"Zac, honey, can you go pick me up some milk from the grocery store? It's just down the street and I'm really trying to get Zoe to take her nap."
      "No problem Mom." Zac ran a brush through his long blonde hair, still a bit sweaty from the physical exertion out on the half pipe earlier. Glancing in themirror and deciding it was good enough for a quick moment in public, he strapped on his blades and slid down the stairs banister, zooming out the door with cash in his hand for the necessary dairy product.
      'Maybe ten dollars is a bit much for just one gallon..' he mused to himself as he sped towards the kwik-e mart on the corner of 74th and Elm.
      Fifteen feet from the door, he sailed smack into a girl about his age, several inches shorter, with bright blue eyes that peered out from beneath her greasy red locks and dirt sheened face. Her clothes were stained and torn and ragged on the edges, her shoes untied and raggedy as her clothes. She was alarmingly thin and apparently hadn't eaten for days.
      Zac gasped when she apologized to him, noting the familiarity he heard in the soft-spoken voice.
      "Lindsay? Is that you?"
      She hung her head. "Yeah, Zac. It's me."
      "Oh my God...what..what happened?"
      "Taxes, claims, and a very untimely death." She sputtered, looking at the ground ashamedly.
      "Oh Lindsay. Come here." He reached down and gave her a hug, holding her close to him and ignoring the fact that people were staring at them rather oddly.
      "Come on. We've got to get you something to eat." Zac stated upon remembrance of the twn dollar bill in his hand. "And you've gotta stay with us."
      "Zac! No." Lindsay tried to break away but he had a firm grip on her arm. "I won't take no for an answer."
      Begrudginly, she accepted his offer and followed him inside while he got the milk and got her a meal as they began the walk back to his place.
      "You wait right here while I go get my Mom and explain it to her." Zac ordered as she sat down on the porch and devoured her meal.
      Zac opened the door and hollered through the house. "Mom! Mom where are you? I need you quick!"
      "Zac, I had JUST got Zoe down to a nap."
      "Sorry, Mom. Really. But this is a bit more important. Just come with me." Zac pulledher by the hand towards the porch.
      When he opened the door, he gaped. All that was sitting there was a note saying "Thanks Zac. I'll pay you back sometime. Swear. Love, Lindsay."
      "WHere did she go?"
      "What are you talking about?"
      Zac explained the story to his mom as shetried to get his baby sister back to sleep.
      "Oh goodness. I'm going out to find her. There's no way she can stay on the streets like that. She couldn't have gotten far. Zac, put Zoe in her crib and come with me."