((TW: ABUSE / DRUG USE / PDA))

        Ty looked out the window, dazed again from the teacher's lecture. Swaying tree branches are always more interesting than whatever Mr. Muckle has to say. He looked over at the cars passing by, one by one in no rush. They probably have their life figured out. They don't have to sit and listen to a lecture that goes in one ear and out the other. They're probably on their way to work at a job they love doing. They're probably leisurely enjoying their day. Happy with their life. Happy with everything.

        Or they're on their way to a funeral. Or they're soon to run into an impeding doom in their life. Maybe they're having a good day but will soon realize someone important to them will die. Or have an alarming call from the police saying their son is in jail for assault. No one really knows what's going on, but simply stopping to realize that they're a human being was stunning enough for Ty. Everyone is going through their own story. They've had their own struggles. They've had experiences so deep or so exciting. They have feelings just like everyone else and it isn't always about ourselves. They have their own adventure...

        Adventure...

        It's all Ty really wanted. It's all his friends ever really want, too. They don't want a regular life of school, work, retire, die. No. Being teenagers they always dream big. Unrealistically big. They always want more. More than what this world has to offer. To Ty, he realized his dreams were unrealistic. He realizes that his dream success was out of reach. He's not the honor roll student his parents want him to be. He doesn't have the ability to embody the person his parents have in mind as an ideal son. He...doesn't even know what he wants to do after high school. Maybe-

        A loud continuous bell interrupted the class and his train of thought. Ty groggily picked up his backpack, hiding and pushing his way through a crowd of classmates to avoid being seen by Mr. Muckle so he can call him in and talk about his failing philosophy grade.

        He didn't say a word to anyone until he saw Adam coming up to him, smiling. "Hey man!" He grinned. "Hey." Ty replied, taking his hood off. "Dude, I heard people are nicknaming the school drug dealer to Weedlion." Adam chuckled. "The name still implies drugs, dumbasses." Ty rolled his eyes as they made their way into English class together, taking a seat beside one another awaiting the dreaded hyperactive Mr. Asher. Some students argue that he's like that because Weedlion deals with him. Others say that's just how he is. No on really knows but he's funny either way.

        3 minutes till passing period ends. Ty and Adam spent it talking about things going on around school. Drugs, sex, violence, the regular things that make up a high school.

        "I heard Mitch and Jerome went to that party at 3 AM and woke up naked next to each other..."

      "I met the new kid. He won't tell me his real name but he apparently goes by Okward. He's a really funny and chill guy."

        "I really like that Alesa girl, honestly. She's so pretty..."

        "That Jocelyn girl is really really cute and nice. I've caught her staring at me a couple times..."

         The bell rang, indicating the start of class. Everyone fell silent for a moment, but continued talking, realizing that Mr. Asher isn't even in class. "Where's he go?" "Is he just late?" "What's going on?". The same questions mumbled around class, changing the subject of everyone's conversation. Adam automatically kept track of time, putting on a timer for 15 minutes. "If a teacher is late longer than 15 minutes, it's legal for us to cut class without penalty..." Adam explained, snickering. "Bruh, did you do something to Mr. Asher?"

        "No, God no. I'm just hoping he doesn't show up."

        "Same. I don't wanna be here."

        "EVERYONE LISTEN UP!" Tyler stood up on his desk, the light dramatically sparking his glasses. "IF MR. ASHER DOESN'T SHOW UP, DON'T SNITCH. DON'T LET ANYONE ELSE KNOW AND COME OUT OF THIS CLASSROOM PRETENDING TO HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING. NO ONE RAT HIM OUT." He sat back down in his desk, everyone talking and nodding approvingly. "He's the most chill teacher and he doesn't even give out homework." "They might replace him with a worse teacher..." "I like him, I don't want him gone."

        Ty looked over at Adam, intensely watching the timer tick down on his phone. He anxiously looked around, hoping Mr. Asher wouldn't show up out of nowhere.

        13 minutes.

        "I swear, Weedlion's been caught four times now. How is he not expelled?"

