I wasn’t sure how long I walked for, but dusk gave way to full dark, and the temperature dropped to bone-chilling. Eventually I stopped to dig around in my duffel for a sweatshirt to pull on. I hated wearing clothes, but this was an obvious exception. If I had known I would be roughing it, I would’ve brought a fucking coat.

“Whatever,” I mumbled, a smile growing on my face. Because at least I had my weed. It would keep me warm until the morning.

Up ahead I could almost make out a light through the trees. Worked for me. I followed the dim light as it grew brighter and brighter, until the pinprick became an obvious lit room inside a large house. I stopped, tripping over my feet. Maybe I was fucking lucky after all. I could camp out on the porch. There were no cars in the long driveway, and the only sign someone might be home was the singular light on. Maybe the door would be unlocked and I could sneak in.

I tiptoed up the stairs, the wood giving way with only the lightest of creaks under my weight. I paused outside the door, waiting to hear if anyone noticed, or would greet me with a shotgun, but it was silent.

The light snow was growing heavy, and I didn’t have a choice. I needed to get inside. Now was the time to find out if I was actually lucky or not. I tried the doorknob, found it unlocked, and pushed it open.

So far, so good. No shotgun–yet. I toed the line of the threshold, but before I could decide whether or not to fully enter, the decision was made for me. Some unseen force pushed me inside, and I was thrown to the ground face first. My jaw hit the floor with a smack.

“Fuck,” I swore. “Some fucking welcome.”

“It wouldn’t be a curse if it were pleasant.”

I looked up to see a clean-cut guy standing over me, hand outstretched to help me up. My apologies died on my lips, along with my high, as I realized what he had said. “Curse?”

The guy grimaced, and I continued to stare at his hand from the ground. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear what he had to say next. I wasn’t sure I had a choice. “I’m Felix. And I have some bad news for you.”

That was the moment I truly realized I was anything but lucky.

5. Savannah

“ Theo , I…” I was at a loss for words.
I knew he had experienced pain–true pain–the moment I looked into his eyes, but I hadn’t been expecting a story so filled with sorrow.

He held up his hand. “Please, don’t say you’re sorry. I’m so sick of people saying they’re sorry.”