"So I sat there for what was it? Oh yeah three hours! Just for him to tell me that he painted over it! You can imagine how upset I was. So if you see me with a bad posture that's why-" I finish telling him about what happened earlier with my dad.

He didn't say much, mostly just listened to me talk. When I'd ask him questions about himself he'd either tell me to mind my business or respond with one word answers.

"Anyway, where did you say your house was again?" I ask, looking at the street name.

"I didn't say." He responded and crosses the street not looking both ways.

I stop, check both directions for any racing cars but when there isn't any, I cross. He didn't even wait for me before he just started walking.

"Wait for me." I lightly jog to catch up to him.

He doesn't stop so that makes it harder for me. When I reach him I'm slightly out of breath but I try to keep it down because my wheezing is embarrassing.

I don't say anything for the time being, that's until I can no longer stand the awkward silence and have to speak.

"So Heath what do- "

"Can you fucking stop talking for two fucking minutes" he snaps at me angrily and it low key hurts my feelings.

"ok" I look down to the ground and just bite my tongue the rest of the way.

Well that was my plan, but Im the kind of person that just always has the urge to do the one thing i or anyone else tells me not to do.

"You stepped on a crack!" I point to his foot and I think my shouting startled him because he stops.

He looks down and then back at my face.

"What?" He asks.

Is he serious?

"You know, step on a crack break your mothers back.." I tell him but he looks as lost as ever.

"You're not supposed to step on the cracks. See?" I walk over the cracks and he watches me.

"Have you really never heard of that?" I asked and wait for him to catch up to me.

"No" He responds and continues walking, stepping on a few cracks here and there. Which bothers me but I try not to notice.

After a while of walking, my feet start to hurt and I don't wanna complain because you know I'm the one who offered to safely walk him home .

"Are we there yet?" I ask, throwing my head back.

""Did I say we were there yet?" He turns his head to look down at me.

"No..." I answer, knowing where this is going.

"Then no." He says all moody.

I sigh and just look at each house as we walk past some neighborhood I've never been to before. My phone suddenly rings and I take it out of my pocket to read the contact as my dad.

I answer and he greets me.

"Where did you go?" He asks even though I told him.

"I went on a walk remember?" My dad seems to forget lots of the things I tell him, sometimes I have to tell him a total of three times to get him to understand.

"At this time? And I said yes?" He asks, I can tell he's trying to remember.

"Yes, dad. You gave me permission" I told him even though when I asked he didn't really say yes, or no.

"Ok well come back soon, it's getting late Thalia." He says.

"Yeah, yeah, I will. Bye." I almost hang up before I forgot something.

"Love you." I whispered through the phone and then cleared my throat.

I didn't want Heath to hear but the upturned smirk on his face tells me that he did hear, even though he wasn't looking in my direction.

"Sorry, that was my dad. You know how dads can be" I said pursing my lips.

"Unless you don't.." I forgot the possibility that he may not have a dad and wouldn't know how dads can be. He might not even have parents and I'm over here assuming.

"Do you have a dad?" I ask just to confirm and his brows narrow.

"No." His answer is even more sassier which tells me this is a touchy subject.

"Oh.... How about a mom?" I lower my eyes, kinda scared about how he'll react.

I remembered he has a gun and could take it out and use it on me any time, so I'll try to watch my mouth.

"No." He responds rather quickly and my heart swells for him.

"Are you an orphan?" I ask, trying to put the pieces together.

"Oh my- are you an orphan and you were trying to escape tonight because everyone in that orphanage is completely mean and I'm dragging you back in there, just for you to be trapped in such a horrible place again?!?" My mind starts coming up with all these possibilities.

"I don't live in a fucking orphanage." He says through clenched teeth.

Well now I know someone has intense mommy and daddy issues.

"Oh. Im not that close with my mom, since she has lots of kids and I mean a lot. Like last I heard she had five but who knows nowadays." I ramble.

He clenches both his hands and they make a cracking sound that makes me cringe.

"Do you have any siblings?" I look up at him and try to get him to open up.

"No." He answers and I nod.

"So who do you live with?" I ask, following him into the next street that was up a hill.

"Do you live with a roommate? Fish? Dog? Cat? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?" I ask, the last part was mostly my sneaky way of trying to figure out if he was taken or not.

"I live alone." He strides ahead faster and my legs try to keep up.

When we make it to the top of the hill he stops in front of a gated house. It looked private because of all the security and gates.

"What a basic, modern house, isn't it?." I said because I was starting to feel like he really was a hobo and was just afraid to tell me that he didn't have a home.

"If you don't have a house... I have a box in my room that I use for-"

"This is my fucking house" he faces me and I immediately stop talking.

"Oh well it's a pretty house." I bite my lip and look around, awkwardly.

"Alright well, nice meeting you. Goodnight." I said and quickly scattered out of there.

I walk down the street and then stop at the end of the street, I look up at the street name. Dickinson St

I have never been on this street in my life. I turn around and see a glimpse of Heaths head. I make my way over to him and call out his name.

He turns around when he hears me.

"Can you come here, please?" I ask, and he clenched his jaw before walking over to the gate.

"What." His voice is moody.

"How can I get to 43 Jenkins St from here?" I ask, realizing I just told him my address.

I just told a man (who owns a gun) my address. Sorry dad, If we end up getting killed.

"I don't know." His quick response makes me think that he does know but was just trying to get rid of me.

"C'mon, please, I need to get home." I emphasize when I say 'need'

"Or I can always just walk home by myself... in the middle of the night.. where anyone can snatch me up... and kidnap me... and sell me for $9.99... or worse, murder me." I try to guilt trap him, hoping that it works.

"Ok" he turns around to head back inside.

What the heck

"Wait no! Please don't go, I actually need your help. i don't wanna be kidnapped ." I call out and he groans before turning around.

"Fine." He says and lets me in, opening the gate.

I smile internally that my plan worked, guilt trapping and gaslighting never fail me.

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A/N

Thanks for reading guys 💕😏

7/2/22