Killjoy ; SetoSolace

| 11 |

| 11 | Hey Moon, Please Forget To Fall Down

***

Leaving school and heading to the forest with Brice was an easy breeze. I was overjoyed, almost to the point where I was feeling light headed. I wish I knew Brice's feelings about this; about promising to stay with me for as long as I wanted. There was always such a lovey-dovey feeling to it, but it didn't really matter to me. I was away from my parents, away from that house, and away from my troubled thoughts.

"From that smile I can tell you really like running away, don't you?" Brice chuckled as he adjusted his backpack strap.

"Of course! I love adventure," I replied giddily.

"Well, maybe we should run away with each other. Just you, me, a car, and some supplies," Brice suggested as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "The small hometowns, the city lights..."

"That sounds nice," I hummed. "Maybe one day."

The rest of our walk was filled with a blissful silence. The forest was damp; not a single soul had stirred around on the forest floor. Brice led me through a path of dark green bushes and towering trees. It felt like we were getting lost, but soon enough there was a treehouse, standing all in its glory.

It was enormous.

It was tall, and wide as well. There was a rope ladder leading up to it. This was my first time seeing it, due to the fact that Brice had carried my stuff here and while I took a shower at his house.

The wood complimented the tree—both were an oaky color. There was even a door, which I'm assuming Brice had the key too. When looking at the side, there were even windows. It felt like a perfect getaway.

"By your reaction I'm guessing you like it," Brice chuckled as he pointed towards it. "No one really knows this tree house is here, besides me and the people who sit at my table. It's pretty safe if I do say so myself. Let's go."

I nodded as I gave a slight gulp. Brice climbed up the rope ladder and unlocked the door, I followed. The treehouse creaked sometimes, but it didn't collapse—luckily. When I walked through the door, there were only a couple bean bag chairs sprawled throughout. There were little paintings on the wall as well. A bookshelf stool tall in the corner of the treehouse filled with many CDs and bulky books. It was painted on too.

"There's more stuff upstairs, beds n' shit," Brice said. "My moms built this for me when I was younger as an apology for being away a lot."

"You have really cool moms," I murmured. "My parents would never do that for me."

Brice rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "Uh, make yourself at home I guess."

"Are you sure this is okay?" I frowned. "You know, me bombarding on—"

"No, no," Brice interrupted me mid-sentence as he gave me a crooked smile, "really—it's okay. You can runaway with me anytime you want."

He gave me a soft smile that could tug at my heart. I felt my face heat up as I awkwardly nodded, "Thank you, Brice."

***

The rest of the day was quiet. I spent it finishing my homework, then mostly in bed, trying to catch some sleep for once. Though my eyes were shut, I felt Brice's sharp gaze on me, vigil and alert. It wasn't creepy, as one should say, but it was pleasant to know that he cared. Him being a total asshole was an understatement; he was kind behind the façade.

I pretended to open my eyes and stretch. I could see Brice trapped in a daze for a moment.  We made eye contact for a moment—mocha meeting blue. His fit lit up and his head turned, "About t-time you woke up."