"And all of a sudden I felt real tired. Like the world has drained me for everything that I had."
Bare feet slapped across the sidewalk, stinging sharp against the cracked pavement. Every step made her more aware of how ridiculous she looked, how exposed she was, but she couldn't stop.
She couldn't go back.
Sawdust still clung to her skin as she kept her head down, breath shallow, heart still pounding like she hadn't escaped the pile at all.
It was hard to breathe but it was always hard to breathe- normal. This is normal. Normal.
She was fine.
The park wasn't far from Sunnyvale Court at all. And her body remembered the route better than her mind did.
The quick left by the corner store, the back alley shortcut, the swing set that always creaked like it knew her weight.
She didn't realize until she passed the first mailbox that she was still barefoot. Still wrapped in nothing but a towel. The absurdity of it cracked something sharp in her chest, half laugh, half sob.
She stopped short, pressing her knuckles into her mouth.
Idiot.
She was such an idiot.
That's when she saw it.
A clothesline strung across a yard.
Shirts and jeans swaying faintly in the wind. Normal. Domestic. Someone's life hung out neatly in rows while she stood here like a ghost haunting the street.
Her stomach turned in guilt, biting at her even as her feet dragged her towards it.
She knew she shouldn't.
She knew it wasn't a good idea.
Knew a good person wouldn't steal.
But it wouldn't be her first time.
An James never claimed to be a good person.
An the thought of showing up to the park wrapped in a towel shivering like a runaway all over again-no-she couldn't.
She reached up, fingers trembling as she plucked a shirt from the line. Soft cotton. Oversized.
Smelling faintly of detergent.
She pulled it quickly over her head, the fabric catching against the dampness of her skin. For a moment, she just stood there in the stranger's yard hugging herself through the thick layer of cotton. Eyes squeezed shut.
Better.
Not good.
But better.
She let go of the towel and the shirt easily landed just above her knees. For once her short height was doing her a favor. Her towel fell loosely in her hands now that she had the shirt to cover herself up.
By the time she reached the park, her pulse was a drum in her ears.
Empty swings swayed in the breeze like they'd been waiting for her.
She didn't hesitate, didn't think, just dropped the towel in the grass and climbed onto one barefoot, pushing off with her toes against the rubbery ground.
It was gritty, strange, sharp in some spots where the pieces had shifted.
She winced, curling her toes, but kept going, rocking herself higher.
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Ghost Bird The Academy: Jameson Addition.
FanfictionWhat if a second bird was joining Sang and the Academy boys. Sang and James are like night and day. Winter and Summer. Where Sang can be quiet and timid James is bold and energetic. Both seem to grab the boys attention as well as each other. Both ar...
