The Weirdos

3

He ended up at the McDonald's, one mile away from home, sipping on his fourth cup of iced water. Thankfully, it was ice from a machine, not his own hands. He didn't buy anything, knowing well enough that money would definitely be tight. His only cash was a twenty and a few fives and ones. He had a ton of change as well, never one to throw away money, like some. How would he ever survive on his own? First off, he didn't have a job. Second, he didn't have a bike or a car. No transportation to and from a job even if he could get one when he had nothing. Not to mention his new strange... Ability. How could he keep that hidden at a job? It was all so frustrating! He set his head down on the table and held it with both hands in a sort of protective manner. There was so much that he wanted, so much that he needed, none of it he could get. A, his phone. B, comfort. C, shelter. D, food. Drink, he could definitely get. They handed that out for free as a law. But, only water. What was his first step into living on his own? Fending for himself with his freak new ability? He groaned. All this thinking was giving him a headache and causing him to stress more and more. He had to think simpler. He didn't need to look at the whole picture quite yet. What did he need now? He was hydrated and he didn't need anymore food until that night. For now, he needed to research shelters or something for the night. Which meant he needed a phone or a computer or something. That was the first step. That wasn't so hard, was it? He could do that. Just ask someone. Or go to the library. But, the nearest library was about eleven miles away and would take roughly three hours on foot to reach. And in this heat? Well, he'd hardly survive. So, he could do that, or he could ask someone for a phone. But if they all said no, his only other choice would be to go back home and retrieve his damn phone.
Instead of going home and getting the phone, risking being hurt again by his parents, he went to the Safeway gas station next to the McDonald's. No one would allow him to use their phones, probably afraid he'd steal it. He decided, after much thinking, he'd try and hitch a ride to the Florence library. He didn't know if anyone would be going that way, but one could hope, right? He asked around and got several strange looks and many 'no's'. He felt his appearance had something to do with it. He probably looked rather sketchy with his white hair and dark clothing. He just happened to wear black that day. Why oh why did he choose black? He had all but given up and was sitting in the shade next to the doors of the gas station. It gave him more time to think and think was one of the last things he wanted to do. He didn't want to remember what happened at home, a few hours before. He didn't want to confront the fact that he was a weirdo now. He had some strange magical ability like the stupid snow queen from that movie Frozen. It just... Appeared. And he didn't know what things he could do with it now. Would it be harmful to the world? Or would it be useful? What kind of things could he even do with it? He looked down at his hands, a frown forming on his face. He didn't ask for this. Whether it was a curse or a gift, he never asked for it. What did he do to deserve this? He shook his head and stood up. He had to keep trying to find a ride. He had to find shelter before the day ended and night hit and he was left out on the streets. He didn't want that to happen. Not yet, anyway.