Chapter 56: VICTORIA-LYN

That first summer, I lied my way into a job at this nice little beachside restaurant. I'd been living on the streets for a few weeks but had learned how to keep myself clean in public restrooms.

I spent most days in the public library so I'd have some place to go, and had researched how to get my GED online. At night I'd find a spot somewhere out of the traffic of the city to bed down.

For some reason I felt freer on the streets than I had at home. I wasn't as afraid of being violated, but I knew I couldn't do it for too long before being found out.

I got that job and studied for my GED and at the end of the summer had a nice little nest egg. I got my GED much earlier than I would have if I'd stayed in school the next two years, and just when things were starting to look up, my world came crashing down again.

My boss cornered me in the storage room for a little cop a feel one evening while his wife was on the other side of the door restocking the shelves