A BLONDE GIRL SAVED ME WHEN NO ONE ELSE WOULD

I don’t remember the last time I had a real meal. Maybe three days ago? Four? Time blurs when you’re hungry. I was sitting outside a gas station, hoping someone might drop a few coins. I wasn’t even asking out loud anymore—people avoided eye contact like I wasn’t there.

Then she showed up.

Blonde, mid-twenties, fancy coat, holding a gas station coffee like she belonged somewhere better. She walked right past me, and I figured she was just another one of them. But then, she stopped. Turned back.

“You okay?” she asked.

It threw me off. I nodded, even though I was clearly not okay.

She sighed, like she had just made a big decision. “Come on. Let’s get you something to eat.”

I followed her, half in disbelief. She bought me a sandwich, a bottle of water, even a granola bar for later. When we sat outside, she actually talked to me. Not pity talk—real talk.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Adrian.”

She froze for a second. Blinked fast, like something clicked in her brain. But she didn’t say anything about it.

After I finished eating, she pulled out her wallet and handed me a $50 bill. “Get yourself somewhere warm tonight, okay?”

I stared at it. No one had ever done something like this for me.

“Why are you helping me?” I finally asked.

She hesitated, then gave me a small, almost sad smile. “Just… a feeling.”