I heard keys jingle in the hallway, and sighed in relief. I was saved from my embarrassingly red face by the teacher. He opened the door, and I grabbed my bag. It was still light out, and I had to walk pretty far to the bakery I liked to sleep beside, when I didn't have anywhere to go. I should get going.

Clay seemed like he wanted to say something, but I was glad to get away. Even thought it had only been an hour, he seemed to pick up a little on my eating habits. Any longer, and he'd figure out everything.

At the door on my way out, I felt someone grab my arm. I turned around, and stiffened at how close I was to Clay. I felt my cheeks start heating up again, and didn't even register when he handed me his phone.

"Your number? So we can keep in touch?" He explained. He was watching me, and I felt like a deer in the headlights.

"Oh, um, sure..." I muttered, typing my phone number in. I handed it back, and before he had the chance to say anything, I hurried out the door.

••••••••••

I saw the homely bakery come into view, with it's cozy small roof on the corner of the street. The owner was a nice old lady named Louise, and I was sort of friends with her grand-daughter. To be completely honest, I was a little scared of the grand-daughter, because I think she had a crush on me.

I walked into the bakery, savouring the smell of fresh bread. Louise saw me, and smiled. "George! It's been a while, how are you?"

I smiled back. "Hey, Louise. I've been good, how's business?"

"We had a huge soccer team come in today for muffins, and Sarah and I baked them like crazy. I'm surprised the oven isn't burnt."

Sarah, her grand-daughter, coincidentally poked her head out the back. "George! Hi!"

I waved back, and Louise started to grab a ham and cheese croissant for me.

"Oh, it's fine, I already ate," I told her, waving it off. She raised an eyebrow at me suspiciously.

"Don't lie to me, boy. Eat this," she said, handing me the croissant. I felt bad, always taking freebies from a nice old lady.

I noticed a small shelf of candy bars, sitting on the counter. I remembered Clay saying he liked Kit Kats, and I saw one there.

"Here, at least let me pay for this," I told Louise, grabbing one off the shelf and pulling out a few coins. She took them, and opened the cash register.

"I thought you liked Mars bars," she said absentmindedly.

"It's not for me," I admitted, shoving it into my bag.

She looked up, intrigued. "Ooh, who's the lucky girl? It's not my grand-daughter, is it?"

I blushed. "What? No, it's not for a girl. My friend," I said, embarrassed. Louise was very encouraging to the idea of me dating Sarah, for some reason.

"Are you sleeping out by the vent again?" She asked, worriedly. "I told you we have a spare bed."

We'd had this conversation dozens of times, and I'd always slept outside. If anything, it was for the sake of my pride. I didn't want to be a nuisance.

"I'm fine, I promise," I assured her. She already knew I was stubborn about things like this, and didn't argue.

"Well, good night George," she told me, shutting off the lights and locking the door.

"Good night," I said, heading out. "And thanks."