The Safety of a Tree House

"I'm sorry"

The Safety of a Tree House

It was a hot day in July, we were arriving home from Louisiana after a long week of visiting family. I was in the back seat, earbuds in blasting music while my parents and sister were talking about..something. I don't know what, I wasn’t paying attention. I was more focused on trying to ignore the stinging of my arm. The AC in our car had broken months ago and we didn’t have the money to fix it quite yet, and my having to wear a long sleeve shirt didn't help with the heat. 

Every second in the car was agonizing and I thought about opening the car door and jumping out, I didn’t though. I instead chose to rest my head against the window and watch cars go by. I closed my eyes and let the sound of an acoustic guitar fill my head.

I heard that you've been

Self-medicating in the quiet of your room,

Your sweet, suburban tomb.

And if you need a friend,

I’ll help you stitch up your wounds.

I smile a little, it’s one of my new favorite songs.

I heard that you've been

Having some trouble finding your place in the world.

I know how much that hurts,

But if you need a friend Then please just say the word

I start to mouth the words. A sense of calm washes over me.

You've come this far,

You're all cleaned up, You've made a mess again,

There's no more trying, Time to sort yourself out

I open my eyes a little. A silver BMW passes us.

Hold on tight,

This ride is a wild one, Make no mistake,

The day will come when you can't cover up what you've done,

Only a few cars drive past us, so the only thing to look at is the fields upon fields of wheat. 

Now don't lose your fight, kid,

It only takes a little push to pull on through,

With so much left to do,

You'll be missing out, and we'll be missing you.

I close my eyes again and let the music put me to sleep. When I open them again, we had pulled into our driveway. Alex must have fallen gotten tired during the ride back because she's in her seat head lolled to the side. I got unbuckled and opened the car door, stretching my legs as I hopped out. I went to the back and opened the trunk. I had to dig through all the luggage to get my bag, a plain black backpack with a couple of holes on the bottom. When I pulled it out Alex had started to wake up. 

    “Hey sleepyhead,” my mother said, “get your stuff and head inside.” Alex groaned. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and head inside. I open the door and I’m greeted by a rush of cold air, it’s much better than the heat of the outside. I head up to my room and drop my bag on the floor. Flopping down on my bed I pull out my phone and start text my friends.

I'm home!!!

I see the little bubbles pop up right away.

P: Finally!

    O: How was your family?

They were okay. They were a little tiring to be around though :/