ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ

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ɪ

ɢ

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ʀ

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ᴛ

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A puff of hot air came out of a brown-haired boy, as he looked up into the night sky, closing his eyes and breathing in the pine-scent atmosphere. He tucked his hands inside the pocket of his hoodie, trying to gain some warmth.

A sudden buzz from his phone indicated a mad person who was spamming him with notifications. He shook his head and let out a sigh, digging into the pocket of his ripped jeans and pulling out his phone.

A soft ringtone of a music box playing his lullaby ringed in his ears as he slid his fingers towards the right, accepting the call.

"bITCH WHERE YOU AT."

"I'm outside." He casually replied.

"DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN JUST WALK OFF WHEREVER YOU'D LIKE AND LEAVE ME BEHIND." The other line shrieked.

The boy scoffed. "Please, I can see you happily grinding on those fake-asses in the club."

"uM. oBJECTION, HE WAS HOT OKAY." 

The boy shook his head. "Whatever, Ben. It's cold and the club's too boring. Hurry your ass up. I'm outside." 

"oUTSIDE WHERE." 

"The park, on the bench near the fountain, I think." 

"Ugh, fine. Hang on lemme just take a quick snap of this little cutie over here—" 

The boy scoffed again and was about to end the call before a voice shrieked.

"dON'T YOU FUCKING LAY A FINGER ON YOUR PHONE. I'M ALMOST DONE." 

"Don't you think it's funny that you're shrieking over the phone in the club." The boy chuckled, bringing the phone back up to his ear.

"Bitch please, my voice is beautiful." 

"Just hurry up and take the damn picture already." The boy sighed, his patience running out.

"..."

"sHIT THE FLASH WAS ON. ABORT. ABORT. OMFG." 

The boy bursted out laughing, he predicted it would be like this. 

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, IT AIN'T FUNNY. WAIT 'TILL I COME OVER HERE MYSELF AND BUST YOUR ASS." 

"I'd like to see you try." The boy smirked.

He ended the call by pressing a button on the phone and stuffing it back into his pocket. 

Not long a familiar screech was heard across the park. 

The male turned around towards the source of the sound.

"bITCH-ASS. HAVE FUN WALKING HOME BY YOURSELF." His friend shouted across, eventually waking up the birds who were sleeping in the trees.

The boy shook his head and turned away. He didn't mind walking home by himself. He knew how to defend himself, even if he couldn't see properly. 

The park was also a calm and quiet place. It was a shame he couldn't see the scenery, he bet it would've been beautiful. 

He sighed hopelessly, reaching a hand into the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. 

He fumbled a few times, but eventually got the cigarette smoking. He put it in his mouth and inhaled deeply,the toxins spreading into his body slowly.

He exhaled and a puff of smoke rose out from his mouth and disappeared into the atmosphere. He closed his eyes, repeating this action a few more times.

Suddenly he felt a tug at the sleeve of his hoodie.

He turned around, surprised. He would've heard the person creep up on him by now. He stood up, surprised, narrowing his eyes.

"Who are you?" He spoke.

A feminine giggle filled his ears.

"I said, who are you." He spoke in a more demanding tone.

"I can't tell you m-mwy name." The feminine voice spoke again, pronouncing one of the words with great difficulty. 

The boy raised an eyebrow. It seemed like the person was only a child, considering the fact that they couldn't pronounce some of the words well. 

He sighed in relief but also in curiosity.

"What are you doing here? It's late out." He spoke softly.

"I-I don't wanna talk abwout it.." The voice murmured.

"C-can you s-sit with me?" The voice pleaded. "I-I'm lonely.." 

"Uh.. sure.." The boy hesitated for a moment before joining the little girl. 

Suddenly he felt something shift towards him and then a head laying on his shoulder. He freezed up at the sudden contact, not sure what to do. 

"S-stay with me.. J-just for a while.." The girl murmured, nuzzling deeper into the boy's hoodie. 

The boy sighed, inhaling, but immediately choked on his spit as a waft of sweet-strawberry scent washed over, drowning out the pine-tree scent in the atmosphere. 

