To astro⭐️:
for the love of god just pack a bag and get out of the house
From astro⭐️:
okay okay!!!r u outside?
To astro⭐️:
yes. now hurry youre hairy ass up.
From astro⭐️:
*your
I look up from where I'm positioned at the base of Astro's house, and my dongsaeng is shoving a ridiculously full backpack through her cracked window.
"Jesus Christ!" I sigh exasperatedly. "Dude, you've got everything but the kitchen sink in there. What did you even pack?"
She grins and swings down the roof, dropping into the flower bed beside me with a swoosh. "Hey, sometimes you've gotta have necessities."
We start down the quiet street on skateboards in near silence, the only noise is the wheels of the boards rumbling softly on the concrete. Hoping no one will notice, like two kids hurrying down a suburban street loaded with backpacks at three in the morning is normal, we glide past houses and buildings, all dark and dead.
"Shit." I hear, as Astro's phone clatters to the ground. "Can you get that, Rin?" She holds a bag with both hands, so I oblige. Reaching down to pick up the iPhone, my hair sweeps out of my left eye, and my face is exposed. 'shit'
"Orrin, what happened?!" She immediately starts rummaging in her bag. "You need some ointment or something?"
"No," I say, my face coming up to touch my eye, grimacing as my nail nudges the wound. "Just a small one from mother. In a daze, if you know what I mean."
Astro winces, "Drinking again? It's okay. I got one too," and shows me her right cheek, where a long but deep cut is placed. Rage courses through me as the sight of the wound reaches my eye, if only I wasn't so fuckin' short, I'd rip his balls off for that...
"I put some Neosporin on it. It'll heal in a week or so. You sure you don't want some?"
I nod and grin at her, feeling my lip ring wiggle as my mouth shifts into a smile. For the first time in a long time. "Thanks anyway, Astro."
"Not a problem. Dongsaengs take care of hyungs too. Hey, where we headed?"
Oh yeah. I never thought about that.
So if you haven't gotten the gist already, we're running away.
My mother is like an animal hoarder. Since I was four, the floors of her tiny, cramped apartment have been littered with dog shit, mewling rodents and blood. It doesn't help that my dad is dead, and he was the one that I wasn't actually afraid of, but he's been gone since I was 6.
Astro's folks aren't exactly gems, either. Her mom is abusive, and her dad has a drinking problem. Her sister isn't much better; she's in college, but hangs around the house and treats Astro like a slave.
So we had had enough, and finally decided to run away.
It's probably not going to be like My Side of the Mountain, but we'll do our best.
We're still not sure where we're gonna go. Astro raided her fridge and her dad's wallet, yanking out roughly a thousand dollars in cash and Goldfish, hard candy and root beer. Well, it won't last forever, but we've got enough to get by. I've brought the skateboards, more cash that I get from working under-the-counter and a change of clothes for each of us.
I check my phone. We've been gone for almost forty-five minutes, and Astro's got a worried look on her face.
"Something wrong, 'Stro?"
"C'mon." She pulls me into a small entrance to a trail system.
"There's a trail here that leads to the main highway. We can get to Hamilton from there, then take a bus to Cincinnati and get airplane tickets."
I assess the gravity of this plan. Airplane tickets?! That's pushing it. I'm wracked with nerves, but we've already dug ourselves a hole to hell, and there's no going back.
I reluctantly follow her through the trails, pausing and rolling my eyes in friendly annoyance when she gasps at silly things like a golden horse in the fields, or finds a pretty flower.
"You know we don't exactly have time for ponies and petunias, right?"
"Yeah. Um. Sorry." She laughs, and we continue on our way.
The rustling and chirping of the early birds and morning doves somewhat calms me, and mine and Astro's steps are in time. It's almost...nice. I'm running away with my dongsaeng in the midst of hoarders and abusers, yes. But it's just me and her. And we have food, drink, and we (hopefully) enough money to get by. It'll be nice, I think. Again, probably not a My Side of the Mountain scenario, but it'll definitely do.
But then bang.
I freeze in my spot.
"Rin? What was that?"
I know exactly what it is.
It can't be. No way.
Surely not....
But that familiar sound.
It's Astro's Dad and his AK-47.
"Get down, Astro! Now!" I whisper-yell at the top of my lungs, panic overtaking both of us as we drop down, shaking.
"Astro! I know you and your friend are in here! Come out and I won't hurt you!"
"Bullshit!" She yells back. "You've been hurting me for the last thirteen years! Get the fuck out, and never come back!"
Silence.
Astro looks up at me, her green eyes wild, but I give her a reassuring look.
I think he's gone.
I motion for her to stand up, and we both do so, shaking from the aftershock.
"Who was that?"
"My dad. I don't know how he—"
Bang. Bang.
Astro falls to the ground beside me, blood gushing out of her back; panic wells up in my stomach, and it's greedy arms reach up, through my throat and out my mouth in a soundless scream. Not even a second later I feel the familiar trickle of a warm, wet substance down my shoulder. My eyes start to go black, and my head falls back. I hit the ground with a thud.
Before I inevitably pass out, I lay there for a bit. Five minutes, probably.
"Holy shit! Hoseok, Jimin, Seokjin, get your asses over here!"
Four men sprint to where Astro and I lay. An adorable one with pink hair runs to me and puts a hand on my heart. Even in my half-alive state, my heart flutters a bit.
"This one's got a pulse." His sweet voice rings out to the other three.
"Same here." Another man with chocolate-brown eyes calls to the others.
"Okay." A chestnut-haired guy says. "Hoseok, what's your girl's name? Check a bag or something."
The guy named Hoseok turns over Astro's bloody backpack. "This is Astro."
"Dear God, I hope that's a nickname," a mint-haired dude says with a chuckle.
"Yoongi! I think it's a lovely name," Hoseok says, and I swear I can see 'Stro blush pink.
"Jimin, who've you got?" Chestnut says.
"This? Oh, this one is..um..." Jimin checks my bag. "Orrin. Nice ring to it." It takes all my willpower not to grin, despite the excruciating pain lacing all through out my back, shoulders and neck, which begins to spread even farther.
Oh, so this is Jimin. Chestnut must be Seokjin.
"We have to find where they live!" Yoongi says.
No! Don't!
"Don't m-make... me go... b-back..."
Talking took a bit too much, damn it, I think to myself, and that's my last thought before I go black.
"Rin! Oh my god! Wake up!"
Astro's of course, hitting me with her stuffed Katsuki Yuri.
"What!?!?"
"You were screaming loud as fuck! Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah." I sit up on my bed and stretch. "Just more dreams about...it."
She nods and plops down on her bed across the room. "Okay. Just thought you were having a seizure or something. Eomma Jin's making eggs downstairs if you want some."
She puts her Yuri on the bed and leaves, and I'm left touching the scar on my left eye, wondering what my parents are doing now.
Wondering if they even miss me.
I doubt it
xx- Carlislechan and Jaykun
