Inflorescence // joshler /

Chapter 6- Dahlia

Light danced at the edge of his vision. Josh turned his head from where he was staring up at the night sky to glance at the car pulling into the driveway. He looked away before he could see the person stumble out of the car. There was no need, it was always the same. Always the same stench on their breath, the same hateful words.

Josh pressed himself harder against the cool grass of his front yard, his arms flung from his sides, his hands gripping handfuls of grass. And for a moment he could swear he felt the world turn as he stared up at the pin pricks of light above him.

The abyss above would always be better than whatever the house behind him held.

--|-/--

Josh wasn't one to skip class, but apparently there was a first time for everything.

His heart was pounding as he snuck past the laughing and smiling kids on their way into the gym. There wasn't any reason to hide himself as the teacher wasn't there yet, but he blamed it mostly on guilt.

Shoulders firmly shrugged up by his ears and head cast down, he let his feet cary him. Josh had never skipped class before and had no idea where to go. It was a mostly impulse decision back in the gym.

There were hardly any students around now that classes had started and Josh was less on edge. He turned into the next hallway and slowed. This hall was usually the least congested as it was the back hall to the auditorium and was only used during plays and assemblies.

Josh leaned against the wall and sunk down against it, the weight off skipping finally hitting him. Shrugging his backpack off along with the worrying thoughts, he sighed. There'd be no repercussion from his parents at least. Really, they wouldn't find out and if they did, they wouldn't care.

Sometimes it felt like he was desperate for attention from them, constantly doing things to have his parents see him. Those times he didn't care wether it was in a positive light, just something to have him noticed. He'd slam doors and yell at nothing as their glazed and drunken eyes only blinked back.

Then other times he was desperate to disappear from them. Doing everything he could to not be seen, be heard, be noticed. They were angry nights, yelling and slamming doors from them, not Josh. He spent most of these nights in dark places. The roof, the lawn, his own mind.

The drawing was a comfort in a way.

--|-/--

Just a short chapter to get back into things. Sorry no Tyler (or any dialogue lamo) in this one but hopefully I'll start updating again. Thanks guys