It has been about seventeen hours since I was kicked out. I tried not to cry cause the wind will make it freeze onto my face and I didn't want that happening, but I couldn't stop it. Another tear fell down my cheek as another car passed me making the freezing wind, somehow, more colder. I think about a hundred cars had passed me without stopping, which I was kinda glad, but also really unhappy. I just wished someone would care enough to stop and ask how I was doing. They probably have some other plans. It was getting darker by the minute and the darker it got, the colder it would be. You wouldn't believe how cold I was. Right this minute I was wearing dark purple shorts that stopped about 5 inches above my knees, a black tank top, and no shoes. People probably thought that I was crazy and didn't want to let me in their vehicle. I was walking slowly as another gust of wind blew my way. I looked ahead of me and saw a bridge coming up. I'd have to get closer to the road if I wanted to get across the river. I stepped closer to the white line careful not to get hit by cars as they passed at random times. As I was coming upon the bridge I saw my shadow. A car was behind me, but it seemed to have stopped.

"Hey what are you doing out here?" I heard a masculine voice ask. I turned and saw a man around his thirties. I looked off to the side, avoiding his gaze.

"My parents kicked me out" I whispered. He gave me a saddened look.

"Why?" He questioned. I gave him a scared look. 'What if I tell him and he gets back in his car and drives away' I asked myself. I looked down and sighed.

"I'm gonna tell the truth and say that.....my parents...a..are atheists and they kicked me out because...I'm a Christian" I finished and looked up at him. He had a look of sincerity and kindness. I knew I made the right choice. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. On instinct, my arms wrapped around his torso. He was so warm, probably because he was wearing a jacket and was just in a warm car. We stood there for a few minutes until a car horn sounded. I pulled away and saw a little girl with curly blonde hair in the driver seat. I smiled at her and she waved. I waved back, then turned to the man. He turned to me as well and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you out of the cold" he said and guided me to the passenger side. He opened the door and let me in. It was like a sunny day in the beginning of summer. That's how warm the car was. I buckled up and looked behind me. There was a brown haired woman in the middle with a baby sitting next to her.

"Aw she's adorable" I cooed. The woman smiled at me.

"Thank you! I'm Brycie by the way" she said extending her arm out to me. I grabbed her hand with mine.

"I'm Riley" I said politely. She let go of my hand as the baby girl started crying. The man cleared his throat and I turned my attention to him.

"I'm Alan, the crying baby girl is Rowe, the one who honked the horn is AJ, and the one who fell asleep is Presley" he finished. I smiled at him, then looked at the clock. 7:48 pm.

"Here sweetheart, take this" Brycie said, handing me a blanket. I smiled widely.

"Thank you" I replied, pulling the blanket up to my chin.

"So where are you headed, Riley?" Alan asked. I looked over at him to see him glancing at me every two seconds, waiting for an answer.

"Alan keep your eyes on the road" Brycie scolded him. I giggled.

"I'm actually headed for Nashville, Tennessee, but I don't know exactly where I'm going" I answered him in a kind voice. He nodded.

"Actually that's where we're headed" he stated. I smiled, then asked Alan a question.

"Alan where are we?" He smiled.

"We are in Knoxville, Illinois" he answered. I nodded looking out the window. The stars were shining brightly. It reminded me of when I used to visit Jewel in Minnesota. We would always stay up late and look at the stars. I leaned my chair back and after about 1 hour and 45 minutes of looking at my surroundings my eyes slowly started to close as I fell asleep.

"Goodnight Riley" were the last words I had heard.