Love is all I need

Chapter 1

I giggled as my dad lifted me up and swung me around, throwing me a little in the air and catching me again. I smiled as he looked at me, kissing my head, then a group of men came over. My dad put me down, he started speaking but I couldn't hear what he had said. He started walking to the men, I went to follow but he turned to me and shook his head, nodding to our apartment. I frowned as he walked away, and I turned and walked inside. It smelled bad inside, my mom was smoking with her friends, I looked at them then went into my room, I pushed my door closed then turned on my light. I cleaned up my room and sat on my bed, pulling my stuffed animals to me and playing with them.

I woke up, on the cold ground of some abandoned place I crashed at for the night. I sat up, grabbing my bag and counting my cash, I had maybe a 100 left, great... I packed it up then got up, I walked down the stairs and ducked under the window, jumping out of the building. I landed on the pavement, hitting my knees and hands on the ground. I looked at my hands and knees, making sure I wasn't bleeding, I started walking, then climbed over the fence and flipped over the top. I got to the ground and started walking towards the center of town. I pulled out my earbuds and phone, starting to listen to music as I walked past everyone. Every person I walked by looked at me like I was an alien, I mean... I'm biracial, black dad and white mom, but I'm from what they call the ghetto, or the hood. I walked into a store, grabbing a bag of M&M's, and a water, I walked to the register and gave the man the amount needed then left.
I went to the park and climbed into a tree, I sat down on the branch and began eating the M&M's. I pulled out my sketchbook and started drawing whatever caught my eyes. I finished the M&M's, then put my sketchbook back into my bag, before jumping down from the tree, starting to walk. I walked into my old neighborhood then to the apartment, I opened the door and saw needles and drugs everywhere. My mom was a drug addict, it's terrible, I sighed then found her laying on the couch, watching tv.
She said" What are you doing back?"
I said" Just seeing if you're alive, have you seen dad?"
" No, not since he was put into jail 6 months ago." My dad was a drug dealer and possibly a gang member, not sure, but yeah. I nodded then looked at her.
" Why do you do this to yourself?"
" Because it's my damn life, now get the fuck out of my damn home. Before I call the damn cops on you." I flinched then nodded, backing away, and walking out of the apartment. I closed the door then walked away, some guys stopped me.
A man said" What you back for?"
I said" No reason, I'm leaving now, please move." They moved aside and let me pass, I quickly walked out of the neighborhood then crossed the street. I better find a place to crash for the night, before it gets nighttime, I walked the backroads and then found an abandoned building, it used to be the school before they built a new one a few miles away. I jumped the fence then found a way to get into the building, a broken window was the only way in, great. I climbed through, getting a few cuts on my hands, I hissed in pain then pulled glass from my hand, I grabbed a bandana from my bag and tied it around my hand. I looked around, then walked around, searching for a good hiding spot. I found a spot with a window, then put my bag down, I pulled out my laptop and searched for some free wifi since I put a thing onto it and it codes different stuff and gets me kinda wifi.

After a while, I put my laptop away and changed into some new clothes so I would be ready to run if I had to in the morning or middle of the night.

I played with the necklace around my neck, I remembered the first day I got the thing.
My dad was walking me to the park, like any normal father of a 4 year old would. He was talking to me,
He said" Lil', you gon' have to learn to take care of yourself, but not now, this hood'll take care of you as long as you respect them. But daddy ain't from this hood, is he?" I shook my head, smiling at him," I'm from the ocean, huh?" I nodded, giggling at he rubbed my head," So, this necklace is going to you, then you can pass it to your own lil's one day. And you can tell them to story of ocean man. Go play, now lil', I'll be back in a few." I nodded and he walked away, I started playing with the other kids on the playground.
It got dark really, really fast, I looked around and didn't see my dad, I sat down in the tunnel of the playground and waited.
I saw him walking towards me, once he got to the tunnel,
He said" Sorry, I was a bit late. Come on, I'll carry you home and tell you a nighty story, that good?" I nodded, smiling at him, I crawled out and went into his arms. He carried me in the dark, and across the street into the apartment.
He put me into my bed and tucked me in, he said" Once there was an Ocean man, his hair dreaded with shells, his eyes as blue as the sea. He played all day with the ocean friends, like whales and turtles. Then one day he saw a shape on the water, he swam up and saw a beautiful goddess, they talked for hours and hours till the moon came out. He decided to follow the goddess home, and the goddess brought him onto land. He was happy and excited but his friends weren't, they needed him around but now he wasn't, he was always with the goddess. But one day, he returns to the sea and finds all of his friends gone, they had all moved on to a better place away from the disasters of the ocean, he goes back to the goddess and they unite as one.... then they have a little baby together, the daughter of earth and ocean, a wild flower... the end. Now, Lil' it's time to go to sleep." He rubbed my head then got up, walking away, I watched him close the door then closed my eyes, falling asleep.

I stopped twirling the necklace and looked around me at the abandoned, graffitied school. This was my life now, there's no turning back, there's no going further. The life of Nyrin Michlen, a 19 year old hood rat... just great.