It was a late summer night about a week before school started, all the kids in the neighborhood were playing in the street but quickly because soon it would be completely dark and their parents would come out to scold them. Jamie woke up snapped back to reality, the sound of rock music pounding in her ears she took off her headphones and looked out the window into her street, full of trash and sewage water. She didn't know how long she had been living in this neighborhood she just knew; she would never see one like in her dream.
She got up and washed her face, the water smelt like rust so she had to be careful not to get it in her eyes. She opened the door and looked outside; she was greeted by the sounds to police cars and someone on the side of her apartment building exhaling a cigarette. She stepped back inside, there was her dad at the kitchen table with his new girlfriend, a new one every night it seems. She didn't care she went into her room, and looked out her window again; for too long she wanted to get away finally she decided she would.
She pulled up the cracked window base, in her room she had about 25 dollars but that wouldn't help there was a good chance it would get stolen before she could even spend it and she could always just steal something she needed , stealing was so normal the storekeepers practically gave things away. She started walking when she heard the cigarette again this time she felt the smoke on her face. She coughed and turned to face her confronter.
He was a tall guy but he looked like he was only about 15 he had black hair that hung in his face and grey eyes that sparked to life when he shook his head to get the hair away from his eyes. "Hi..." she finally said and he replied "hey, my names Jordan, you look a little too young to be walking out here alone." I just said "I'm 14 thank you but I'm fine" She turned and walked away but he grabbed her shoulder. She thought of screaming but she would be ignored screams were normal here no one cared. "Hey why you are alone where are you going... I'll walk you there." He said and I just snapped back "I don't know where Im going ok but away from here." He gave her this awkward look and backed down but she could still feel him looking at her when she started walking away.
I turned to corner and a cat jumped off a trash can and landed next to her leg startled Jamie let out a gasp and almost fell backward, but right there was Jordan with ready arms to catch her. She got up and pretended to shake lint off her shirt, really she just didn't want to look up at who was there. Jordan just laughed and invited her to his neighborhood; Jamie knew her running away plan was defiantly not working. His neighborhood was about 6 blocks away we took a bus, when we got there Jordan introduced me to his 3 brothers and his 2 sisters. They were happy all of them playing in the street under a broken fire hydrant. We sat on his porch and I realized how happy I was just looking at the water spraying in the street, I looked at the door and saw Jordan's mother come out calling the kids in for dinner Jordan asked if I could stay to eat, his mom said yes. I sat there so happy that I realized there was no way to escape from the world I lived in because no matter how far I ran it was right around the corner in a place I called home. I rubbed my eyes as I woke up, for real this time and looked out my window to see my 2 sons playing in the yard. their father calling them in for breakfast.