The Homeless Girl and the Billionaire

Rachel's POV

6 years ago.....

I have been on my own ever since I was eleven years old, first to the orphanage and then to the foster home.

Yeah go figure, my life sucks.

Ever since my parents died, I feel bad luck has followed me everywhere. Like it's taughting me and waiting for the right moment to strike and remind me. No you can't have a happy life you must suffer. For what reason, I do not know. maybe I was a murder in a previous life, who knows. But what ever the reason, it's kicking me in the balls, well if I had any that is. But it sure does make you feel like you do.

Even though the orphanage wasn't too bad to live in, it wasn't home.

Not the warmth, not the laughter and not the unconditional love. No just a roof over my head and basic food to survive on. Think of Oliver Twist with the gruel they eat. That's pretty much what we lived on. Okay I might be exaggerating but the food was pretty bad at times but it was enough to live off.

When my parents died there was a church funeral. There was no extended family for me as I had none. The social services were there with me that day as I cried as they lowered my parents in to the ground.

The priest said some lovely words about my parents. As if he knew them, no one knew them like I did.

There were a few of my parents work colleagues there but they all looked so sad and I could see the pity in their eyes. They all tried to talk to me but I couldn't say anything to them. I didn't know them and they didn't know me. Not really, they were just there to pay their respects and then get on with their lives. I wished that my parents knew some of them well enough that they could take me in but they couldn't.

My parents never got around to making a will. So as I was a minor I became a ward of the state. I was scared of the unknown for me. I wish my parents had made sure I went to someone. But as most people do, they thought nothing bad would happen and then it did and there was no back up plan for who I might be with. No godparents or grandparents or aunties or uncles or cousins. Just me alone to face the world without my parents to guide me through this unfair and cruel world.

I could hear the priest in the background like some faint song playing in the distance. My ears were ringing unable to believe my reality.

I looked at the two open graves in front of me with the grave stones with my parents names. I held on tightly to my teddy called Rainbow as I cried quietly, tears streaming down my face. I wanted to jump in their with them. I wished they hadn't been taken from me. I figured I must have done something bad to deserve this. But I couldn't figure out what.

My mind drifted to our last morning together...

**************

I came down the stairs dressed for school. My mom smiled at me as she sipped her coffee.

"Morning sweetie" my mom said. My dad was making pancakes. He was wearing his kiss the cook apron. He loved to wear it when he made us yummy treats. He turned and looked at me with a smile on his face.

"Morning darling, how did you sleep." I smiled at them both. "I had a good sleep, I had a weird dream though" I told them both.

They both looked at me puzzled.

"I dreamt I was walking around L.A. beach." They both smiled at me and patted my head.

My mom said "Silly goose it was properly from when we last went there."

I shook my head "I remember it very well it wasn't like when we went during the day" I told them. "It was at night and it was cold I was walking around the beach. I remember feeling..." I paused for a moment tapping my finger on my chin thinking of the correct word to express how it felt. "I felt...lost and alone. Like I had no one it wasn't very nice."

My mom gently stroked the top of my hand and smiled at me trying to lighten the mood "It was just a dream sweetie, we will always be here with you" she smiled at me.

But I remember feeling like something bad was going to happen. I shook my head and smiled at my parents. "Your properly right, it was just a dream."

Just then my dad put some pancakes in front of me. It was a smiley face with syrup for a mouth and blueberries for eyes.

I laughed at my dad. "Dad your so silly but I love your pancakes they're the best." He smiled at me looking so proud of himself. My mom gave him a kiss on the cheek as she smiled at him.

She then looked back at me and said "It's a good thing that I married him then" winking at me while she laughed. I laughed along with them.

Not realising this day would change my life forever. An the dream I had was like some weird premonition that I would come true in the worse way possible.

**************

The social worker tapped me lightly on the shoulder, bringing me out of my happy memory. I turned to her and nodded.

It was time to go to my new existence, not life. My life was down in the ground in front of me. I looked down at the two graves one last time before the two coffins would be covered in dirt.

