I shoved the bottle into my mouth and tipped it upside down. I needed every last drop. I grunted in agitation as I realized I was out of booze.
My vision was blurry and cars raced past me on the highway. Stumbling a bit, I managed to find a park. It was empty and unattended to, but that was exactly what I needed. I found a tree towards the back of the park and sat up against it.
Reaching into my jeans pocket, I pulled out my lighter and cigarette pack. There was only one left. Oh joy. I muttered to myself as I flicked the lighter to life and burned the smoke. I took a nice big drag and let it go slowly, admiring the way the white dissolved into the air, twisting and twirling into the sun.
It had been four weeks since the court trial and all my bruises and bones had healed. Four weeks since I last saw my dad. Four weeks since I last saw Mom.
And Mikey.
Who the hell knows where he is? He could've ended up in a family who doesn't love him and is hurting him.
At least he was somewhat safe.
For the past four weeks, yes, I was not getting beat, and I was happy about that. But I'm alone. No job, no house, no money, no sanity. I was feeding out of whatever I could salvage from garbage cans, showering in people's pools, getting wasted, and all the while, there was only one person that I couldn't stop thinking about.
Frank.
Frank, my boyfriend, my /lover/. He had no idea I was ever beaten by anyone, let alone getting hospitalized for it and becoming homeless. I never told him because I never wanted him to worry. Ever. I loved his smile, and I knew that if I told him what happened, I would never see that smile again.
I missed his laugh and his lips against mine… Thinking about him made me happier as I sat against the tree. I smiled at the thought of him being in my arms again, kissing me again, and hugging me again.
He's the only reason why I'm alive right now. He gave me some kind of hope that I would be okay and that someday, I'd be healthy enough to see him again. I held on to the thought of him being here with me one of these days. Because if I let that go, I might as well have let my entire life go with it.
Because Frank is literally my life.