Intro. Jay was back in the treehouse, hidden among the bare branches of the icy forest—the only place he and FaithfulHornet3618 called a refuge.
The fight with his father still echoed in his head, like a distant siren that he couldn't turn off. His fists were still clenched, his eyes were still burning. Once again, he had escaped from home not out of courage, but out of sheer need to breathe.
December 03, 2018, 03:37 pm. \-2°C.
With his fingers trembling more from nervousness than from the cold, he pulled his phone out of his sweatshirt pocket and typed a short message to FaithfulHornet3618. He did not wait for a response. I knew that if it was to come, FaithfulHornet3618 would come.
Soon after, he lit a cigarette—the lighter failed twice before complying—and put on his headphones. The sound of Lana Del Rey began to fill the frozen silence all around. A light mist escaped from his mouth with each puff, mixing with the steam of his breath.
There, surrounded by wood v