They call it the spring of youth. But your youth only throbs like a blue bruise.

Like a cancer patient living with a tumor they resent, I live with a nuisance of my own. A tiny, ugly brat. A girl who cowers and cries every time she sees me. If it weren't for her, my life on these asphalt streets might have been different.

And yet, she's the only reason I endure each day. They say many hands make light work... though what I'm carrying on my back isn't a light load, but thousands in debt. Still, just looking at that kid lets me catch my breath.

But now she thinks she's got it easy enough to say she loves a guy like me. I suppose it's because I'm her entire world... but it's not like I've been kind to her, and I'm not exactly a great guy. How can she say such sweet things?

Was that girl a small dandelion in my gutter of a life?