A Beat for Cherry Bomb

Ch.14 Toxic Acid Burns Your Tongue

Tommy laid in bed staring at the ceiling. He didn't know what to do. It was three in the morning, the stars peeking through his window. It was open slightly, a breeze moving the curtains along with his hair.

He couldn't sleep. He hadn't slept. He had laid awake, either with his eyes closed or staring at the ceiling like he was doing now.

There was the taste of honey in his mouth, but it hurt. It wasn't the sickeningly sweet taste that it had always been. Acid burned through his mouth instead.

It was thick, sticky acid that filled his mouth to the brim, but nothing was actually there. He couldn't wash away the taste, he couldn't spit it out, he couldn't do anything about it.

He just smacks his tongue in his mouth, hoping that it will go away soon.

He looks out the window, the glimmering stars catching his eyes. A simple minded thought crosses his mind. A simple thought that he thinks anyone would have. It makes him sit up from where he laid and step out of his bed.

He grabs a black zip up hoodie, pulling it on but not actually zipping it. He leaves it open, showing the simple white shirt he has on underneath. He tugs his brown sweatpants up a little higher than they were, tightening the drawstring before he moves towards his guitar.

Not the electric one that he stole, but the acoustic one he stole. He ducks under the strap, moving the guitar so that it now rests on his back. The blonde slips on some shoes, nearly tripping on the shoelaces as he does so. He quickly grabs both his phone and notebook before moving out of the window into the night.

The air was cold, but it was soothing. That kind of fresh air that you need after being crammed into a room for far longer than you would have liked. That kind of fresh air that soothes the burning acid sitting on your tongue.

He slowly makes his way down to the grass, making sure to be careful as to not make any noise or break his guitar. Once he's safely onto the ground, he secures the guitar and his feet start moving.

He wasn't sure where he was going. His body just kept walking.

He made his way down the street, aiming for the forest that lay at the dead end. Rocks and dirt crunched beneath his shoes, making a satisfying but annoyingly loud noise. He moved over to his right, now walking on the grass.

There was much less noise and it was softer to walk on. Tommy liked that better at night. Night was the time of peace and quiet. No arguments, just silence . No thoughts, just emptiness .

The lights from the few households still awake began to fade, so he pulled out his phone and switched the flashlight on.

He stepped foot into the familiar woods, walking forwards on the well worn dirt path.

Sticks occasionally snapped under him, causing some rusting from tree branches and bushes from the animals that lived there.

A deer crossed the trail about ten feet in front of him, but not without staring into his light before running off. A fox dashed in between bushes right next to the trail. Squirrels and chipmunks ran through the trees, causing any stray leaves to drift down to the forest floor.

He had been walking for a while before he came upon a familiar fork in the trial. He usually went to the right and made his way towards where he and Purpled like to train. Today, however, his body had a different idea.

He turned left into a much less worn area. The grass was almost completely grown, only the occasional dead spot with dry dirt or compacted grass sticking to the ground. He didn't think about it, though. He just kept on walking wherever he was going.