Status: very slow
Just a Story of One Little Girl
Chapter 27
I got to the diner at almost 8AM. “Hello!” the woman at the register greeted. “Just one?”
I nodded. “can I sit up there? I pointed to the bar. She nodded and I hopped up onto the tall stool. I didn’t need to wait long for a waitress to come.
“Hi! I’m Maria. I’ll be your server today.” She scrutinized my face for a moment. “Oh! I remember you! You’re the little girl that doesn’t talk, right?”
“I-I talk,” I stammered. “Can I have, um, hot chocolate?” She left and quickly returned for the rest of my order. I took a small sip as she told me about their menu.
“…and we have a special treat! Never ending French Toast! We’re kinda copying IHOP.”
My eyes lit up. “Can I have that please?” Maria smiled and took my order to the kitchen. I watched as she pulled out her phone.
“Hey! So remember that little girl you brought to the diner? She’s here right now….Yeah I swear….No she’s talking. She ordered the never-ending French toast….I think she’s alone actually, she didn’t come in with anybody and she’s sitting at the bar….yeah ok 9:30? I’m sure I can occupy her until then.”
She hung up and brought my French toast over. I immediately dug into my food, suddenly ravenous. I swallowed a huge bite. “Was that Bryan?”
She looked surprised; whether it was because of how I was eating or because I eavesdropped I didn’t know. “Um, no, no. That was Dan. I’m better friends with him.” I nodded and continued my animalistic attack on my French toast. “Slow down kid, you’re gonna get a tummy ache.”
I obliged and began eating like a normal person. I surprised her, however, when I actually ordered a second plate. “Just keep ‘em comin’. I’m starving!” By 9:30, I had finished 5 orders of French toast and was starting my second piece of chocolate cake.
I heard the door jingle and watched as all six boys I met filed in. Bryan came straight over. “Chocolate cake? Really?”
I shrugged. “It’s only my second piece.”
“Second?”
“Chill, Bryan,” Maria cut in. “That’s nothing compared to her five plates of French toast.”
“Five plates! Sorry kid, but I’m cutting you off. I realize you’re hungry but you can’t gorge yourself like this. It’s not good for you.”
I glared. “Fine. Can I please have the check?” Maria gave it to me. The bill was $15.63. I laid a twenty on the counter. “The change is yours,” I winked. I hopped down from the stool and looked up at Bryan. “Why are you here?”
He sighed. “Maria called Dan. Why didn’t you call me Ellery? What happened. Why are you here?”
“I couldn’t take it anymore,” I muttered. “It just gets worse and worse the longer I wait. I won’t live to be 18 if I don’t leave before then! I just can’t do it.” I looked at the older boy with pleading eyes. “You understand, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” he began as he led me outside. We walked down the street as we talked. “But you can’t just run away! That’ won’t help you at all! You have to tell someone.”
“No! I can’t tell anyone! He’ll hunt me down!” I looked down at my feet sheepishly. “I’ll let Jason tell someone. That’s why I ran away in the first place.”
Brian said nothing, but looked at me expectantly. I sighed. “The other night my father threw me down the stairs and raped me. I just can’t take it anymore.” He stopped in his tracks and stared at me, wide eyed. “Are you really that surprised? He’s done so much to me that 4 friends and my brother were helping me find my bio-mom.”
“Good point.” He sighed. “So you ran away? What’s that going to do? He’ll be looking for you, now.”
“An when he finds me I’ll go into the system. If I run from a foster home, maybe they won’t look for me.”
Brian’s eyes widened. “No way kid. You don’t wanna be in the system, bouncing from family to family, constantly switching schools. And being on the streets won’t help anything. Trust me. You gotta hang in there. If you tell someone, I might be able to convince my parents I want a baby sister.”
I looked at the older boy, confused. “What would that do?”
“There are some people who take pride in taking broken kids and fixing them. My adopted parents are one set. Wanna meet them?” I hesitated; I wasn’t sure if I did. “Come on. We’ll swing by the diner, pick up the guys, and head to my place.”
