he’s nearly fifteen, and he feels too old for it. in the same way he feels too old for a lot of things nowadays, with the last fleeting remains of an already hopelessly broken childhood steadily drifting away from his grasp, harshly split between a still-unfamiliar home in california and the haunting memories of a small town back in indiana. he had previously hoped that a change in scenery would help with the trauma, away from the constant reminders of how his life should have played out, but with another nightmare fresh in the back of his mind not long after midnight, he finds himself teetering uneasily in the doorway of his mother’s bedroom.
“mom...?” he internally curses himself for how small his voice resonates, as weak and pathetic as he currently feels. he already regrets not simply going back to bed, but it’s too late for that now that he’s gotten her attention. “i- can i... can i come in, please...?”