My heart hurt in my chest as I put my hand over my heart to stop it from hurting. It didn't help but I took a deep breath ready to talk to my parents before they were under the ground forever.

I managed to say in a whisper "I love you both so much it hurts. I know you will visit me. I will come and visit you too, I love you." I said as tears ran down my face again.

The social worker put her hands on my shoulders and guided me out of the cemetery. I stopped and turned back one last time to see some workers starting to put dirt over my parents coffins. I closed my eyes for a second to steady myself before I continued walking with the social worker.

The social worker said to me "I know this is hard Rachel but we need to get some of your things from your house. The rest of your parents belongings you will get when you turn eighteen." I nodded and we made our way to the car to go back to my home soon to be old home. My parents rented it they didn't own it. But their belongings I could take what I needed and the rest I can get when I am older.

The car ride was quiet as they took me to my old house to pick up some of my things.

Everything felt like a blur as we drove down the familiar streets, knowing I would never play down here with my friends again.

I slowly got out the car and walked along side the social worker. The door was already unlocked. There was a removal van in the driveway but I could not see any of the workers.

I looked back at my front door and walked through knowing this would be last time. I walked in to the living room. My mind drifted back to us sitting on the couch and watching a movie together, laughing and eating popcorn.

I held my teddy closer to my chest as the memories came flooding back. I looked to the kitchen more memories. I turned away as I felt my whole body sink. Knowing I would never have these experiences again.

New tears streamed down my face. The social worker called my name. She wanted me to get my things so we could go to the orphanage.

I didn't want to take to much valuable stuff as I knew they would keep the rest for when I'm older. I didn't want the other children to take anything that was too important to me so I had to be careful what I took with me.

I went up to my bedroom for the last time. The social worker waited downstairs for me while I packed up some of my things.

I closed the door and ran to my bed crying on the pillow knowing this would be the last time in my room and this house. I cried for a few minutes. I knew I could not delay this any longer.

I sat up and wiped my eyes with the sleeves of my black dress. I changed out of dress and in to some jeans and top. Leaving the dress in the closet knowing it would be packed away.

I picked up my backpack and started putting some clothes in there that I would need. The orphanage would provide any further clothes and things I might need later on.

I grabbed a picture of my parents and I. I smiled at the picture trying not to cry again while I packed. My teddy Rainbow who had been with me all day. I gave him a kiss on the head and placed him in the bag.

I walked to my door and turned back one more time to look at my room trying to commit it to memory. The tears started again. I walked passed my parents old room. The room was half packed up ready for it to go in to storage mainly valuable things like my mom's jewellery box so I could have it later. I knew the bed would not be kept. I wonder in to the room and laid down on the bed. I cried some more hugging the pillows trying to smell my parents on the pillows. I could faintly smell them.

I heard the social worker call from downstairs. I got up off the bed looking around the room one last time.

I walked slowly down the stairs taking it all in one last time.

The social worker smiled at me and said "You ready" I nodded. We started walking to the front door. I suddenly remembered my dad's apron. I ran back to the kitchen. I grabbed it and folded it together and put it in my backpack with all my other items.

I knew it would go in to storage but I wanted this with me to remind me of my last morning with them.

I came back to the social worker who was waiting for me at the front door. She smiled at me while I did one last look at the house I called home.

We walked out to the car I was holding on to my backpack straps. The social worker opened the back door for me. Once I was inside she got in the front passenger seat. One of her colleagues was driving. The workers with the removal van started to go back in to the house.

As we pulled away for the last time. I looked at the house out the back window until I could no longer see it anymore. I turned slowly in my seat my head hanging low as I cried for my parents and cried for my old home.

I didn't know what the future would hold but I knew the life I had just left would never be the same again.

6 years later....

When it came time to be fostered, I was hoping to go to a nice house and family, but the man who lived there with his wife and other foster kids took a liking to me. I had been there a week. An his wife went out for the night. I had a feeling this would be the night he would try something.

