71

I walked through the streets on just another night, my hood up, the zipper of my jacket unzipped, revealing the tank top I had on under it. My ripped jeans revealing parts of my skin, as my beat up converse lightly hit the ground as I walked through the dark cold night.

My stomach growled due to the growing hunger in my stomach from not eating since yesterday afternoon. The cut on my eyebrow burned, as did the bruise on my cheekbone.

My eyes land on a tall figure, slowly walking down the sidewalk I was on. One of my hands shakily held onto the gun I held tightly in my pocket, as I run, jumping up, grabbing the person by their neck, pulling them down, holding them in a headlock, as I mutter in the man's ear, "When I let you go- you're going to give me all your money. And if you don't. I'll kill you." My voice seethed through my gritted teeth.

A laugh leaves the man's mouth, as I shout, "I'm serious!"

"All right- all right-" he puts his hands up in surrender, as I slowly let go of him, as we both stood to our feet.

My hood falls off my head once I stood up, as he slowly turns around, my eyes falling on his face, feeling as if I knew him from somewhere.

His smile fades as his eyes goes wide once his gaze lands on me, as if he was more shocked to see me than ever, as if he knew me.

"Zee?" He says my name.

"What?" I spat, my hand grabbing the gun from my pocket, aiming it at him, "How the hell do you know my name?"

"We- we went to high school together. Remember?" He informed me, as I stared at him, my aim straight.

"What's your name?" I question, feeling myself slowly slip into the conversation and forget about my robbery process.

"Barry. Barry Allen." He told me.

Then it clicked.

I did know him. I knew him from high school. Him and I a few classes together. We've only ever traded looks and a few words, but we were never friends.

"I don't care who you are." I snap back to reality, readjusting my position, "I meant what I said. I will shoot you."

"No- you won't." Barry called out quietly, slowly stepping closer to me, his hands up in surrender, noticing my lightly shaking hand.

"Who are you to tell me I won't?" I shot back at him, as he slowly takes the guns from my hands, checking it, revealing that I hadn't even loaded it.

"You weren't planning on killing anyone." Barry stares at the gun, "Because you never loaded the gun."

"I don't need a gun to hurt you for the damn money, Allen." I spat, snatching the gun and snapping it back in place.

"You have a lousy way of trying to rob someone." He spoke, his eyes still slightly wide as he pulled out his wallet, handing me a few bills.

"You're just going to give me the money?" I question quietly, staring at the bills in my hand.

Barry spoke up, "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"You're making it easier than it's supposed to be." I stare at him.

"Maybe, I'm making it easier because it's you." Barry admits to me, our eye contact not breaking.

"What?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Nothing-" he blurts out, "Nothing- I just. Just take the money."

I slowly back away, our eye contact remaining as I stepped back, shoving the money in my pocket, before turning and running the other way, running as fast as I could, away from Barry Allen.

I didn't look back, as I turned the corner, making it back to the place I stayed as quick as I could. I had run away from my foster home, due to the amount of times I was abused physically and emotionally. Since the murder of my mother, this being committed by my father, life didn't come so easy for me.

My brother and I were separated after that incident, I not seeing him since. I was definitely on my own after I ran off, but had found somewhere to stay, with a friend. But most of the time, I had to do what I just did to Barry, to help pay for necessities.

I walked into a small place that we stayed at, closing the door, "Roy?" I call out into the small space, tossing the unloaded gun onto the coffee table; walking into the kitchen, greeted by Roy Harper, stirring something on the stove.

"Hey-" He looks at my hands, seeing a few bills on twenties I had in my hand, "Where'd you get that?"

"Where do you think?" I ask, setting it down on the counter, "I mean, faking your own death in Star City and proceeding to move to Central City to live as a refugee who works at a car cop doesn't exactly pay as much, ." I lightly mock his cover name.

"Hey- don't make fun of my new identity." Roy warns, a small grin playing on his face as he stirred whatever was in the pot.

"I'm gonna head to bed." I told him.

"You're not gonna eat dinner?" Roy questions, looking back at me.

"Not tonight." I told him, rubbing his back before walking into the bedroom, slipping off my jacket and laying down in the bed, the only light coming from the moon through the windows.

I closed my eyes, letting my exhaustion take me to sleep.

-

I stood in front of my mirror, staring at what I had dressed myself as. Usually, during the night, I was more hooded; hiding my identity from people I had robbed. Last night, didn't go so well. I didn't know why, but I practically had an entire conversation with Barry Allen that night, not caring that he knew who I was and could call the cops on me for robbing him. But he didn't. Instead he gave me the money and let me leave.

I had curled my long hair, dressed in a black cropped t shirt, that was tight around my chest, but fit perfectly, a pair of high waisted light wash jeans, that stopped right after my belly button, a pair of slip on vans, and a little makeup to hide the bruises and cuts on my face.

I stared at myself in the mirror, taking notice that I could practically pull off this normal everyday woman look I had put together, even with the tattoo on my wrist.

I left my place, walking down the sidewalk, Jitters being my destination. It was a short walk, until I had arrived to Jitters, walking in, taking in the strong aroma of roasted coffee, and the different types of flavors they added in it.

The cafe was slightly crowded, as it was almost every day. I stood in line, putting a strand of my hair behind my ear as I glanced around the cafe, my eyes landing on the door that I had just came through, my eyes landing on Barry Allen, the boy who I had robbed just last night, walking past Jitters, glancing into the cafe as he walked.

I turn forward again, noticing how long the line was and how this was going to take me forever to get my coffee, but it wasn't like I had anywhere to be.

I felt a hand tap my shoulder, as I turn, my gaze falling onto Barry Allen as he held my phone in his hands, "Hey- you dropped this."

I give him a suspicious look, slowly taking the phone out of his hands, thanking him, "Thank you, Barry."