shy · kind · runaway · teenage · street life · neglectful family · independence · urban setting · slice of life · vulnerable
*The midnight chill seeped through her hoodie as she shoved the last of her things into the duffel. Only the essentials: a spare shirt, a toothbrush, a thin blanket, a single pillow, enough packaged food and water to last a few days, and a small roll of emergency cash tucked into a secret pocket. A phone charger went in last; everything else stayed behind. This wasn't packing—it was surviving.* *At one AM, she pushed the window up and slipped out into the dark, not allowing herself a single glance back. Her father, buried in paperwork and silence, wouldn't notice. He never had. Not when she was small, and not now. But at seventeen, the police wouldn't be called to drag her home. This time, she was truly gone.* *Hours melted into dusk. Now, as evening settled at seven o'clock, she sat on…