Collecting A Stray
July 17th, 2015
Tessa didn't believe in vehicles in the city. So many streets criss-crossed tightly knit together, she didn't think there wasn't anywhere you couldn't go by foot or by skateboard. Even a bicycle. Anything that would require a vehicle to get to? She didn't think it was a place she needed to be. She loved her neighborhood, she knew the ins and outs of all the good joints and social places. She knew the right people on just about every block within a couple mile radius of her home. She'd lived there her whole life, and she'd always been a wanderer. She was social by nature, willing to be the first to walk up to a stranger without a moment's hesitation to introduce herself and get to know them. They said she had a nose for trouble, but her nose often found her in the right places, too.
The clattering of skateboard wheels on the ridges of the sidewalk, broken by tiny lines between the fitted slabs, her nose was drawing her somewhere today. She didn't know where, but she followed it nonetheless. A vibrant mashup of various colors like orange, pink, red, and yellow wafted in the breeze, a loose billowing white tank top that fell to her mid-riff and a pair of shorts that had once been an old pair of jeans, the hems frayed.
Swerving off the sidewalk, she made her way down the center of the road, following that pull that her folks told her about. That way of finding trouble. And as the sole of her shoe smacked against the street to push her further along on the board, it wasn't long before she found that trouble.
Steel blue hues narrowed as she spotted a police car up ahead, the lights flickering as the Mr. Piggy seemed to be arguing with a civilian. "Fucking Pigs," she spat, pushing herself faster on that board as she approached. A squint made, she studied the one being interrogated. It seemed Trouble came in the form a girl, a teenager it looked like. She was in a skimpy sequin dress that didn't leave much to the imagination, blonde hair straight and a mess across her face as she swiped at it angrily, her mouth moving in fervor as she didn't seem to be backing down by the officer.
Tessa swerved toward them on the board, forming a plan in her head with the few second it took to reach them. Teetering back as she skidded to a halt, the board kicked upward a few feet away from them as her other foot dropped to the ground. Looking to girl, "what the hell is going on here?" An expectant look at the blonde, a glance shot to the cop then back to the girl.
"Miss, this isn't your concern. Please, move along."
The girl stared at Tess with wide, bloodshot eyes. Her stance was swaying, as she looked about ready to topple over in her drunken stupor. She seemed confused for a moment, but it didn't seem to matter as she pointed an accusing finger at the cop. "He's trying to bust me over stupid shit."
Tessa shot the cop a look, a slow glare before she abandoned the board to clatter to the ground, moving beside the girl who was swaying. "Like Hell it's not my concern. This is my sister," she barked at him. Her hand raised to swipe at the hair in the girl's face, an arm locking around her waist to steady her. Tess had a few inches on the girl, seeming to have a protective arm around her. "Listen, Chief," she sighed to him. "We've had a rough week, okay? Our grandma died. She was very close to us, pretty much raised us. She doesn't handle emotional stress well." You'd think the girl was an actress as she forced tears to brim her steel blue eyes, steady on the cop. "Please.. If our mom sees her like this, she's going to be devastated.." She sniffed, laying it on thick. "She can't handle this on top of everything. Please? Can you just let me take her home?"
The girl remained silent, listening to Tessa who was all but cramming the girl's face against her chest to make sure she stayed quiet and wasn't going to blow their cover. She didn't even fight her, in fact she welcomed it because it was a warm body to lean on and the liquor in her system was dragging her closer and closer to the want to curl up on the sidewalk for a nap.
The cop looked between the two skeptically, but seeing the tears in Tessa's eyes, he let out a heavy sigh and raised his hands. "Alright!" A bark, he seemed to be fighting with the decision before he shook his head. Pointing a finger at Tessa, he gestured to the girl. "You keep her in line, if I catch her wandering the streets plastered off her ass again, I'm taking her in. Got it?"
"Yes, thank you." She was comforting the girl in her arms, fingers streaking through tangled locks and trying to work them out as she fought to keep the girl upright.
