zero

three

on a scale of one to ten, how much do you want to kill everyone in the room?

four.
-

everything around me is green and full of life. very different from me. i pull my hood up and start walking, humming to myself.

suddenly being lonely isn't such a bad thing. the trees are beautiful, freshly covered in rain. i hear the branches and leaves cracking under my feet.

i take a deep breath, and for the first time in a while, i'm calm. my lungs are thankful for the fresh air.

my number goes down and i smile a bit. closing my eyes, i take in all the feelings of being out here.

"who are you?"

a voice startles me from my trance. i look around, trying to find the source but there's no one to be seen.

"hello? is anyone out there?" i ask, spinning to find the person and make sure i'm not hallucinating. again.

"up in the tree," the voice says, guiding my eyes up towards the tree line. there, i see a boy with pink hair sitting in a tree, raising his eyebrow at me. "who are you?"

"uhm," i hesitate, pulling my hood down, "my name's tyler."

"and what are you doing here?"

i point back towards the way i came. "i live just back there and uh, decided to sneak out of the house for a bit."

why am i telling this to a complete stranger?

the boy jumps down from the branch he was perched on, walking a bit closer to me. "i've never seen you here before."

"i don't get out much."

he laughs a bit. "alright, fair enough. tyler, my name is josh."

"well, what are you doing here?" i ask, biting back at him. this makes him smile. he has a beautiful smile, if i'm being honest.

"this is my home away from home," he explains, gesturing to the trees around us.

"the forest?" i ask, for clarification. he nods. "that's.. strange?"

josh shrugs, reaching into his back pocket to take out a cigarette. "it's nice here. much quieter than my house. also i like the air."

"are you some kind of hipster drug dealer?"

my lack of social skills precedes me.

josh pauses from lighting his cigarette to look at me then promptly bursts out laughing. "i like you, kid."

"i'm seventeen," i say in defense.

"and i'm eighteen, want to keep going?"

i frown. "you never answered my question."

josh lights his cigarette and takes a short drag. "am i a hipster drug dealer?" he repeats. i nod. "no, i just like trees and happen to smoke."

"i bet you have a skateboard." his eyes glance back up at me, causing me to grin a little.

"so what if i do?" he retorts.

i shrug, telling him, "i'm just good a profiling people, i guess. comes from years of experience of anxiety and paranoia."

"you'll have to teach me your ways," josh suggests. "seems like a good skill to have."

"it comes in handy when you're around actual drug dealers," i say, smiling a little bit as he lights up his cigarette.

"i would hope," he grins. "i don't do drugs though. smoking is a habit i picked up from my old man; he gets stressed a lot with his job. guess i have more in common with him then i think."

"do you not like your dad?" i ask curiously.

he shrugs, leaning against a tree. "more or less. i don't see him much because he works all the time. i've never cared much for him."

"my dad thinks i'm an embarrassment to our family."

josh snorts. "how is that? you seem nice."

"well," i mumble, looking down. "i have a lot of... problems, you could say. he's just tired of dealing with them. i don't blame him though. he's got three other kids to worry about. my mom fusses over me too much anyways."

josh listens, nodding in understanding. i like him, i think.

"moms worry, it's natural instinct for most."

i nod. "what time is it?"

he pulls out his phone to check it. "about ten until two."

"shit," i mutter, starting to head back the way i came. "i gotta go."

"i'll see you again sometime, right?" josh asks. the question takes me a little off guard. no one usually wants to spend more time with me than they have to.

"hopefully," i tell him, honestly. he smiles widely, stubbing out his cigarette.

"good. nice meeting you, kid."

i wave before taking off towards my house, hoping to make it home before my mom. i climb in through my window, closing it behind me and plopping down on my bed.

a few minutes later, my mom gets back and heads to my room. "tyler, you still there?" she asks, before opening the door.

"yeah, mom."

"i'm making cookies, if you'd like some."

"i'll be out in a minute."

she walks away and i head towards my bedroom door. before going, i take one last look at my window, smiling at the memory of the boy in the woods.