The Escapists

;Out;

Susie furrowed her brows at her friend as she walked next to him begrudgingly. Joey was on his other side, hands in pockets and eyes forward. He didn't seem to mind the unwelcomed guest in their dorms as much as she did but he did look kind of annoyed by Frank's sudden spontaneousness.

„So?", she crossed her arms over her flat chest. „Care to explain why you would bring in such a-" She couldn't even finish her sentence before Frank stopped right in front of her.

The pink-haired could tell by just one look in his eyes: she was on thin ice. And honestly, it pissed her off. Just how important could a girl like her be for him to get all defensive? What did she do to him?

„You wanna finish that?", he lowered his voice as though his tall form towering over her small frame wasn't threatening enough. Fortunately, Joey stepped up to them and put his hand on Frank's shoulder, pulling him away from her.

„Come one, spit it out. What is this all about?", he crossed his hands behind his head. The younger girl never understood how he could stay this calm. Even if things went to shit, Joey acted like it was just another Monday morning. Even when...

She hated thinking about that. It was the point where her whole life became meaningless. Every one of them was devastated when they first entered the entity's realm; except for Joey.

„Listen, guys", Frank sighed as he combed his hair to his right with his hand. Halting for a second he turned around to face both of his friends, making sure he had their full attention.

„It's hard to explain it in detail, but... (Y/N) and I may have found a way out of here."

Julie was slowly becoming more comfortable around (Y/N), at least it seemed like that. She was still quieter than any of her other friends and hesitated when the (H/C) haired asked her questions, though she thought that her answers were at least truthful.

She spoke with a small smile about her old life: her loving parents, her older brother and their little puppy Buddy.

Her mom was mostly working, so she didn't get to see her a lot but her dad was always around when she needed him. Her brother Matt seemed to be a little annoying, always being goofy and not taking responsibility. But he cared for his sister judging by the memories she had of him. And their little puppy wasn't even for a long time in the family before Julie got stuck in the realm but he still found his way into the brunette's heart.

The more she talked, the more did it hurt for (Y/N) to listen. Julie had something and/or someone to return to. She, on the other hand, did not. Her father was out of the picture before she was even born nor did she have any siblings. She never had a great relationship with her mom, to the point where she didn't even know what happened to her after she left.

The younger girl couldn't help but feel jealous. Jealous of a family she couldn't have. And especially jealous of Julie's happiness. Although they were stuck in this despair ridden place, she still managed to smile when reminiscing about her old life; one that was worth living.

„I called him many names", her eyes were distant when she looked out the window to remember more about her brother. „I yelled at him a lot, heh. But I also loved him. Still, do. And he knows that. I can't wait to finally return."

(Y/N) didn't want to hear another word. All of it just sounded so... nice. She would have done everything to achieve this kind of state, but for that, she needed more than one participant. She needed a mother who was willing to show love towards her children and a father who wouldn't leave when it got difficult.

„I was arguing with my parents before... that night. Matt defended me but-", combing through her hair she let out a sigh. „I said some mean things I shouldn't have and then stormed off. I hope they can forgi-"

„It's about damn time!"

Suddenly, the door burst open, interrupting Julie mid-sentence. She became awfully quiet, closing her mouth shut after her initial shock. Her smile was replaced by her topical frown as she just stared blankly at her friends coming in.

Susie, who had made that grand entry, smirked at the older girls before pulling up a chair from the side and sitting between the two. She put her elbows on the table and her hand into her hands, smirking at (Y/N).

It was weird, to say the least, the girl who hated her guts suddenly seemed so fake friendly it made her uncomfortable.

Joey and Frank came a moment after while Susie seemed to be fixated on the older girl like a hawk. „I've heard you've got some great news for us? It's about time we leave. I'm getting sick of this place." Susie's tone sounded forced. She still had something against her but wanted to return home so badly, she swallowed her pride to at least act a little nicer.

However, (Y/N)'s attention was somewhere else completely.

Frank stood by the closed door, seemingly listening to Susie's rambling. She could hear her heart racing when his focus shifted onto her and their eyes met. His smirk made everything worse. The pink haired's words seemed so far away now; she could only concentrate on the way her temperature went skyrocketing and her ears were the worst.

„Hey! Are you listening?", someone looked not so happy. Her sudden louder tone brought (Y/N) back to her current situation.

Right, there were more important things than daydreaming.