        "His girlfriend is really deep into drugs too. Kinda pathetic to look at honestly..."

        12 minutes

      "I was talking to Tamara and I knew she was high. She comes to school high 24/7 now that I think about it."

        "Yeah, her parents don't stop her because her mom smokes weed too, so she's okay with it..."

        11 minutes

        "Dude, Anthony made a snapchat video of Vigil and Natasha making out under the stairs yesterday."

        "What the fuck? Gross. Do they know he did that?"

        "Yeah, they didn't even care."

        10 minutes

        "Luke and Paula are an okay couple, I guess."

        "They're not gonna last long, in my opinion..."

        9 minutes

        "Is Mr.Asher still not here?"

        "Where could he even be...?"

        "Not with Weedlion. Where is...Oh God, he's making out with his girlfriend at the corner of the classroom."

        "Really? Where- aw, shit, his hands are going everywhere. KEEP IT IN THE BEDROOM!"

        "OH MY GOD SHUT UP."

        8 minutes

        "How are things at home?"

        "Dad went to another girl's house without telling my mom so she's really pissed at him. You?"

        "My sister broke down and started throwing knives. It was pretty bad, I thought I was gonna die. Or at least go to the hospital with stab wounds."

        7 minutes

        "Hey, Adam..."

        "Yeah?'

        "What do you want to do when you get out of school?"

        "Honestly, I don't know. It's really stupid, you know? In high school, they tell you what to do. You have to do everything according to orders. It's all about obeying but when you get to college and the real world, you're totally left on your own. No one to bark orders at you or tell you what you should be doing. They don't even prepare you for the real world. They don't give you decisions and they don't let you direct yourself, like you do for the rest of your life. They throw you out into a whole new territory that's nothing like high school and expect you to already know what you're doing when they never even prepared you for it. It's that the point of high school, though? To prepare you for college and the real world? What the hell?!"

        "RIGHT?! Like they give us SO much homework. They don't even give us time for ourselves. Then they promote 'Do what you wanna do!' or 'Follow your dreams!' Like, you didn't even give me time to find myself. You didn't give me time to even dream. How are you supposed to find what you want to do when  they supress you to no end? You can't find who you are or what you want through doing mandatory work. No, we experiment with everything, find what we wanna do for the rest of our lives, but with all this homework we don't have time for anything. NOT EVEN AN 8 HOUR SLEEP and people our age need at least 10-12 hours of sleep! Good job, American Education System."

        4 minutes

        "Duuuuuuuuuuude..."

        "What?"

        "I'm bored."

        "Ugh."

        "if we listen to an average 3 minute song we can pass by this time quickly."

        "Give me one of your earphones."

        1 minute

        "WHEN I WAS..."

        "A YOUNG BOY..."

        "MY FATHER..."

        "TOOK ME INTO THE CITY..."

        "TO SEE A MARCHING BAND..."

        "HE SAID: SON WHEN YOU GROW UP..."

        "WOULD YOU BE THE SAVIOR..."

        "OF THE BROKEN, THE BEATEN AND THE DAMNED?"

        "HE SAID-"

        A ring from the phone interrupted their duet. 15 minutes were up. The two stood up in unison, picking up their backpacks and immediately heading out of class. They ran down the halls on their tiptoes, avoiding to disturb any other classes. They made their way outside, breathing the fresh air before sprinting out as fast as they could, racing each other. They pushed each other as they exited the school's campus, running down a neighborhood, making their way to a cornerstore. They came in, out of breath and laughing. The cashier smiled, shaking his head knowing they skipped class considering the hour. They came up to the counter with jars of coffee and packets of candy, paying together. They left happily, making their way to an empty local park, laying down in the grass and spreading their food and drinks out like a picnic. "Hey, watch this." Ty grinned maliciously. "Oh God not again." Sky put a hand over his eyes and cringed away from Ty, his fingers cracked open. His eyes were casted downwards, focusing on the hands hidden in his pockets. Ty slowly pulled them out, revealing 5 packs of Trolli gummy candy. "Jesus Christ, Ty. You're insane..." Adam laughed, taking one. Ty put all of them between them, taking a sip of his glassed Starbucks caramel frappuchino. He took his jacket off, groaning at the intense heat the sun elicited. Adam took out a pair of Ray Bans sunglasses and put it on.They laid their heads down onto the grass, their heads almost touching each other. Their eyes half lidded, they savored the peaceful feeling of each other's company, reaching out for candy here and there.

