UnFoster Child Part I ii - How I Met Her

I met her about three weeks ago...  I had just gotten my job, and I was this new, little, scared thing.  I had no friends, no one was willing to talk to me, because I'm the newbie, no one knows how long I'm going to stick around, you know?1

So I'm eating my store-provided lunch, and reading one of the signs that's posted in the breakroom, something about how to tell the fruit's fresh or something like that, you don't really care.  Anyway, I noticed someone had sat across from me.  I let my eyes kinda of roam around, so that I could see who this person was without having to make it obvious that I was watching them, right?  And I saw this little ponytail of neon green hair.  Neon green.  My eyes were blinded by the sheer reflection the dim, dusty light had off that shock of oddly colored hair.  My eyes refocused and I noticed that she was looking at me.  Biggest blue eyes I'd ever seen, so shy and yet...  There was somthing about them and the way they looked at me that made me instantly respect the owner of them.  She smiled, and I smiled back.  Her smile was more open than mine.  She was wearing this lip gloss that caught the light just like her hair, made it shimmer and shine...  And I had to veer my eyes away, for fear of losing my vision.2

She asked me what I was doin' all alone back here, and I told her I didn't have anyone who cared about me here.  That got her to talking about her friends and her family.  I learned that she had four brothers, all older, and that she was in her last year of school at the high school in the next town over, where she lived in her big white practically-a-mansion with two floors, twelve bedrooms and seven baths.  I nodded, and then she asked me about my family.3

Now, normally I tell nothing to no one.  But it all came pouring out, up until the night I left my house.  Her eyes were wide and I thought that cute little mouth was going to end up lickin' the cement clean.  I laughed, a sharp laugh that seemed to cut her.  She closed her mouth, shook her head, and then informed me that I was going home with her when I got off my shift.4

I shook my head, but she laughed, a cute little tinkle, like a bell.  Not one of the bells that the stores have hanging so that they can tell when a person comes walking in, but a real bell.  She told me it was fine, that her parents wouldn't care, they were used to taking in her friends for long periods of time.  I refused, but she glared at me, and the way she glared made me give up.  I nodded, looking down at my apple.  She smiled, I think, and straightened.  I went to get up, but she asked me my name.5

"Jasmine."6

She 'ooh'-ed and 'aah'-ed, wondering why her parents couldn't have gave her an interesting name like that, instead of naming her what they did.  I was about to ask what her name was, but the beeper went off, signifying the end of the lunch hour, and I pulled my vest on, growling as my nametag snagged in my hair.  I tugged, and little pieces of fragile, floaty hair came off with the tag.  She smiled, a half smile that didn't quite reach her inquisitive eyes.  I noticed she'd already had her vest on, and my eyes fell to her nametag: 'Risa'.7

She held her hand out to me, and I took it.  I promised to meet her after my shift and she nodded, out the door before I finished my sentence.  I stepped through the doorframe to see her get into a neon green car, a little green Honda Neon-esqué car.  Everything about Risa's neon-like, see?  Even the way she moved was bright and odd and sure to attract attention, just like neon signs.  But anyway, she sped off, off in the direction of her house, probably going to tell everything to her parents and then to come back and get me.8

My shift ended about 3 hours later, and I waited out front, not knowing why I bothered, she probably got told no, why don't I just start walking or something?  I didn't know, but something kept me at that 'No Parking' sign, and I couldn't will myself to move.  Five minutes later a flash of green told me she was here.  I looked in through the windshield and she cocked her head towards the passenger seat.  I got in and she pulled out to the main road.  For the first time since I was very small, I had a sudden feeling of comfort and the thought that I was finally going home appeared in my mind.  I smiled and delighted myself in looking out the window at the mountains for the ride 'home'.9