sanctuary.

I: Thanks Mom

1/12/14

I literally want to scream right now. Even though it is probally bellow thirty degrees outside, my bedroom feels like I'm baking in an conventional oven. My mother seemed to find it necessary for the heat to be cranked to ninety degrees while I have to suffer in pain.

Ontop of that, it's nearly quarter past midnight, and instead of sleeping, I'm writing in this stupid journal trying to find some type of way to fall asleep. Every five minutes I hear rustling from Christians room, right beside mine, through the paper thin walls. Probably he was also having as much trouble sleeping as I was.

Safiyah 🌸
Hurry up ! 👏🏼👏🏼😠😠

"What the fuck, man." I mumbled quietly under my breath, as I leaped from my bed. I took one last glance at the digital clock on my nightstand, before pulling a a pair of heather graysweatpants from off of the floor onto my legs. I next grabbed a midnight blue pullover hoodie before slipping on a pair of black VANS onto my feet.

I had forgotten completely about meeting Saf tonight, and literally had less than five minutes to get outside before all hell broke loose. I tried my best to tip toe through the house without making a slight sound, but the moment I got to the stair case was when I felt a droplet of sweat trickle down my forehead. The excruciating heat was making me sweat bullets, and on top of that I feared making a single noise that could awaken my mother.

One step.

Three step.

Five step.

One last jump and I can make a run for the door. Using the two step trick that I had discovered when I was younger for creeping trough the halls was probably a lot more helpful than I would have expected before.

"Tyler?" I heard a soft voice whisper. I glanced backwards to see my younger brother Christan starring back at me with a questionable look. The boy was eight, but he sure wasn't stupid. I wasn't sure if telling him what was going on would be the right thing to do, but I sure did know that is I didn't make it home before my mother woke I would be in some deep shit.

My eyes darted around the room frantically as I tried my best to think of an excuse, until they finally landed on the empty milk jug sitting on the kitchen counter.

'Tyler! How many times have I told you to pick up some milk on your way home from school!'

"I'm gonna go stop be the store to pick up some milk with Saf." I then spat out, whipping away the droplets of sweat surfacing on my forehead with relief. "Don't worry I'll be back soon, you want anything?" I questioned, as the small boy shook his head before making his way back to his bedroom.

I sighed, normally walking out the door as I found Saf sitting on the step off my house. "Come on." She instructed as I nodded my head following her down the street. Safiyah didn't seem like her usual self tonight.. or is it technically morning? Instead of her usual gleaming smile, she wore a look of complete anger, and appeared as if she didn't have any reason of actually showing why.

I honestly hated seeing the girl like this, and it really sickened me that the only way she felt better was off her temporary high. She often convinced me to try it, but the thoughts of drugs just made me think death. Instant death. Dying with a dirty needle in my arm, or partying too hard after popping a pill.

It wasn't long before we found our way at the local park. One would think that this area would be vacant at these hours of the morning, but instead there was actually a fairly large group of homeless people wandering through, sleeping on benches, and begging for money left and right. I continued following Safiyah until we had made it at a nearby tree I've seen far to many times. All though this time the usual faces were accompanied by a few others.