        "Real talk, dude." Ty spoke up.

        "What's up?" Adam looked over at him, barely turning his head.

        "If you had the choice to do anything - and I mean anything - what would you do with your life?"

        "Go on some Indiana Jones adventure. Fight for our lives. Happily living in danger. Traveling the world and seeing its wonders. Uncovering the secrets the government keeps from us. Finding secret societies and oh man, so much I'd do if only I could-"

        "Why don't you do it?"

        "What? Dude, with all the shit going on, do you really think we can pull it off?"

        "If we tried. If we really want it. We can escape. Run away from it all. Live the life we want and leave all of it behind, never come back."

        "Don't you think you're just being rash? But...y'know, I can see myself doing all that I want. I uh, kinda see you too. Don't wanna do it all by myself! Gotta have my best bro with me."

        "I'm down. I'm hella down. Why don't we do it? We really could! Hitchhike across America, you know how to drive, I know how to hijack a car, you have connections around the states, I know how to pick locks, this is perfect!"

        "Whoa there, I thought you were talking about a legal way." 

        "Oh, come on, don't be a saint. Lying and cheating through life is how you become president. It's how you become an honor student. It's how people become Magna Cumlaude. Valedictorian. Anyone who does it purely on their own isn't even a human. How are you passing all your grades and classes?"

        "...Cheating..."

        "How do you convince your parents into thinking you're an honest smart school boy?"

        "...Lying..."

        "Where do you always get more than enough money to buy things?"

        "Pickpocketing."

        "Come on, we can do this! We can never go back to our problems, we leave behind every worry, we live a life of our own. Our life is our clay and it should be up to us on how it should be molded. Trust me, after this we wont have the smoothest, but we will have the best looking expensive vase."

        "Alright, alriiiight you've convinced me. When do we start?"

        "...hm...Tonight!"

        "Wha- really? So short notice."

        "Pack up when you get home. Bring the regular necessities like a toothbrush and all that stuff. Steal all the money from your parents' wallet. I'll do the same. We're never really gonna see them again anyways. And if we do, they're probably gonna forget about the money. Or we'll be so rich and famous they won't even care we stole it because we can pay them back x20! We can build a house on the mountains, but your siblings their own houses, buy our parents' homes, get all we want and spend it for the good of good!" Ty's arms and legs swung around, kicking the air in excitement.

        "Just the two of us?"

        "Just the two of us, I promise."

        "Alright. Where are we going to first?"

        "Let's go to all the famous places. San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Hollywood! Vegas! Universal Studios! Disneyworld! The White House! Then we'll go international. We'll hitchhike in Paris, Italy, Rome, England, to Russia, to Germany, to China to Japan to Taiwan to the Philippines to everywhere!"

        "Hehe, slow down you excited little 5 year old. Where to first?"

        "Let's go to San Francisco. I'll see you here in the park again at 3 AM, alright? Leave a note so your folks won't be too worried. Well, they will be-"

        "Nah, they won't trust me. I'll just leave. I'll meet you here! It's 3 right now actually. School's out. We should go home so our parents don't suspect we skipped class."

        "Yeah..." Ty got up, stuffing his pockets with food he bought and stole. "You want anything else?"

        "Yeah, I'll take two more backf of the Trolli." Adam shoved them into his messy backpack, putting it on. "Walk me home?"

        "Sure man!" Ty shook some grass off and walked leisurely by Adam. Running into some classmates and politely saying hi as they passed by. The pair walked together, rambling about what to do once they're in San Francisco.

