Hunger is all you feel right now. Every step, every movement, every blink of your eyes sends signals down to your stomach and reminds you that it’s been forever since you’ve eaten. You look around and see homeless men begging and you wish you could too, but a twelve year old boy is going to get a call to social services, not a handout, and that’s the last thing you want.
You think you’re being really sly. You hope you’re being really sly. As soon as the guy with the cart isn’t looking you reach up with two greedy and dirty hands and grab hotdogs in your little fists. Just as quickly you turn and run, feeling the seller’s hand try and miss the cuff of your jacket, the motion sending a breeze across your neck before you're gone. You hear yelling and angry footfalls but you just keep moving faster and faster. Your legs burn and you want to stop and eat your food but you have to keep going. You push and push until the sounds no longer follow you and you’re blocks away from that first park.
You duck into an alley and you’re exhausted but excited. You chow down on one hot dog, then the other, barely remembering to chew. You’re eating too fast and you’re gulping too much air and for a split second you feel like you might just get sick and spoil everything. You just might. But you bite it back, push it down, and it’s gone. Your throat burns, your legs tremble and ache, but your stomach is happy and that’s all that matters.