The rooftop visits were getting far too frequent. Ash sat alone, gazing at the stars, spending a majority of her evenings detached and distant. Maybe it was the constant feeling of dread mixing with relief — she'd leave her family soon, move to the dorms and build a life for herself (and then return home every few weeks to do laundry). Become independent, as her dad had put it. It was confusing, she felt like a little kid hiding from the monster in her closet.

The deadline was too close and her parents were getting more and more pesky by the second. If she could, she would leave now. Every day came with packing, planning, shopping and considering, her mind on overdrive. The summer air carried the distant sounds of Atlanta traffic below, while the rooftop concrete still held the day's warmth against her back.

Ash would change a lot of things if she had enough courage: apologize properly, ask Harper how to be perfect like her, buy her own apartment and move far away from her past — build a new identity and never come back to Atlanta. The night breeze ruffled her pink-tipped hair as she pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders.

But there was no better medicine than escape. Traditional. Ash was a coward in more ways than she'd like to admit.

She pulled her blanket closer, shielding herself from whatever the world felt like throwing towards her.

Today? Today, the projectile was a worried former girlfriend, contacted in a hurry by Brooke who was not so sure herself what 'Foght. Mom. donf text.' meant exactly. Being childhood friends meant easy sneaking in, straight under Ash's parents' nose, even greeting them with a 'good evening' like a proper young lady. Sometimes Ash wondered if her parents liked her ex more...

"Don't stare like that. It's rude," Ash rasped out, completely defeated as she felt her former girlfriend join her on the rooftop, their subtle sneaking behind her lacking the surprise element.