When I reached the diner, Evan was sitting on the floor near the back entrance with a torn sleeve and blood on one knee. Beside him was another boy from his school, Noah, holding two grocery bags. That was when his boss finally explained everything. Six months earlier, Evan had discovered that Noah and his younger sister were living with their mother in temporary motels after losing their apartment. Every Saturday, Evan cashed his paycheck, kept only enough for bus fare, and used the rest for groceries, hot meals, and occasionally part of a motel bill. The thick stack of cash I had seen was money he had been saving to cover one full week for them—not a bicycle.
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