honeysuckle ✔️

7 years old

-honeysuckle-

tw for this entire story. there will be some parts that are very unsettling.

A frail, skinny malnourished Rowan sat on a patch of grass crying and wiping his tears away. He isn't supposed to cry. He's supposed to be a man, as that pathetic excuse of a father would tell him. Rowan can't help it, he's just an emotional person. That just happens when you're beaten and neglected everyday since the moment you were born. And no one cares because the Vaughns are not their business.

Rather than cry at that place that child services claims to be his home, he'd rather cry anywhere else. Pretty much anywhere besides his home is home. The community center bathroom, the old defunct tractor in a random field, and here. In this patch of grass near a flower bush next to a river.

Rowan's life couldn't be any worse. He just wants a friend. He's seen the other kids play with their friends at the park. No one ever wants to come up to him because his father is known for being a lazy drunk. And also because Rowan has a small scar on his eyebrow from the time when his father threw him a glass bottle.

He wiped his tears and rubbed his right arm where his father had kicked him while he was asleep. His father's reasoning: He was sleeping like a fag.

As he cried more, and wondered when his pain would end, at the end of Meadow Drive, a young Tanner was driving his bike without a care in the world. His red hair was basking in the sun, his shirt flew in the wind. There's nothing that can stop him.

As he rode his bike further, he noticed ahead a crying blonde boy. Tanner doesn't like it when people cry because it means that they've been hurt. He only likes it when they smile.

Deciding to take a detour, Tanner pulled aside when he got close enough. He dropped his bike and got off of it before he fell and hit the ground. He approached the crying boy. Tanner's heart broke. By the sounds of it, the boy was in horrible pain. Whether it's physical or emotional, it didn't matter.

"Hey, you!" Tanner said. Rowan didn't respond. He was too into his head to notice anything. Tanner got closer to the boy until he was able to put his hand on the crying boy's shoulder. Rowan jumped back at the contact. The only time people touch him is when they want to hurt him.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Tanner said as he stepped back. The crying boy obviously doesn't want to be touched right now.

Rowan was shocked that someone apologized to him. He normally has to apologize such as 'Sorry for not cleaning up.' or 'Sorry for being stupid.' Already, this kid in front has treated him better than anyone else.

"Why are you crying?" Tanner asked. Rowan didn't know how to respond. He's not good at communication. He just stayed silent.

But Tanner is patient. He doesn't have to know why he's hurt, he just wants him to stop crying.

"I'm Tanner Brandenburg. And you?" Tanner asked. He held out his hand, being polite as his parents taught him. Rowan just looked at Tanner's hands a bit confused. But he's seen his mom do this shake before when she would ask for that white powder. So he stuck his hand out and grabbed it. Tanner gave it a nice firm shake, just enough for the crying boy to understand that he won't hurt him.

"R-Rowan Vaughn." Rowan mumbled out. He hoped that Tanner was able to hear him. Besides them, the only sound here was the running water from the river and the occasional chirps.

"Rowan! I like that name!" Tanner said. Truth is, Rowan didn't like his name. It was his father's middle name. And because of that, his mother refused to call him that. Instead she would say 'boy', 'brat', or 'my worst mistake'.