Not Your Charity Case

★ Part 1 ★

A/N: Thundersnow storm, definition: A thunderstorm which takes place during a point in time where there is also snow. This is a rarer type of storm 

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The small icy cold flakes kept falling onto his soft pale skin sending shivers coursing through his spine. It was the middle of January and he was stuck sleeping on the park bench tonight because the shelter was full that night. It's not that he was careless, no, Rowan Acker was never careless it's just that by the time he arrived at the shelter after school it was full for the night, they had no place for him. 

He shivered as he pulled his knees to his head in a failed attempt to stay warm. His blonde feathery hair falling over his green eyes as he laid his head on his bony knees realizing he was going to get no sleep tonight.  

He spent hours shivering on the bench until a young woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties on her way home from an event of some sort stopped in her tracks an starred at him for a few minutes. She walked over to the younger boy hugging herself to try and keep her body heat as she approached him.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was quiet as if she were scared the boy would jump and run away, but her question seemed pointless of course the boy wasn't okay, he was a minor sleeping on a park bench in the middle of January.

Regardless of the obvious facts that he wasn't okay, Rowan quickly nodded his head to signal that he was okay. This wasn't his first night sleeping outside in this type of weather, and he has slept in much worse. He remembers that just last year he had to sleep outside during a thundersnow storm, rain and snow was blowing everywhere. He ended up past out and in the hospital at that time, but if he could survive that he could certainly handle a little bit of snow. 

"I'm fine mam, thank you for asking." He added because she continued to give him a worried look. 

"Would you like a place to stay for the night?" she asked compassionately. 

Rowan quickly remembered the one and only time he had taken a strangers' offer for a place to stay, he never wanted to go through that again. The way the older man had touched him when he brought him in for the night. The man had said that he owed him for taking him in of the street in the hideous weather that was happening outside. He was fourteen and he would never be able to forget that night or how awful he felt. 

"No, thanks though." He told the stranger who gave him one last worried glance before walking away. 

 About half an hour later a car had parked on the road beside the park and that same lady got out of the car walked over to the boy for the second time that day and placed a blanket around Rowan's frail body. 

"T-thank you." He shivered but offered the stranger a small smile to show his appreciation of the gesture. 

Such a small gesture, but it meant so much to Rowan. That was the last time Rowan would ever see the stranger but it meant so much to him. 

Hours passed by slowly until it was time for Rowan to get ready for school, at this point the snow had stopped but it was still very cold. Rowan reached under the bench and pulled out his really warn down backpack that he has carried with him for three years since the day he was kicked out. 

He remembers that day like it was yesterday. 

{Flashback}

"What the Hell did you just tell me, Rowan?!" She screamed at him anger radiating off of her. 

He was shaking now, tears spilling from his glassy green eyes. He hoped that it would go over better than this, he thought that it would go over better than this. 

"I'm g-gay." His voice cracked as he answered the question.

"I want you out of my house, and I never want to see your pathetic face again. No son of mine is going to be gay." 

With that being screamed at him Rowan managed to quickly drag himself upstairs even as the tears flooded his vision and packed a few articles of clothing, and all of his money- which wasn't much. 

It was then that Ava his younger sister came into his room, why are you crying Rowan? The five-year-old managed to ask her brother. 

He quickly turned to his sister and gave her a short hug, I have to leave Ava, I won't see you for a while. I'm sorry, please behave and don't cry. He told his younger sister as he pulled out of the hug. 

"But you're crying." Ava accused her older brother who almost chuckled at his sister, five years old and she was already the queen of sass.  

"I am, but I will be okay, I promise." He smiled at her. I have to leave now, goodbye Ava." 

On his way out he walked by his mother cautiously hoping she would change her mind and realize that sending a fourteen-year-old out to live on the streets was a terrible idea, but instead she just glared at him and told him to 'hurry the hell up and get the fuck out of her house.' 

{Flashback ended}

Snapping out of his memories he stuffed the blanket into his bag. With the bag in hand, he made his way to the public park restroom and changed into a different shirt, deciding that he could wear the same jeans for one more day. Without looking in the mirror he started to make his way to school. 

Rowan hated school with a passion, he was constantly picked on for the way he looked, and what he wore but those were thing he couldn't help. The only reason Rowan hadn't given up on his education was because it was his only chance to get himself out of this rut he was living in. He was just really smart and learned new concepts very easily so good grades came naturally to him; it would be his good grades that would hopefully get him out of this mess, and get a roof back over his head.