Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
-Ｉ ＯＷＥ ＹＯＵ Ａ ＭＩＬＬＩＯＮ-
-ˋˏ ༻✿༺ ˎˊ-
SEMI-EMPTY STREETS GUIDED FRANKIE TO WHERE SHE KNEW TOMMY WOULD BE.
Around a block away from their high school sat a small, run-down playground. The equipment flaked red with rust at it's joints, the years of neglect that the Chicago government invested in the Southside clearly evident. Under the darkness of the night sky, a single streetlight flickered over the enclosed area, momentarily ceasing every once and a while as it's struggled to function. It was the place where Frankie and Tommy shared their first date, a joint or two passed between their fingertips over a four-hour conversation about nothing in particular.
Over time, the place had become a sanctuary for both teenagers - a place for either to run to when they needed an escape and where the other would know where to find them. Turning through the opening in the cross-wired fence, Frankie didn't react when she unsurprisingly caught sight of the faint outline of her ex-boyfriend, his body swaying forward and back slightly on the old swing set that just about managed to stay upright.
Tommy glanced over his shoulder at the sound of crunching woodshop under Frankie's worn faux leather boots. "You didn't have to follow me here."
"I wanted to," Frankie spoke solemnly, lowering herself down onto the leather seat of the neighbouring swing. It's chains creaked under her weight in a threatening symphony, hinting that it could possibly break if she moved too dramatically. As her eyes trailed over his slumped figure beside her, Frankie couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. "I'm sorry about them. They didn't have to treat you like that, you were just trying to help."
"They did, though," he replied, looking up to catch her stare. "I was the one who cheated on you, Franks. I deserve to be treated like shit by your family. It was to be expected, I always screw things up."
Frankie sighed in annoyance. "That's just Harry talking."
"Maybe it is, but it's still true," Tommy continued to look at her, his features lowering into a frown as regret swam in his icy orbs. "Frankie, you were always too good for me."
"Tom-"
"You do realise that you could easily get into college if you tried?" he questioned. Frankie shuddered, breaking the stare they shared. "You could do something with your life; marry some rich guy, move to Evanston or some shit were everyone has two cars in their driveway. Then there's me. One more flunked class away from being kicked out of school." He paused, causing the pair to fall into silence. "Harry was fucking right. You were always scraping the barrel by going out with me."
