Different Stories from Different People to Runaway Together

[Liquid Stars]

Seventeen year old Payton was always was knowledgeable on the street. His home. But that's not where this story begins.




"

I'M SICK OF BEING BEATEN EVERY DAY DAD" Payton screamed to his father as his father neared closer to him. Payton's cheek stung of fresh slaps and fresh tears. He faced his father, strong but his tears could say otherwise.




"AND I'M SICK OF A WORTHLESS SON. I WONDERED WHY WE NEVER ABORTED YOU. OR JUST BEAT YOU UNTIL YOU STAY IN A CORNER. CALLING CPS ON ME!!" He screamed to him, Payton's face flinched. "WHEN I

WAS

IN SCHOOL THEY SAW BEAT MARKS" Payton defended himself. His father planted another hard slap to his face, making Payton fall to his knees. "SUCH A WASTE OF SPACE, MONEY AND TIME..." His father insisted loudly. He drank a swig of whiskey, which he bought with Payton's money. "DO YOU ENJOY BEING HOMELESS, MOTHERLESS, MONEYLESS" His father asked him.




Payton's tears rolled faster now. It had been 3 years since his mother had disappeared, never seeing her boy again. She just vanished. They looked forever, but they couldn't find Payton's beloved mommy. His father punched him in the lips, making them start to swell, and bleed. But physical pain wasn't the problem, oh no. It was mental and emotional. That night Payton decided to runaway from the hell he lived in. Packing a picture of his mother and him 30 dollars in cash, which was all he had left, a childhood stuffed animal, a beautiful metal ring his mother used to wear, and lyric sheets of his favorite song, 'Rhythm of Love' by the Plain White T's.

 

[Forever For Never]

Ella huddled closer to the wall of the alleyway, seeking some reprieve from the harsh rain that was pouring down. How did she get to this point? It started two nights ago...





"You'll never amount to anything! You were a mistake that Tracey and I made on our honeymoon, I wish you had never been born! But of course, Tracey wanted children.. She was always too kindhearted, she didn't want to get rid of you... Why can't you be more like her?! She was a wonderful woman, and she made you! Why aren't you like her??" Ella blinked back tears at her father's cruel words. This was the second time this week he had gone off about this, and it was only Tuesday. She had had enough, and mustering as much courage as she had, Ella said something in response for the first time. "I'm not mom! I wish I could be like her, but I'm just not!" She cried, eyes watering, but refusing to let them fall just yet. Her father's large figure loomed over her, staggering. She had clearly gotten her slim 5'2 form from her mother. His angry blue eyes glared at her, and suddenly, Ella felt a hard slap. She fell to the ground, stinging cheek landing on the cold marble floor.


Her father had hit her. The tears broke free, streaming down her face. Picking herself up off of the floor, Ella sprinted up the stairs and into her room, slamming and locking the door behind her. She wiped at the tears still pouring from her eyes, and touched her cheek gingerly, before setting herself to pack a bag. She threw two more changes of clothes in it as well as a hoodie and her favorite blue and white plaid pajama pants. In went her stuffed dog and her iPod paired with headphones and a charger. She paused to glance at her favorite photo of her mother and then carefully placed it in as well, along with her sketchbook, a pen, and a few chocolate bars. The last thing she grabbed was $1000 in cash. She didn't want to bring a credit card, that was traceable. And so, with one look back, Ella fled her house that was no longer a home.


And that was what brought her to this dark, cold, wet alley at approximately eight at night. Though she was wearing her hoodie, Ella was soaked to the bone, and couldn't stop her shivering. She closed her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. A few tears began to fall. She had been robbed of the money, and was cold, hungry, and scared.

 

[Liquid Stars]

Payton ran down the neighbor hood roads, looking around in the darkness, the headlights of car and the street lights being only light sources. He held his backpack close to his shoulder as the back rattled with the few items. It wasn't that hard imagining living alone, homeless. He lived homeless with his father for 3 years, when his father once left him for 4 months no notice. But he'd always come back. The busy city approached him like a fast car as he ran. It was a musky Friday night. All the bar's neon lights showed from the window. The smell of fast food made his stomach grumble hungrily. Payton smacked himself and walked through the streets. Adults smoked cigarettes while leaning on rails. Payton wasn't fased by the smell of the smoke anymore, it was to familiar. He slowed his run to a walk, asking himself where he was going to sleep that night. He hadn't really thought that through. Finding an alley, he started down it. It reeked of garbage, but there wasn't anyone there smoking, drinking, doing drugs or killing there. Hopefully...