I had a bad feeling with the way he looked at him as if I was prey.

So, just to be on the safe side, I kept my bag packed and stayed in my clothes, ready to make a quick getaway.

Sure enough, he entered my room one night, but I was ready for him. He walked over to my bed and said to me in a menacing voice that he had been waiting for this and couldn't wait to f*ck me.

Upon hearing that, I knew I made the right choice. Once he got to the bed and realised I wasn't there, I bolted out from behind the door and got out of there.

I only managed to pack a little food that would go unnoticed. As I ran through the kitchen to the back door, I knew the key was always in there.

I managed to grab a loaf of bread before I got out the door. He wasn't as fast as me, and I would never allow him to touch me.

So now you know my sad story, it's been a few hours since I ran away. I have to be careful where I go as I don't want to be attacked out here or get arrested as they will send me back.

I need to lay low for a few months till I turn eighteen and they can't send me back.

So, where am I, do you ask?

Well, I'm in Los Angeles, USA, in sunny California, the poor part, obviously, but at least I can go on the beach without people asking questions. There are a lot of homeless people here already, I'm hoping I can blend in.

I manage to find some good restaurants and rummage through their bins, and sometimes I get lucky sometimes I don't. I know gross, right, but when it's eat what's in the trash or starve, your options are limited.

There are some soup kitchens, but I try not to go to them too often as the staff give me weird looks. I feel like they know I'm from the system and might want to get me back into it or heaven forbid try and help me, which is pointless yet.

I spend my days sleeping where it's busy, but I try to hide myself so no one will disturb me. When it's night, I wonder around. It's scary, but I would rather this than with that scumbag.

It's been weeks since I ran away now. I'm so tired and scared all the time, but I just need to survive a few more months.

I walk around at night like I normally do, looking at people out having fun, even girls my age going into the cinema or in a restaurant on a date.

I look at them missing my parents. Why did they have to die that day. I was at school when they got hit by the truck. Killing them both instantly and changing my life forever.

I snap out of my memory to hear some loud noises behind me. I'm down an alleyway. Yeah, I know, not very safe, but finding somewhere to stop and rest for a few minutes is a b*tch.

I don't sleep, but walking around all night can be too much sometimes. I hear laughing but can't see anyone.

Where are they? I decide to walk back out to the main part of the street.

I'm walking a little too fast and not looking where I'm going. I get near the edge of the sidewalk and trip on my shoelaces.

Always tie your shoelaces, ha! but late for that advice now isn't it.

I fall forward, putting my hands out to brace myself. Ready for the enviable pain to come.

At that moment, a very expensive luxury car comes driving down the road towards me.

This is it; this is how I die of shear clumsiness. As I fall towards the road. I try to put my hands out to stop myself but I'm not fast enough and end up hitting my head hard on the road.

The last thing I see is the car right near my face. I can feel the heat of the engine and can smell the exhaust fumes travelling along the ground from the back of the car.

I lift my head up, everything is blurry. I can see someone running towards me but in slow motion and bends down in front of me.

Just then I close my eyes and rest my head on the ground. I hear a faint muffled voice but cannot make out what they are saying.

I then pass out from the pain.

Tristan's POV

'What the fuck!' I screech to a holt in my brand new car that I drove it off the lot earlier today.

Some stupid girl lands in front of my car. I nearly killed her. I get out of the car and go to see if she's okay.

"Miss, are you okay?" I say to her as I get closer.

I kneel in front of her but her head rest on the ground and her eyes are closed. Looks like she has passed out.

I check her pulse luckily she is still breathing.

I get my phone out and call an ambulance. I tell them where we are and to get here quick.

There's a crowd now, watching our interaction. A few people come over to check on her.

I have reassured them she is still breathing and not to move her.

The crowd starts to move on as there is nothing they can do. I don't want to move her in case she has hurt her neck.

I take this quiet moment to look at her face before the ambulance gets here.

I bend down in front of her and move a strand of hai