1 Chapter 1: The Ad

I woke up slowly, feeling the bright sun on my face and opening my eyes to the dark interior of my car. I quickly checked my phone to see it was 7:38am. I had work in about an hour so I turned off my alarm and sat up.

I look down at my slightly crumpled clothes that I've worn for three days now. It's not like I had a lot of clothes since I basically lived in my car.

I opened the door of my Kia Forte. I know it's cheap but it's better than the street I think. I grabbed an old blue T-shirt and some grey drawstring sweatpants and changed into them. I dug around in my backpack for something to eat but came up empty handed. It's not the first time, but it still sucks having nothing to eat.

I got into my car and drove out of the abandoned lot to go to the gym. Once I arrived, I got out of the car and headed in with my bag in hand. I went into the locker rooms and stripped before getting in the shower. I couldn't afford soap so I just scrubbed off the dirt as best I could.

When I finished I put on my clothes and got back in my car. I drove to the local fast food place, Chicken Crazy, and put on my chicken hat with pride.

I worked at Chicken Crazy because it was the only job I could find after my parents kicked me out. Just because I was gay didn't mean they had to kick me out. They were very firm in their beliefs and couldn't handle the fact that I am who I am and nothing can change that.

I needed a better paying job than this minimum wage pay but it wasn't all bad. We had a little playground for the kids and I loved watching them play. I had a lot of younger cousins that I took care of when I was little. The adults would talk and I would be left alone with 5 little kids all wanting my attention. They were all pretty much brats because the parents didn't raise them. I hated seeing the parents come in and just ignore their kids.

After I finished my shift I started job searching again as I did every day. I drove around looking for help wanted signs until I came across a flyer on a pole. Normally I'd just leave them be because they didn't pay much but something drew me towards it.

I stopped the car and walked over looking at the flyer. It was an ad for a wealthy man who needed help babysitting his kid. I shrugged until I saw what he was paying. The first week alone would buy me an apartment and first months rent.

I got into my car and started driving to the address. If I got that job I might not be homeless anymore.