I felt like I had no choice. Brian turned, and like a lost puppy, I simply followed.
I nodded. “can I sit up there? I pointed to the bar. She nodded and I hopped up onto the tall stool. I didn’t need to wait long for a waitress to come.
“Hi! I’m Maria. I’ll be your server today.” She scrutinized my face for a moment. “Oh! I remember you! You’re the little girl that doesn’t talk, right?”
“I-I talk,” I stammered. “Can I have, um, hot chocolate?” She left and quickly returned for the rest of my order. I took a small sip as she told me about their menu.
“…and we have a special treat! Never ending French Toast! We’re kinda copying IHOP.”
My eyes lit up. “Can I have that please?” Maria smiled and took my order to the kitchen. I watched as she pulled out her phone.
“Hey! So remember that little girl you brought to the diner? She’s here right now….Yeah I swear….No she’s talking. She ordered the never-ending French toast….I think she’s alone actually, she didn’t come in with anybody and she’s sitting at the bar….yeah ok 9:30? I’m sure I can occupy her until then.”
She hung up and brought my French toast over. I immediately dug into my food, suddenly ravenous. I swallowed a huge bite. “Was that Bryan?”
She looked surprised; whether it was because of how I was eating or because I eavesdropped I didn’t know. “Um, no, no. That was Dan. I’m better friends with him.” I nodded and continued my animalistic attack on my French toast. “Slow down kid, you’re gonna get a tummy ache.”
I obliged and began eating like a normal person. I surprised her, however, when I actually ordered a second plate. “Just keep ‘em comin’. I’m starving!” By 9:30, I had finished 5 orders of French toast and was starting my second piece of chocolate cake.
I heard the door jingle and watched as all six boys I met filed in. Bryan came straight over. “Chocolate cake? Really?”
I shrugged. “It’s only my second piece.”
“Second?”
“Chill, Bryan,” Maria cut in. “That’s nothing compared to her five plates of French toast.”
“Five plates! Sorry kid, but I’m cutting you off. I realize you’re hungry but you can’t gorge yourself like this. It’s not good for you.”
I glared. “Fine. Can I please have the check?” Maria gave it to me. The bill was $15.63. I laid a twenty on the counter. “The change is yours,” I winked. I hopped down from the stool and looked up at Bryan. “Why are you here?”
He sighed. “Maria called Dan. Why didn’t you call me Ellery? What happened. Why are you here?”
“I couldn’t take it anymore,” I muttered. “It just gets worse and worse the longer I wait. I won’t live to be 18 if I don’t leave before then! I just can’t do it.” I looked at the older boy with pleading eyes. “You understand, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” he began as he led me outside. We walked down the street as we talked. “But you can’t just run away! That’ won’t help you at all! You have to tell someone.”
“No! I can’t tell anyone! He’ll hunt me down!” I looked down at my feet sheepishly. “I’ll let Jason tell someone. That’s why I ran away in the first place.”
Brian said nothing, but looked at me expectantly. I sighed. “The other night my father threw me down the stairs and raped me. I just can’t take it anymore.” He stopped in his tracks and stared at me, wide eyed. “Are you really that surprised? He’s done so much to me that 4 friends and my brother were helping me find my bio-mom.”
“Good point.” He sighed. “So you ran away? What’s that going to do? He’ll be looking for you, now.”
“An when he finds me I’ll go into the system. If I run from a foster home, maybe they won’t look for me.”
Brian’s eyes widened. “No way kid. You don’t wanna be in the system, bouncing from family to family, constantly switching schools. And being on the streets won’t help anything. Trust me. You gotta hang in there. If you tell someone, I might be able to convince my parents I want a baby sister.”
I looked at the older boy, confused. “What would that do?”
“There are some people who take pride in taking broken kids and fixing them. My adopted parents are one set. Wanna meet them?” I hesitated; I wasn’t sure if I did. “Come on. We’ll swing by the diner, pick up the guys, and head to my place.”
I felt like I had no choice. Brian turned, and like a lost puppy, I simply followed.