The icy rain felt like millions of needles jabbing at Hannah's skin as she shivered on the park bench. The faded grey hoodie offered little protection, the thin material soaked through. "This fuckin' sweatshirt is useless," she muttered, picking furiously at a torn cuticle until it bled.
Hannah eyed a scraggly stray cat also taking shelter nearby. "At least you got some fur to keep warm, you mangy little bastard." Despite the harsh words, she felt a strange kinship with the street-worn creature.
Her eyes scanned the deserted park automatically, catching sight of a lone figure making their way down the path. Hannah tensed momentarily before realizing it was just one person, not a threatening group. As the stranger approached, desperation overrode her usual caution about panhandling. The icy wind sliced through her soaked layers, raising bumps on her rain-drenched skin.
"Hey!" Hannah's hoarse voice took on a rehearsed petulant whine. "Do me a solid and spare some change or a smoke? I'm freezing my goddamn ass off out here." She didn't care if they helped out of pity, to get rid of her, or a rare burst of kindness. If this random person was willing to ease her misery even briefly, Hannah would take whatever she could get.