Where was that smell coming from?
So.. Intoxicating..

He inhaled deeply again, almost drooling over the scent. 

"Y-you like m-mwy shampoo?" The girl spoke up again, her eyes smiling. "I-It's lavwender scented." 

The boy shook his head. "Hah.. You smell more like strawberries more.." He mumbled, breathing in the intoxicating scent.

His hands eventually found its way towards the girl's soft locks. He started playing with them, ruffling the girl's hair messily, which the girl found entertaining, giggling every now and then.

The boy realized what he was doing and removed his hands away from the girl, stuffing them in the pockets of his hoodie. He pulled out the cigarette he lit before and re-lit it, breathing it in, trying to get his mind off of the strawberry scent.

"M-mister, why are you putting a paper roll in your mouth?" The girl asked curiously.

"It's called smoking, kid." The boy replied, exhaling a puff of smoke out.

The girl watched as the smoke swirled upwards and drifted into the night sky. "It's pwetty.." 

"The smoke swirls, huh?" 

"No, you." 

The boy chuckled. It wasn't everyday somebody called him a pretty-boy.

"What the fuck? I'm a guy." 

"U-um.. what's f-fwuck?" The girl asked, completely innocent.

The boy raised an eyebrow. He was surprised that she didn't know by now. Little kids these days were already spewing out curse words. 

"You don't know what it means?" He asked.

"N-no.. I heard my daddy say it a lot of times but my mwommy told me not to say it.." 

"Oh, um." The boy didn't know how to reply. "I'll tell you later." 

The girl huffed, annoyed. "That's what my mwommy told me everytwime i asked and s-she never tells!"

The boy chuckled at her outburst, finding it cute. 

"How old are you, anyways?" He asked.

"U-um, 13.." The girl sheepishly replied.

"Huh, I'm surprised you still can't pronounce your words well yet." 

The girl shrugged, swaying her feet back and forth. "I-I hate it.. T-the big kids make fun of me.. T-they push me awound w-when the teacher isn't l-looking.." 

The boy's heart rate quickened and clenched. Why would anybody hurt an innocent girl like her? 

"How often do they do this?" The boy asked worringly.

"A-almost evewyday.. I-I don't understand.. w-why do they hate me..?" The girl's voice cracked, whispering.

The boy's heart softened as he felt a face smudged against his chest, his hoodie slowly dampening wet with the girl's tears. 

The strawberry scent was rubbed on him completely.

"Shh.. No tears, okay? I'm here." The boy cooed, stroking the girl's hair slowly, playing with her hair.

Eventually the girl stopped crying and the two of them sat on the bench, on a quiet night, in the middle of the park, looking up into the night sky.

"W-what's your name..?" The girl asked softly, her voice slurring slightly.

She was getting sleepy as she layed her head against the strangers shoulder.

The boy hummed, continuing to play with the girl's hair. "It's Jack." 

The girl giggled drowsily as she snuggled further into Jack. "Jwackie."

Jack's heart fluttered at the soft nick-name the girl gave her. He was about to say something but he stopped himself when he heard the soft steady breathing of the girl and silence. That could only mean she fell asleep on him. 

Jack sighed and threw away his cigarette, stuffing his hands back into the pockets of his hoodie, inhaling the intoxicating strawberry scent that was wafted around him. 

He still didn't know the young girl's name. 

But strangely he didn't seem to care at all. 

He felt comforted by the welcoming scent as he inhaled deeply. Her scent only that seemed to catch his attention. 

The only distraction that made him able to throw away his beloved cigarette to the ground, the fire slowly burning out until it eventually died.

The last wisps of the smoke that swirled around the two and disappeared into the night. 

➸

ᴀ/ɴ - 

sO ʟIKE- ᴀs sᴏᴏɴ ᴀs ɪ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪsᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇʀ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ɪᴛ?? ɪ'ᴍ sᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ?? 😂

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴠᴏᴛᴇʀ~ 

ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛᴀɢs sᴏ

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ : AʟɪsʜDᴀWᴏʟғ (!)

ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ! uwu