go to the deli for coffee and dessert?”
I’d go anyplace that might be warm. On the way we met the boy named Lost, the one with the orange-tipped Mohawk. He was wearing a thick gray blanket around his shoulders like a shawl. He said something to Rainbow that I couldn’t hear.
“See you guys later,” Rainbow said and went off with him. I felt my heart ache.
“She’s all you’ve got, huh?” Maggot’s voice caught me by surprise. He was looking at me with a soft, sad expression on his face. He didn’t say it in a mean way. Just pitying, which might have even been worse. I started to walk, staring down at the sidewalk.
Maggot caught up to me. “Hey, Maybe, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“It’s just—” he started, then stopped, then started again. “It’s just hard for me to believe that this is your whole life.”
“It’s your life, too,” I reminded him.
“Yeah … I guess.”
We begged outside the Good Life until someone bought us coffee.
Later on Rainbow came along dragging her feet, her eyes as blank as a zombie’s. She backed against the wall and dropped down hard to the sidewalk, where she sat with her head nodding, blond hair hanging down between her knees.
SIXTEEN
It was dark when the police van came around the corner. I was sitting against the wall next to Rainbow. The cops only used the van when they did a sweep. Most of the time we ran away. But Rainbow wasn’t running tonight.
The van stopped at the curb, and that policewoman with the streaked blond hair, Officer Ryan, got out. She was wearing white surgical gloves. I stood up on the sidewalk, not sure whether to run. Officer Ryan walked over to Rainbow. “Hey,” she said.
Rainbow sat with her head bowed and her blond hair falling into her lap.
“Can you get up?” Officer Ryan asked. Rainbow didn’t answer.
Officer Ryan stepped closer and pulled the long black baton from her belt.
“Don’t hurt her,” I said.
“I’m not going to,” Officer Ryan answered. With the tip of the baton she touched the side of Rainbow’s leg. Rainbow jerked her head up, but her hair remained covering her face like a sheepdog.
“Can you get up?” Officer Ryan asked again.
Rainbow shook her head. You didn’t see her face,just a mop of blond hair swaying back and forth.
“You’re going in,” Officer Ryan said. “Either get up by yourself or I’ll have to get you up.”
“I’ll help her,” I said. I didn’t want Officer Ryan to touch Rainbow.
“I’ll have to take you in, too,” said Officer Ryan.
“I don’t care.”
Officer Ryan stepped back. “Be my guest.”
I kneeled close enough to Rainbow to catch a strong whiff of her smell. It was sharp and bitter. “I’ll go with you and make sure you’re okay.”
Rainbow raised her head. “My hero.”
I slipped my hands under her arms and had to use all my strength to help her up. Shaking and unsteady, she got to her feet. I didn’t let go because I was afraid she might fall. Her hair clung to her face like a mop, and her smell was like acid burning in my nose. Under her clothes her arms felt thin and bony, the flesh loose.
I steered her toward the van. The rear windows had wire grating over them. Officer Ryan pulled open the doors. Under a plastic light in the ceiling I saw five others already inside sitting on two benches. They were all older. Some
In an alley behind a pizza place, Maggot climbed into a dark green Dumpster. I heard a loud meow, and two scrawny cats shot out of the Dumpster and scampered away down the alley. Maggot climbed back out. In his hands were a bunch of pizza slices.
“Check it out,” he said. “Frozen pizza.”
The slices were hard as rock, but we broke off pieces and put them in our mouths and waited for them to soften. Eating pizza that way just made me feel colder,and before long I felt as chilled inside as I was outside.
“What a feast!” Maggot raved when we were done. “Who wants to go to the deli for coffee and dessert?”
I’d go anyplace that might be warm. On the way we met the boy named Lost, the one with the orange-tipped Mohawk. He was wearing a thick gray blanket around his shoulders like a shawl. He said something to Rainbow that I couldn’t hear.
“See you guys later,” Rainbow said and went off with him. I felt my heart ache.
“She’s all you’ve got, huh?” Maggot’s voice caught me by surprise. He was looking at me with a soft, sad expression on his face. He didn’t say it in a mean way. Just pitying, which might have even been worse. I started to walk, staring down at the sidewalk.
Maggot caught up to me. “Hey, Maybe, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“It’s just—” he started, then stopped, then started again. “It’s just hard for me to believe that this is your whole life.”
“It’s your life, too,” I reminded him.
“Yeah … I guess.”
We begged outside the Good Life until someone bought us coffee.
Later on Rainbow came along dragging her feet, her eyes as blank as a zombie’s. She backed against the wall and dropped down hard to the sidewalk, where she sat with her head nodding, blond hair hanging down between her knees.
SIXTEEN
It was dark when the police van came around the corner. I was sitting against the wall next to Rainbow. The cops only used the van when they did a sweep. Most of the time we ran away. But Rainbow wasn’t running tonight.
The van stopped at the curb, and that policewoman with the streaked blond hair, Officer Ryan, got out. She was wearing white surgical gloves. I stood up on the sidewalk, not sure whether to run. Officer Ryan walked over to Rainbow. “Hey,” she said.
Rainbow sat with her head bowed and her blond hair falling into her lap.
“Can you get up?” Officer Ryan asked. Rainbow didn’t answer.
Officer Ryan stepped closer and pulled the long black baton from her belt.
“Don’t hurt her,” I said.
“I’m not going to,” Officer Ryan answered. With the tip of the baton she touched the side of Rainbow’s leg. Rainbow jerked her head up, but her hair remained covering her face like a sheepdog.
“Can you get up?” Officer Ryan asked again.
Rainbow shook her head. You didn’t see her face,just a mop of blond hair swaying back and forth.
“You’re going in,” Officer Ryan said. “Either get up by yourself or I’ll have to get you up.”
“I’ll help her,” I said. I didn’t want Officer Ryan to touch Rainbow.
“I’ll have to take you in, too,” said Officer Ryan.
“I don’t care.”
Officer Ryan stepped back. “Be my guest.”
I kneeled close enough to Rainbow to catch a strong whiff of her smell. It was sharp and bitter. “I’ll go with you and make sure you’re okay.”
Rainbow raised her head. “My hero.”
I slipped my hands under her arms and had to use all my strength to help her up. Shaking and unsteady, she got to her feet. I didn’t let go because I was afraid she might fall. Her hair clung to her face like a mop, and her smell was like acid burning in my nose. Under her clothes her arms felt thin and bony, the flesh loose.
I steered her toward the van. The rear windows had wire grating over them. Officer Ryan pulled open the doors. Under a plastic light in the ceiling I saw five others already inside sitting on two benches. They were all older. Some
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