        Adam gulped as his house stood in front of him. "Bye..." Ty's tone sympathized with Adam. "Yeah...definitely leaving tonight. You should leave so my dad doesn't see you. Bye, see you tonight." The pair walked their own serparate ways. Ty walked away from the house but could clearly head the yelling inside the broken home once Adam's dad opened the door and slammed it like a gunshot. He breathed deeply, sighing out his anxieties. He made his way to his own home, which was only 2 blocks away. Ty's anxieties rose higher and higher the closer he got to his home, anticipating a fight. Ty got his house keys out of his back pocket and unlocked the door to the house in front of him, immediately hearing his mother screaming and hitting his father. They clearly ignored his presence as he ran away into his room, closing the door hastily and locking it. He put his earphones in and blasted the music, drowing out the fighting outside. He took his jacket and shoes off, flinging them to the side. Flopping on his bed, he sighed shakily, closing his eyes and attempting to sleep it off.

        ---

        Adam locked himself in his dark, miserable room. The sun couldn't even bother to reach his window. Everyone was fighting like wild animals outside, screaming, crying and cursing everywhere. Adam curled into a ball, pulling at his hair and sobbing loudly and pathetically as everyone cried out in pain while inflicting even more pain. He stood up, angrily punching walls, successfuly cracking and breaking holes into them. His knuckles frail and bleeding, he rolled down into the floor once more, a messy slob of tears and grief. Someone tried to open his door, finding it locked. Whoever it was knocked until he opened the door. He gathered himself up and and opened the door to reveal one of his bruised crying sisters, pulling her in the room while their parents tried to calm down their other sister from throwing knives and attempting murder. He locked the door again, his sister clinging onto him for dear life, wettening his shoulder with tears. They sat up on the floor, the wall supporting them from melting down. "W-why d-do the-ey alwa-ys do thi-i-is..." Her words were interrupted by sobs and hiccups. Adam didn't answer, simply crying even more as they held on, only having each other right now.

        ---

        Calming down, the two of them sniffed and hiccuped as the fight outside went on. "Run away." Adam said. "Run away with your friends. This place isn't safe for you. Don't come back unless everything is done and fixed."

        "I already planned to..."

        "Good. Be safe. Be happy. Don't be in an environment like this. You deserve more than this, okay? Go somewhere nice..."

        "I'm leaving tomorrow night. I talked it over with Helen and Chris."

        "I'm leaving tonght at 3. Stay awake, I'll give you money to save for your trips till everthing here is fixed. Mom and Dad will help her, I know they'll find a way somehow. It's okay. We'll be okay."

        "Thank you. You're the best brother."

        ---

        2:45 AM

        Adam carried 3 bags of luggage with him. He wore a thick, winter coat, and regular jeans and running shoes, the night being cold and harsh. Sleepingbag, warm clothing, everything was with him. His sister walked him outside as he have her $200 in cash. They shared one last long, tight hug. She closed the door for him as he headed out into the park, the black ominous streets lit by yellow tinted street lights led his way to the figure in the middle of a grassy field. He approached him, happily hugging him. Ty wore warm clothes, a puffy jacket will do for a sleeping bag. He picked up his 3 bags as they walk off past neighborhoods, past city limit, past empty fields of grass, and into a suburban small town outside, a little forested with a lake. Not a word was said, but they understood what happened once they got home. But now all of that is behind them. All of that is forgotten and all they could even focus on is what lies ahead of them.

        Under a bridge where the lake passes by, they laid down their bags, their backs and shoulders aching. They flopped down onto the pebbles, lightly laughing and out of breath. Ty checked his watch. 5:24 AM. They've been walking for quite some time, their feet sore from the weight they had to carry. They sighed in relief as the sky turned from black to dark blue, the sun making its way to them. They contently closed their eyes, their hood acting as pillows and their jackets poofy enough to be sufficient sleeping bags.

        "Adventure..?." Ty smiled lazily, drifting off to sleep while huddling with Adam for warmth, his arms hugging him to keep him close.

        "Adventure" Adam assured, sighing before falling asleep.