“Just go away! I don’t want you here anymore! You’ve ruined my life, now go away!” I ran out into the rain with my back pack and sleeping bag. I had twenty dollars and a bus pass. There was a bus station five blocks away and even though it was raining I still went. Thunder crashed over my head like boulders falling down a mountain. Across the street waves crashed upon the show while the ocean tossed violently making me want to hurl. I ran past the boardwalk full speed and down the street. Life just wasn’t fair, and it never will be. My whole life went spinning through my head as I ran dangerously fast across the streets and through slippery puddles. It was 6:25,and from my knowledge, a bus left every half hour. Suddenly I was falling. I was slipping down onto the ground. I crashed into the hard cold sidewalk feeling a sharp pain in my tongue. I tasted warm salty blood in my mouth. The taste was comforting. I was so used to it now that I almost craved it sometimes. I just wanted to lay there on the ground, still and quiet, but I knew that I only had a little while until I could escape. I got back up and sprinted the last block to the to the bus station.

When I got to the bus station, the warm white lights comforted me like a nightlight would a child. The heater sent warm gushes of air creating an almost pulse like feeling of warmth. There were a few homeless people sleeping on the benches. They looked peaceful sleeping. I wanted to go up to one of them and learn all about them, but I didn’t dare for fear of being kidnapped. The ports for the buses were slowly filling up. There were two buses in the far corner. I looked at the clock. It was 6:35.

“Damn it,” I whispered almost too loud “I missed the bus by five minutes.” I looked at the board with the information about all the busses. I looked for the 6:30pm to Vancouver Canada; it was running fifteen minutes behind. I walked up to the lady at the ticket counter.

“Excuse me ma’am, can I have one ticket for the 6:30 bus to Vancouver Canada please,” I asked in a confident tone while looking her straight in the eye, just like I had learned in English class last year.

“Sure kid. That’ll be five dollars.” The lady sounded bored and like she was waiting for someone. Her curly blonde hair was pulled back into one large and very fluffy ponytail. The lady ripped the ticket out of the machine and exchanged it for the wrinkled five dollar bill I had in my hand. She’d probably get fired if her boss found out she had let a minor buy a ticket for a bus out of the country. I started to walk away but she called back to me.

“Wait kid, I gotta tell you where to change buses.” She explained how to change buses and where and how-I just had to show them my ticket and pass. I don’t know why but she wrote a pass for me saying that I was a minor meeting family in Vancouver for the summer. I thanked her and could see in her eyes as I turned around that she knew I needed to get out of here. I had to sit in a bench with someone else, but it didn’t matter because she looked nice enough.

“What’s her name?” I asked as I sat down. The lady had a baby next to her that was cuter than a button. She had curly, blonde hair and rosy cheeks she looked like the older girl sitting next to her.

“It’s Lila. She’s not even a year old yet.” The girl tucked the blanket in closer around Lila’s cheeks. “You look a little young to be taking the bus on your own, where are you headed,” The girl said. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I also didn’t want her to tell the police because they’d just send me back to the very place I hated the most. After a few moments of internal debate I decided that she’d have to earn my trust.

“You look a little young to be taking care of your sister.” I said trying my hardest to change the subject.

“She’s not my sister, she’s me daughter. I had her when I was seventeen.” She looked at her daughter like she wasn’t a mistake as some people would think, but instead a blessing.

“So, where are you headed?” I asked, trying to keep from her from finding out where I was going.

“LA. I’m going there to become an actress. I’ve always wanted to be one. When I was in high school I was the lead actress in all the plays, I always got all the solos in choir and I’ve been playing the piano since I was nine. I don’t want to brag or anything, but I think I’ve got a pretty good shot. I know someone who’s got a job and an apartment set up for me. The one thing I’m glad about more than all the others is that I’m getting out of here.” The girl said.

“Why? What happened?”

“When I was in school I had a boyfriend who I thought was the most perfect human being on earth. Only after I broke up with him did I realize what a jerk he really was to me. Once I started going out with him I changed. I went from a sweet and innocent little girl, too a dropout druggy. I ran away from home to my boyfriend when I found out about Lila. All he did was run away from me and tell me that I would never be a respectable person. He said, ‘You’ll never be good enough for anyone. Your own daughter will hate you. You’ll live on the streets poor and alone.’

Those words are what changed who I was. I stopped smoking, drinking, and doing drugs right there and then. I was determined to be the exact opposite of what my ex-boyfriend had said about me. After that I moved into my own apartment, go a job and had Lila with the help of my best friend Kim who died in a car crash two months ago.”

“That’s a great story m’am.” I said amazed at the obstacles she’d over come.

“Here’s my address and maybe once you get your life together you can write to me.” The girl handed me a piece of paper that was folded closed. “There’s one more thing I want to tell you. No matter what anyone says to you or how badly the trash your character don’t give up. I can tell that you’re strong and you haven’t had an easy life. Remember what I said and have a good life.” The girl smiled sweetly as she pulled the covers back over the stirring Lila.

“The six thirty train to Vancouver is arriving.” The lady’s voice said over the speaker. I headed toward my bus. As I was about to get on I turned around to say one last goodbye to the girl I had met. She wasn’t there. Neither was Lila or any of there things. I walked onto the bus and took a seat in the back corner. I took out one of the envelopes I had packed. I unfolded the paper she had given me to write down her address. When I opened it I found one word scrawled upon the paper. Heaven.