The cop deflated seeing the two, sighing as he nodded to the car. "Come. I'll give you two a ride home."
"No," Tess objected, shaking her head. "I can get her home. If Mom sees a cop car driving up to the house and sees us in the backseat, she's going to have a friggin' heart attack. I've got it. I can get her home." There was a pleading in her feigned tear-filled eyes. A protective hold on the girl in her arms.
He seemed to further fight himself over the situation, looking at them, looking down the street, to the car, back to them. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. But get her home quickly, and no wandering. I mean it, I'll take you both in if I catch you lingering." A stern warning as he stood there a few seconds longer, looking at the two before he growled under his breath and made his way to the car.
"Thank you, Officer." The entire time, Tessa was fighting the urge to smash his front windshield with her skateboard, fought the urge to glare at him and spit conspiracies at him. But instead, she just held the girl to her chest to make sure she didn't blow all this. She looked away from the cop, keeping a firm hold on the girl's waist as she waited for the Po-Po to leave.
When he was gone, that's when Tessa collected the girl's face in her hands and pushed her up so she could see her face to face, the girl's vision seemed to swim for a moment before she finally focused on her. Muttering, the drunkard asked with confusion on her face. "Who are you?"
Tessa smile was broad as she patted the girl's cheek. "I'm the chick that just saved your ass from the slammer, kid. What's your name?"
"Vida. Vida Mae." It was no more than a mutter, a slur of words that seemed to mash together as she leaned on Tess.
Mulling it over with pursed lips, she looked down the street from where she came. "Well, you're coming home with me. Let's sober your ass up." She grunted, positioning the girl at her hip as she shuffled them both toward her board, keeping a firm grasp on Vida's waist with one arm as she kicked the edge of the board to have it springing up at her to catch the edge with her hand.
"Gonna be a long fucking walk home," she snickered, repositioning the blonde's arm around her neck to cart her ass home to Casa De Tess.
July 17th, 2015
Tessa didn't believe in vehicles in the city. So many streets criss-crossed tightly knit together, she didn't think there wasn't anywhere you couldn't go by foot or by skateboard. Even a bicycle. Anything that would require a vehicle to get to? She didn't think it was a place she needed to be. She loved her neighborhood, she knew the ins and outs of all the good joints and social places. She knew the right people on just about every block within a couple mile radius of her home. She'd lived there her whole life, and she'd always been a wanderer. She was social by nature, willing to be the first to walk up to a stranger without a moment's hesitation to introduce herself and get to know them. They said she had a nose for trouble, but her nose often found her in the right places, too.
The clattering of skateboard wheels on the ridges of the sidewalk, broken by tiny lines between the fitted slabs, her nose was drawing her somewhere today. She didn't know where, but she followed it nonetheless. A vibrant mashup of various colors like orange, pink, red, and yellow wafted in the breeze, a loose billowing white tank top that fell to her mid-riff and a pair of shorts that had once been an old pair of jeans, the hems frayed.
Swerving off the sidewalk, she made her way down the center of the road, following that pull that her folks told her about. That way of finding trouble. And as the sole of her shoe smacked against the street to push her further along on the board, it wasn't long before she found that trouble.
Steel blue hues narrowed as she spotted a police car up ahead, the lights flickering as the Mr. Piggy seemed to be arguing with a civilian. "Fucking Pigs," she spat, pushing herself faster on that board as she approached. A squint made, she studied the one being interrogated. It seemed Trouble came in the form a girl, a teenager it looked like. She was in a skimpy sequin dress that didn't leave much to the imagination, blonde hair straight and a mess across her face as she swiped at it angrily, her mouth moving in fervor as she didn't seem to be backing down by the officer.
Tessa swerved toward them on the board, forming a plan in her head with the few second it took to reach them. Teetering back as she skidded to a halt, the board kicked upward a few feet away from them as her other foot dropped to the ground. Looking to girl, "what the hell is going on here?" An expectant look at the blonde, a glance shot to the cop then back to the girl.
