Merilee pushed her tape repaired glasses up, glancing around the street she typically occupied. She had no home, no family. Last month she had turned 18 and was required to leave the orphanage she had spent her childhood in. Life had been hard since then. Her stomach growled in confirmation, she hadn’t eaten in days. Merilee leaned back against the brick wall and drew her knees up, her dirty bare feet dragging over the sidewalk. The sun was beginning to set, soon she would retreat to the nearby alley where she was currently staying, having not been given a single cent that day.
Merilee’s head lifted as someone came around the corner. It was a man in a black business suit and tie. He had slick black hair and a pale skin tone. Hands in his pockets, he almost passed by her without notice. Merilee held up her empty can and put on a smile.
“Spare some change sir?” She asked sweetly.
The man stopped and turned to her slowly. She was taken back by his cool, blue eyes, which moved unreadably from her face to her can. There was an awkward silence as he looked her over. Merilee adjusted her broken glasses again. The man smirked.