"how come you like staying in here all day?"
tyler looked past his open door and saw the girl leaning against it, her eyes looking at him.
"i'm sure it's obvious." he sighed, putting his earbuds in and pulling the covers up to his neck.
she frowned. "you have to leave your room sometimes, though. otherwise you'll just depress yourself even more."
tyler groaned and pulled open his music on his phone. "there's that word again..."
a moment struck between them, but suddenly she stepped up to his bed and looked down at him angrily. "tyler, i need you to come with me."
he furrowed his eyebrows and took out one earbud closest to her. "i'm not going anywhere."
"what are you afraid of?" she snapped. "i just wanted to show you something. maybe i'll even leave you alone the rest of the week if you do this."
tyler considered it. but then again, he huffed. "i don't know you, and you expect me to just follow you to god knows where? this is my house, remember?"
"maybe you don't know me, yeah," she crossed her arms. "but that surely does not give you any reason to be an asshole."
she turned around and nearly shut the door behind her.
"wait," tyler sighed. "come back."
she rolled her eyes and turned around, but didn't move an inch closer to him. "what?"
"i'm sorry." he sat up, putting his phone away from his side. "i hope you know that i never talk to anybody outside of therapists and doctors. i'm not used to it."
she scratched her arm and still stared, waiting for him to keep talking.
he swallowed. "and, uh, i'll come with you."
a grin filled her face now, and she quickly grabbed his hand and yanked him off the bed. he nearly tripped on his own feet and was being pulled down the stairs, into the kitchen, and out the back door.
"i-i don't know if i'm comfortable doing this.." he shivered from the weather. "i haven't been outside in years."
"well today's your lucky day." she leaped across a log, his body being pulled even more with her pace.
they eventually reached the forest and he noticed all the trees, seeing them for the first time outside of his dreamland or sketchbook.
he breathed in the cool, wintry air and suddenly the girl's finger pointed towards a tree deeper in the forest. "you lead the way now."
confused, he didn't try to question her.
his feet ached slightly with all of the twigs and plants surrounding them, but was also needy for exploration after years. they both walked farther into the cult of pine and oak trees, steering away from their shelter.
that's when he noticed it.
a large tree was standing there with a tall ladder leaning against it, leading up to a medium-sized treehouse.
tyler's breath hitched, and he stopped in his tracks immediately.
"go on," the girl pushed him, and for the first time in a long time, tyler managed to release half a smile.
~~~~