"Miss, this isn't your concern. Please, move along."
The girl stared at Tess with wide, bloodshot eyes. Her stance was swaying, as she looked about ready to topple over in her drunken stupor. She seemed confused for a moment, but it didn't seem to matter as she pointed an accusing finger at the cop. "He's trying to bust me over stupid shit."
Tessa shot the cop a look, a slow glare before she abandoned the board to clatter to the ground, moving beside the girl who was swaying. "Like Hell it's not my concern. This is my sister," she barked at him. Her hand raised to swipe at the hair in the girl's face, an arm locking around her waist to steady her. Tess had a few inches on the girl, seeming to have a protective arm around her. "Listen, Chief," she sighed to him. "We've had a rough week, okay? Our grandma died. She was very close to us, pretty much raised us. She doesn't handle emotional stress well." You'd think the girl was an actress as she forced tears to brim her steel blue eyes, steady on the cop. "Please.. If our mom sees her like this, she's going to be devastated.." She sniffed, laying it on thick. "She can't handle this on top of everything. Please? Can you just let me take her home?"
The girl remained silent, listening to Tessa who was all but cramming the girl's face against her chest to make sure she stayed quiet and wasn't going to blow their cover. She didn't even fight her, in fact she welcomed it because it was a warm body to lean on and the liquor in her system was dragging her closer and closer to the want to curl up on the sidewalk for a nap.
The cop looked between the two skeptically, but seeing the tears in Tessa's eyes, he let out a heavy sigh and raised his hands. "Alright!" A bark, he seemed to be fighting with the decision before he shook his head. Pointing a finger at Tessa, he gestured to the girl. "You keep her in line, if I catch her wandering the streets plastered off her ass again, I'm taking her in. Got it?"
"Yes, thank you." She was comforting the girl in her arms, fingers streaking through tangled locks and trying to work them out as she fought to keep the girl upright.
The cop deflated seeing the two, sighing as he nodded to the car. "Come. I'll give you two a ride home."
"No," Tess objected, shaking her head. "I can get her home. If Mom sees a cop car driving up to the house and sees us in the backseat, she's going to have a friggin' heart attack. I've got it. I can get her home." There was a pleading in her feigned tear-filled eyes. A protective hold on the girl in her arms.
He seemed to further fight himself over the situation, looking at them, looking down the street, to the car, back to them. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. But get her home quickly, and no wandering. I mean it, I'll take you both in if I catch you lingering." A stern warning as he stood there a few seconds longer, looking at the two before he growled under his breath and made his way to the car.
"Thank you, Officer." The entire time, Tessa was fighting the urge to smash his front windshield with her skateboard, fought the urge to glare at him and spit conspiracies at him. But instead, she just held the girl to her chest to make sure she didn't blow all this. She looked away from the cop, keeping a firm hold on the girl's waist as she waited for the Po-Po to leave.
When he was gone, that's when Tessa collected the girl's face in her hands and pushed her up so she could see her face to face, the girl's vision seemed to swim for a moment before she finally focused on her. Muttering, the drunkard asked with confusion on her face. "Who are you?"
Tessa smile was broad as she patted the girl's cheek. "I'm the chick that just saved your ass from the slammer, kid. What's your name?"
"Vida. Vida Mae." It was no more than a mutter, a slur of words that seemed to mash together as she leaned on Tess.
Mulling it over with pursed lips, she looked down the street from where she came. "Well, you're coming home with me. Let's sober your ass up." She grunted, positioning the girl at her hip as she shuffled them both toward her board, keeping a firm grasp on Vida's waist with one arm as she kicked the edge of the board to have it springing up at her to catch the edge with her hand.
"Gonna be a long fucking walk home," she snickered, repositioning the blonde's arm around her neck to cart her ass home to Casa De Tess.