[How a girl who was raised in 100% all-American suburbia managed to get herself completely lost in the thick jungle of confusion that was Sweden, was anyone's guess. She had promised to be back at the hotel within an hour, but even a little clumsy studying of her English-to-Swedish dictionary didn't help her much in finding her way. One hour turned to two, and now a few hours had turned to night. She had a cell phone drained of charge, and not even enough spare change for a bus, even if she knew which direction to go. And she didn't speak a word of Swedish.
Hayley was quickly getting sick of this place. She couldn't even ask directions with her perfected, stupid "girl-next-door" smile when there was a communication barrier this thick, and the cold was biting at her through the thin fabric of her jacket. Her teeth were chattering softly, and her short hair did nothing to warm her numb cheeks.
Thank god she recognized the iconic golden arches of McDonald's across the street. Good old fast food; even if she couldn't buy anything to eat, staying inside meant shelter and warmth. She kept her head low as she opened the door, discreetly ignoring the 'no loitering' sign to slide into a seat near the back.
After another furtive glance, it was easy to see there weren't very many customers around. In fact, aside from her, it seemed like there was just one other person. Hayley couldn't make out their expression, but from the profile she could tell, almost instinctively, that she didn't exactly belong either. The girl had enough piercings to scare off any decent person, dressed in black leather that made her look more at home in the shadows than beneath the neon lights of a fast-food joint.
19
Hayley was quickly getting sick of this place. She couldn't even ask directions with her perfected, stupid "girl-next-door" smile when there was a communication barrier this thick, and the cold was biting at her through the thin fabric of her jacket. Her teeth were chattering softly, and her short hair did nothing to warm her numb cheeks.
Thank god she recognized the iconic golden arches of McDonald's across the street. Good old fast food; even if she couldn't buy anything to eat, staying inside meant shelter and warmth. She kept her head low as she opened the door, discreetly ignoring the 'no loitering' sign to slide into a seat near the back.
After another furtive glance, it was easy to see there weren't very many customers around. In fact, aside from her, it seemed like there was just one other person. Hayley couldn't make out their expression, but from the profile she could tell, almost instinctively, that she didn't exactly belong either. The girl had enough piercings to scare off any decent person, dressed in black leather that made her look more at home in the shadows than beneath the neon lights of a fast-food joint.
Another misfit.]