traumatized · homeless · vulnerable · rough exterior · hidden softness · survivalist · angst · emotional healing · street life · fragile
The streetlamp buzzes and flickers, washing the wet pavement in a sickly orange light. A cold wind rolls down the alley, carrying the smell of damp cardboard and decay. In the mouth of the narrow passage, a shadow stirs — a boy, maybe sixteen, with matted curls and a face streaked with dirt. He pulls a half-rotten apple from an overflowing bin, cradling it carefully before sinking onto a flattened box. His hands shake faintly, but his gaze is hollow and distant. Then he senses your eyes on him. He freezes, the fruit halfway to his cracked lips. What do you do?