Page 48 of Home With You

"Which is what I want. I don't want to keep it."

"If you leave it outside, someone like Levi will take it," I say, inspecting the bag. It's a really nice backpack. Way better than my old one.

"Who's Levi?"

"The homeless guy who hangs out across from the bank and sings for money."

"I think I've seen that guy. I've seen him singing while walking around too."

"He only does that if he isn't making enough money on his corner that day. He makes more money than some people make at an actual job. And he takes stuff, too. Whatever he finds. And then he sells it. He doesn't even use it, which is why you shouldn't put this backpack on the street."

"Maybe someone else will take it. Someone who actually needs it."

"I need it. I just...I can't take it."

"Okay." He takes it from me. "I'll go get your old one." He walks away.

Damn him! He's doing it again. Tricking me into taking something I shouldn't take. He's clever. I'll give him that. And he seems to already have me figured out. That's concerning because I haven't figured myself out.

11

Raine

"Wait!" I rush up to Miles. "Let me see it again."

"Why?"

"Just give it to me."

He hands it over and I swing it around my back and try it on.

"It fits pretty good and the straps don't dig into my shoulders."

He shrugs. "Yeah, but that doesn't matter if you're not going to use it. I'll just give it to someone else." He walks to the kitchen, reaches behind the counter and pulls out my old backpack. He brings it over to me. "Here you go."

Seeing it now, it looks worse than I remembered. And the smell. I'm a good foot away from it and can smell it from here. It reeks like rotting food and whatever's growing in there.

"Aren't you going to take it?" he asks, holding it in front of me.

"Um, actually, I think I'll go with this one." I point to the new one, which is still on my back.

"You said you didn't want it."

"I don't, but if you're just going to leave it outside, I might as well take it. I mean, if I found it I'd take it so..."

"So you'll take something you find but not something that's given to you?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Doesn't have to."

He cocks his head. "Why won't you take stuff? What happened to make you turn down what people give you?"

"Nothing." I hear the defensiveness in my tone and clear my throat. "I just don't like handouts."

"That backpack wasn't a handout."

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