She had tried to figure out what the answer to that question would be in the
car, and had failed then. It wasn't any easier now. "I was out with a
friend. She was sick, I went to the store to get her soup. She's okay."

"I'm sure she is." Cold stare. Not good. Jennifer withdrew as much as she
could into the thin sweatshirt.

"Jennifer, you can't keep doing this. You're gone all day when you should be
studying, you don't tell me where you are. This is not okay."

"Yes. I'll do better." She sounded defeated, she knew it. She hoped he'd
just give in and let the lecture be it. 

"I should really ground you for this, but I'll let it slide this time."

"Yes, dad."

"Jennifer?"

"Yes?"

"It's for your own good."

Like hell it is. You just need to control someone and since you can't
control mom anymore, you take it out on me. Bastard. 

"Yes, dad." I can't wait to turn eighteen, she thought. I could live in a
burned out building like Raven easier than this. She remembered how pale
Raven had been and worry replaced the anger at her father. 

"I'll see you at breakfast then?" It wasn't a question and Jennifer knew it.

"Yes."

"And next time, take a coat. Goodnight." He stalked up the stairs. 

What a prick tonight. She wondered who spat in his highball. The light
snapped off as her father reached the top of the stairs, so she took off her
jacket in the dark and wandered back in the house toward the laundry to drop
things off. She realized she smelled of sickness and sweat. 

She pulled off her dirty, wet layers and wandered toward the bathroom. A
shower should help, she thought. Get warm. Dry off after. 

She started the water and she heard the phone ring. She slammed off the
water and ran to answer it. Nobody calls here in the evening. It's not like
Dad has friends who call. 

She heard her dad's voice from the upstairs hallway. "You going to get
that?"

She picked up.

"Jennifer?" The voice on the other end was scratchy. Raven. 

"Whoa, what's up?" If Raven had gone to find a phone, something was wrong.

"Can you come down? I'm in the emergency room." Jennifer instantly started
to panic. "The one at Mercy."

Jennifer knew exactly which one. Fifteen blocks from the church. Nearest
hospital. Ten minutes drive if she could take the car. A hell of a run if
she had to run, and the busses weren't running. 

"I... I fell. I was so dizzy."

"Are you okay?!" 

"I'm gonna be okay. I'm just still sick and I have a cut. I think the scar
is going to be fun." Raven was croaking in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I'll be there. I'm not sure how fast. I might not be able to get the car."

"Okay."

Jennifer hung up. The panic wasn't subsiding. Keys. Keys. Where are the
keys? She rummaged through her dad's jacket hanging by the door. Nothing.
Fuck. I bet he hid them. Bastard.

She grabbed her coat and gloves and opened the front door as quietly as she
could. She ran. I am really glad that I took track last semester, she
thought. 

She was surprised at how many blocks she could manage. The cold night air
cut into her lungs. Ten blocks and she had to slow to a fast walk. Come on.
Twenty more. She walked two more, then tried the run again. Another five.
Damnit, it takes so long on foot. She was just glad that it was the hospital
closest to her house too.

She arrived at the emergency entrance out of breath. She walked inside. 

"Hi. I'm looking for my friend Raven."

The nurse looked at her and watched her breathe a moment. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Jennifer put her hands on her hips and focused on breathing. "I am."
she panted. "I ran", another breath, "the whole way."

The nurse raised one eyebrow and nodded. Alright then. This way.

Jennifer followed the nurse into the emergency room a bit. Raven was sitting
on an exam table, propping herself up with her arms. There was blood on her
shirt, and there was a long row of stitches on her jaw.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." Raven wobbled a little.

"What happened?"

"I... I tried to take a walk. I got so dizzy. I fell. I don't remember what
I hit. I got up. A cop picked me up and took me here. I guess I was bleeding
pretty bad." 

Jennifer looked her up and down. "You're so pale."

Raven nodded and wobbled. "I bled a lot. And so sick." She leaned over
against the top of the exam table.

"They want me to stay a few more hours. It's so cold out."

"Do they know you're homeless?"

"Nah. I said I lived with my cousin."

"Oh man. Okay." Jennifer sat down in the chair next to Raven.

