• It was late in the afternoon, the time when couples ate an early dinner and workers ate a late lunch, but the cafes seemed unnaturally empty for such a busy time. A lone girl sat at one of the many outside tables, a glass of ice sitting in front of her. She pulled her hoodie closer to her body, trying to keep in the heat on a chilly day. She sighed quietly as she played with the straw and watched the flaps on the large umbrella above her strike out in the wind.
    "What to do now?" she asked herself. Her name was Tarryn, but her friends called her Ren; that is, if she had any friends they would. She lived in an apartment building only a few blocks down from where she sat. It was a blessing for her that her landlord didn’t care what age she was; he only cared if she got the rent on time or not. She stretched out her legs underneath the table and glanced around her. Only another couple occupied any of the outdoors tables, and they were well away from her. She brushed her fingers through her long hair and stood up, leaving two one dollar bills to pay for the drink, and jumped over the green metal fence meant to separate the cafe from the street. She shoved her hands deep into her pockets and walked towards the place she called home.
    As Tarryn walked by house after house, she failed to notice one particular house with a girl sitting on the steps. The door was open, and there were boxes all inside the house, so you could assume that she had just moved there. The girl saw her walk past and sighed. It would take her a while to make friends. If anybody had known her, they would know that this girl’s name was Kari. But at this particular moment, she knew nobody and was very lonesome too, since she was still getting used to the move. She knew eventually that she would make friends, but when that would be, she didn't know.
    Tarryn gave no glance to the homes around her. Each one was very large (to her anyway) and she knew that anyone who lived there probably had money. And to her biased opinion, anyone who had money must be a snob. She failed altogether to realize the stares of Kari and just walked past her house, kicking an empty soda can as she did.
    "Stupid houses," she mumbled as part of her daily routine every time she passed through this neighborhood. She turned the corner and instead of seeing the large beautiful homes, an ugly gray apartment building greeted her.
    "Home sweet home," she said, making the best she could of a bad situation. For a moment, she stared up at the gloomy building, wondering if she should go in or stay out for another few hours. Finally, she decided and entered the sad excuse for a home base. Once inside her own apartment she made sure to lock the door as she always did. The first time she had stayed in her room, she had failed to do so and some man wandered in thinking that Tarryn was his wife and he kept urging her not to get angry with him. After she had managed to usher him out, she made doubly sure to have her door locked at all times. She threw herself down on a dirty off-the-curb couch and suddenly wished she had a T.V. before staring at the empty spot on the wall where one would look nice to her.
    "A T.V..." she thought out loud.
    Kari walked back inside her house and looked around. She saw many things that her parents had thought would make Kari happy throughout the years. She saw a wide-screen TV, a PS2, an X-Box, a PS, a Wii, a flat screen computer, and a DS sitting on the kitchen table. She really didn't need any of those things, and most of them, she didn't even want. If anything, she would keep the computer to keep up with friends, if she had any, and just give away the rest to people who didn't have as much. She was content with just curling up on the sofa and reading a book all day. That was what she truly wanted...books, lots and lots of books. She could live without all of the technology.
    "Maybe I'll find someone who I can give this stuff too," she thought. "Maybe I should hold a yard sale or something like that. That would probably work!" she said out loud, and got right to work on the idea. "Maybe I'll meet someone who will be my friend as I do."