Chapter 2

If I don’t…He didn’t like the idea but he knew it was a definite possibility. In that case, he’d be spending his nights on the street, or in an alley, and hope he could crash at The Haven during the day.

He came to the cross street, following it for four blocks until he saw a house with The Haven’s sign out front. There were kids sitting on the stoop who eyed him warily as he passed them to go inside. He found himself in a living room with several sofas scattered around. Teens were sprawled on them, some watching TV, others talking or reading. Through an open arch, he saw another room with a pool table in the center and shelves full of books along one wall.

Cole tried to figure out who was in charge, since everyone he saw appeared to be his age, or younger. Just as he was about to ask one of the teens, a handsome, dark-haired man came through a doorway at one side of the room.

“You’re new,” he said, walking over to Cole.

“Yes, sir. I’m…” Cole hesitated, uncertain what to say.

“Homeless?” the man asked, before introducing himself as Adam Franks.

Cole nodded. “Since this morning.”

“Oh boy. Folks kick you out?”

“Yeah, they did,” Cole replied, his mouth tightening angrily.

“How did you find out about us?”

“Online. I…umm…didn’t want to be downtown, since I don’t know the…I guess you could call them the rules about how to keep it together.”

“Like how to spange, or find a safe place to stay the night.”

“Spange?”

“That’s what we call panhandling,” a blond-haired guy who looked in his mid-twenties said, coming over to join them. “Hi. I’m Bret. I live here. You are?”

“Cole,” Cole said. “You live here? I thought that wasn’t allowed.” He took off his backpack, setting it on the floor by his feet.

“He and a couple of others stay here in exchange for helping me out,” Adam told Cole. “Unfortunately, you’re correct in terms of our not being able to house homeless kids. You can sleep here during the day—if we have a free bed—and we serve meals, as well as offering counseling, etcetera. But overnight is not an option.”

Cole chewed his lip. “That means I have to go back downtown or somewhere else, to one of the shelters, if I want to spend the night off the streets.”

“I can give you a list of places,” Adam told him. “There’s no guarantee they’ll have a space, and if they do it would be short term.”

“Figures.” Cole turned to leave, then had a thought. “Do you let guys use this as an address if they’re trying to find a job?”

“You bet,” Adam replied. “I can also recommend a couple of places that might hire you. Again, no guarantee—”

“That they’ll be looking for someone,” Cole broke in. “Got it. It’s always like this, isn’t it?”

“It can be,” Bret agreed. “You don’t have any relatives or friends you can stay with until you get on your feet?”

Cole snorted. “No one in my family will have anything to do with me. To them being gay is a bigger sin than killing someone. As for friends…” He shrugged. “I wasn’t the guy people at school took to. I had acquaintances, sure, but that was it. I just didn’t fit in.”

Bret chuckled. “You are sort of, excuse the expression, geeky looking.”

“Meaning I’m not tall and athletic, like you. Yeah, I know I’m skinny and trust me I paid for it when the jocks decided they wanted someone to pick on.” He sighed, clenching his hands.

“That can change,” Bret told him, patting his shoulder.

“Yeah, right. I’ll lose even moreweight, living on the streets.”

“Show up here every day for meals and we’ll keep that from happening,” Adam said. “Give me a moment and I’ll get you the names I was talking about.” He returned a couple of minutes later, handing Cole two handwritten lists. “These are the shelters, and these—” he tapped the second list, “—are three restaurants that are always seem to be looking for waiters and bus help.”

“Thank you,” Cole said, folding them carefully to put in his pocket.

“Stick around, if you want,” Bret told him. “Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours.”

“Naw. I should check out the other shelters. Maybe I’ll get lucky. Thanks, both of you.”

“Not a problem, Cole,” Adam replied. “I meant it when I said you’re always welcome here, whether it’s to eat, or use one of the beds during the day.”

“Thanks.” Cole picked up his backpack and took off.