"How'd you get here?"

"I ran."

"Thirty blocks?"

"Yeah. Well, I walked a lot. I just about passed out."

"I bet."

"Stay with me a while?"

"Okay. Dad will be pissed if he wakes up and sees I'm not home. I don't care
anymore."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Raven managed a weak smile.

Jennifer watched her, and Raven fell asleep a few moments later.

"Jennifer? It's Jennifer, right?" The nurse was shaking her shoulder. 

"Huh?" She blinked. What time is it? She shook her head a little and opened
her eyes. The Emergency room. Right.

"Hey, dear. Your friend is ready to go home. You have a ride?"

Jennifer shook her head. 

"Shall we call you a cab?"

"No, that's okay. I'll ride with Raven."

Jennifer looked around. She saw Raven staring at a form, sitting by the
entrance. She walked over to where she was sitting. "Let's go?"

Raven nodded and signed her name across the line at the bottom of the page.
"Sure."

The cab pulled up outside the door a few minutes later. 

"Where to?"

"Uh. Sixteenth and Brook." Raven gave directions. The church. "Across the
street from the burned church."

The cabbie nodded.

He pulled up and they got out. "Hospital paid the fare. You two girls have a
good night."

"Thanks." Jennifer waved him away. They waited for him to go, then crossed
the street and went inside the church. Jennifer opened the store-room door
and crawled inside. Raven's backpack was there, looking undisturbed.
"C'mon!"

Raven held onto the wall for a moment, then kneeled down and crawled inside.
She found her blankets and flopped on them heavily.

"Can I sleep here too?"

"Your dad! Won't he be mad?"

"Oh, I'm screwed anyway. Let me."

Raven nodded. Jennifer curled up next to her and held her.

* * * 

Jennifer woke to Raven starting to shiver. She felt her forehead. Hot. Very
hot. She sighed. I wish I could just bring you home. She slid out of the
little room, and found the sun out, weakly shining through the clouds.

Breakfast? Might as well miss breakfast with dad. He'd be ready to throw
things by now. She stretched and pulled her coat around her, smoothing the
wrinkles out of it. She shivered and tried to get moving. She stepped out of
the church and found nearly a foot of snow on the ground.

She practiced a high-stepped jog to get through the snow, wishing the whole
time that she had decent snow boots to wear. She jogged to the store. The
clerk was just turning the sign and unlocking the door. 

She slipped inside. She had never seen the place empty before, before the
crowds hit. It was silent outside. She supposed the snow kept everyone
inside. She grabbed more cans of soup and went to the checkout. 

"You don't look so good. You sleep in your coat last night?" The clerk
looked Jennifer up and down. Jennifer looked at herself self-consciously and
wiped at a smudge of dirt on her hand.

"Yeah."

"Chicken noodle soup. Someone sick?"

"My girlfriend." Jennifer braced for the glare, like the girl on the bus.

A flash of recognition shot through the clerk's eyes and she smiled.
Jennifer blinked. My turn to have my expectations shattered, she thought.

"You're living on the street, aren't you?"

"Yeah. No. She is. My girlfriend."

"I thought so."

"Why?"

"You come in, dirty and rumpled in your coat. You buy chicken noodle soup
twice in a row. Canned food, you can eat it without cooking."

"How'd you put that together?"

"Because that's what I'd do if I lost my apartment."

Jennifer blinked again.

"Can I help?"

"Why? Why do you care?"

"Because I've nearly been homeless. I barely make it here."

Jennifer nodded.

"And that's what I'd do for my girlfriend if she were living on the street
and sick."

Jennifer felt the loneliness she'd been holding in break.

"I know how hard it is to not be able to let anyone know who your lover is.
I wish I didn't. But I do. Let me help, please."

Jennifer felt tears well up in her eyes. Loneliness melted away.

"I know. I know how hard it is here. I moved here more than a year ago. I
can't make ends meet more than barely. So many people are nasty to me. I met
a few good ones though. Here, let me bag those up. My name is Alyson."

"Jennifer."

Alyson smiled even more warmly than before. Jennifer liked the way her gray
eyes sparkled.