His breath mingled with mine and his lashes fluttered against my skin. Here, I finally felt alive.
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When Aurelia was small, she never imagined her life to be such a mess. She imagined herself going to school, hanging out with friends, and with a bo...
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My legs hurt from how hard I've been running. My knees ached and my calves burned. My face stung from the whip of the wind against it and sweat slicked every inch of my skin.
Earlier, I had gotten kicked out of my apartment.
I had gotten notice after notice plastered to my front door, but as usual, I never heeded the warnings. Barely making over a thousand dollars per month, I couldn't pay for my rent, living expenses, and food all at once. So, I slacked off on the rent thus leaving me homeless.
All my stuff had been put into storage and all I had on me were my car keys, phone, and wallet.
Finding nothing better to do, I started to run.
I needed to push it from my mind like it wasn't happening to me. Like what was going on, wasn't real.
I ran and ran as the sun started to disappear below the horizon, as my phone continued to blow up in my pocket, and as the energy in my body drained to nothing. When I finally collapsed, I fell to the floor and lay there staring at the sky. My stomach ached from the lack of food and my muscles burned.
The sound of birds chirping softly in the trees and the distant thumping of a ball against the asphalt could've lulled me to sleep. But the sting under my skin jerked me awake every time. I felt like throwing up.
No way in fuck was I asking Mom or Dad to take me in for the night. I could ask Vanessa, but then she'd assume I was just there for a fuck. There was also the option to sleep in a hotel, but as soon as I stayed one night, I'd want to stay longer and longer until I blew all the money I had left. Worst case scenario, I'd sleep in my car.
I sat up with a groan and rubbed my forehead. I looked around and stopped at the source of the ball thumping at the ground. A boy, maybe in high school, was running some basketball drills by himself. He was completely focused on the task at hand, an earbud plugged into each ear. Sweat dripped from his skin and from the sidelines, I could see his phone lighting up with a call.
I stared at him for a while, mesmerized by the focus and sharp movements of his body. Each basket he shot, he made. Each movement of his arm, every flick of his wrist was sharp and calculated.
I breathed out a sigh. There was a time when I used to be that good.
When he finally took a break, he glanced at his phone and sighed. He used the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face and moved toward his phone.
That was when he noticed me and stopped short.
He pulled an earbud from his ear and stared at me in confusion, one eyebrow arched and his lips twisted in a frown. I stared at him before sighing and standing up.
