Just Dreams

A Sudden New Start

TW: Blood, abuse, bullying

It was another night where Charlie walked down the dark streets, trying to get away from his family once again. But this time, he didn't know where he was going. His mother found his safe place and now he couldn't go back there, the fear of his mother deciding to check there just in case was terrifying. So, he kept walking, backpack hitting against his back with each step he took, not doing any good to his bruised body.

He was already so far from his house, but he didn't let hope nor relief take over, just small pride by how far he's gotten. 'New record, I guess' he thought half-heartedly.

He kept walking, trying to find a place to hide like every other night, until he reached this abandoned building with graffitis. There were slight noises coming from inside, music actually. Charlie usually doesn't engage in these type of stuff, even to just hide from his family, but he was really desperate right now so he went to an opened (broken) window and climbed through.

He could now hear the music a little clearer, and notices it was hip hop. A lot of his classmates listen, sing and dance to these songs, so he's quite familiar. He could probably just sit here in the corner, but the window let the air in and it was freezing. Not only that, but if his mother passes, she would most likely see him. So, he stood up and made his way towards the music, the shadow of a man following from outside the building.

Charlie reached the bottom steps of the creaky stairs and squinted his eyes at the flashing lights. The basement was filled with colors and people, each corner seperated for different activities. There were people doing sports, some skating, others just dancing, and others making more graffitis.

He walked and climbed a flight of stairs, leading to this sort of bar with a red head girl as the bartender, a group of people playing basketball under. He put his bag on the seat next to him and leaned on the counter, hiding the hiss of pain as his back made contact with the cold metal. He got comfortable after a bit of shifting and finally relaxed against the seat, but still not letting his guard down.

He sat there in silence, his eyes looking around for a certain wavy brown haired woman. He was so focused on looking for her that he didn't notice the redhead girl turning to stare at him and almost got a heart attack when she spoke up.

"You alone?" She had asked, the sound loud even with the music in the background. He turned around quickly, looking slightly pale at the scare. The girl raised an eyebrow at h and tilted her head. "You look like shit, man, are you ok?"

"Oh, I, uh, yeah, yeah I'm fine. A-and yes, I am alone." He responded quietly, yet she seemed to have heard him since she gave a small shrug before looking back down at the game of basketball on the lower floor. The basement was actually connected to the sewers, so there were circular exits on the walls leading to who knows where.

The two continued to seat in silence until she spoke again. "So whatcha doing here?" Charlie turned back towards her before looking away again.

"To get away from the house." She just nodded, giving the place a quick look over before her eyes stayed on him once again.

"So you a runaway?" She tilted her head a little towards him. He shook his head.

"They always find me, I can't get away. This is the furthest I've ever been, but I know she'll find me, she always does.." He said bitterly, his grip on his bag tightening.

Once again, she nodded, but looked down at the players as they all stared at him. The players whispered some stuff to each other before going up to the bar and standing around Charlie. He immediately felt intimidated, being surrounded by a bunch of tall people was scary.