Chapter 038

[Apple]

The alley is dark and cold. I don't know this part of town, I'm not sure where I'm going, all I know is that I need to get away from those women. Wandering, I let my feet take me down this narrow, dark space, onto the bright street, and around again until I end up somewhere completely different.

My chest feels tight and my head is heavy. I don't know where I am, and in this moment I don't care.

"They hate me," I kick a rock and watch it skip into a puddle. "Of course they do. I'm a complete fraud."

The air is cold, clean, and moist. It must have rained while I was inside because all of the surfaces were a little damp, including a small broken chair leaning up against a wall. It makes a squelching sound as I sit, not caring if the water leaks into my sweatpants or not.

Closing my eyes, I place my face in my hands. Folding in half, I let everything go--every fear, every heartbreak, every moment of uncertainty pours from me, as I consider everywhere I've been and what I'm being