Christina

"Come and get me, Chris!" my good friend Crutchie teased as he ran down the hall of our orphanage.

Crutchie and I have pretty similar lives. He is that type of friend who you agree with on everything. We are both orphans. He was born in New Jersey, but was dropped here because his parents decided that they didn't want him. But I am a true New Yorker. I was born here in the city. My parents both died when I was just a young girl, so I pretty much have lived in this orphanage ever since I could remember. Crutchie has lived here most of his life as well.

Crutchie is a weird name for a normal teenage boy, but Crutchie is no normal boy. He has been holding a crutch close to his side ever since he was ten, hence the nickname. His disability has never gotten better. You see, he's got a gimp leg. But, he never allows his leg to restrict him from having a sense of humor. A good example of his humor would be the very second that he had my underwear clutched in his fist. And I was stupidly chasing after him. Dumb, I know right?

You also might be wondering how a crippled boy like Crutchie could be so far ahead of me in a chase. Crutchie is actually very fast, despite his bad luck with his leg. He also got a head start.

"Come back, Crutchie or I'll kill ya!" I yelled after him. He was doing something very clever. He was leading me deeper into the boys part of the orphanage building we stayed at. The halls can become very confusing as they all look the exact same. Scratched up dingy walls and wooden flooring. It was as ugly as can be. Also, not to mention that girls aren't allowed in the boys area. That didn't stop me.

With my dirty blonde hair flowing backward and my crystal blue eyes piercing into the back of Crutchie's dumb head, I pushed, full steam ahead. As a fourteen-year-old, I wished I was faster. I was always teased and called the slow poke.

I ran after him a little while longer before I turned a corner. I was abruptly stopped by somebody. I idiotically ran right into the boy.

The boy seemed about 15 or 16. He was tall and a little stocky. For some reason, he wasn't wearing a shirt or pants. Just some white boxer underwear. A towel was wrapped over his arm. He was barefoot too.

"What the hell are ya doing here? This is boys only!" he pointed in the opposite direction looking quite annoyed, which was understandable. He smacked his lips disapprovingly, and I noticed that he had a cigarette in his smug mouth.

I crossed my arms, "You know we're not allowed to have those in the building," I smirked back, gesturing to the cigarette between his thin pink lips. He turned down the corners of his mouth and looked down his nose at me.

"I can do what I want," he crossed his arms over his bare, broad chest, allowing his demeanor to become more intimidating. I tried to look behind him but he stepped in front of my gaze, his deep amber eyes watching my every move. "What're you lookin' for?"

"Crutchie," I swallowed. "he took somethin' of mine."

"Crutchie, get out 'ere!" the teenage male yelled, not taking his gaze off of me. He studied me, furrowing his thick eyebrows like I was a math equation that was impossible to solve. In no time, Crutchie appeared, peeping out of a door frame across the hall. "Get over 'ere, Crutch," The boy motioned to where we were standing. "This girl is lookin' for ya."

I rolled my eyes as Crutchie hobbled over to us with a big fat smirk plastered across his face. He was holding my underwear in his hand, and his crutch in the other. I ripped my underwear from his grasp and punched him on the shoulder.

"I got ya good didn't I, Chrissy?" he laughed as he rubbed his arm. His Jersey accent was coming out plain as day.

"Wow, Crutchie. Stealing a girl's underwear. I didn't think you were that smart!" the other boy teased. Slapping his knee, he searched for my reaction. I gave the naked boy an annoyed glare, rolling my eyes one more time.

"Now, kid, scamper back to your area," he motioned me away, turning around, Crutchie following at his heels.

Thanks for reading, guys! I so hope you enjoyed it!