Count The Stars

Elijah Rosen, an introverted seventeen year old with a love for football, sneaks out almost every night to get away from the problems he faces during the day. He feels like his anxiety is taking over his life, and the only place he can go to escape it is the pitch black night right outside his window where he can be alone and let his thoughts run wild.

But after he finds Adam Chang sitting at the bottom of an empty pool in the early hours of the morning with puffy red eyes and bruised hands, he begins to find comfort in something other than the dark.

Only, Adam has a few problems of his own.

And with pressure coming from his family, his friends, his school, and his own mind, Elijah isn't sure how he'll make it through the year.

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"I think if you weren't here, I wouldn't be okay. I'd..." I trailed off, not wanting to say the words that we both knew were true.

"Hey," he said softly, "I'm just glad I'm here, then."

He started to let go of me, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him like I never had anybody else before.

"I'm glad you are too."

(featured by FreeTheLGBT: 1/13/2022)