All American Boy Next Door ✔️

3. Treehouse

Noah's POV

Just want to say, a treehouse is NOT just for kids. Kids don't even deserve to have treehouses. They aren't mature enough to understand the concept of it. They won't understand the joy of one. Just like how you shouldn't buy your kids Starbucks or Ben n Jerry's. Kids are too stupid to grapple with such high quality and amazing things.

Anyways...

Walking past the yard I walked into the forest. The podzol soil was littered with dead pine needles that crunched under my shoes. Walking through the forest was relaxing. After a day of being borderline sexually assulted, the wilderness is nice. The scent of woods filled my nostrils. I felt my lungs open wider at the contact of naturally fresh air.

I walked along the path that had eroded and become more prominent over the years of walking the same path. I like coming here when my mind is full. Definitely feels full right now.

After about five minutes, I reached my favorite spot in this town. My treehouse. It was like any other tree that lined these forests. But the trunk of the tree had my name carved on it.

"NOAH'S HOME: KEEP OUT!" it says carved in messy slashes. I still remember when I found this tree.

It was a few months after the 'incident' and I was holding onto strings. I like allusions so I'll keep the information vague. It was early Saturday morning and I had enough of everything at home. I was getting tired of my mom nagging me to take my meds. My therapist was pestering me to open up. My dad kept inviting his 'buddies' over and trying to get me to talk to new people.

Honestly I've had enough. To make it worse, Mack began to bully me. It started when I was in the bathroom stall. I had accidentally unraveled the bandages on my arm and went to fix them. I had them undone when Mack poked his head and entered my stall. He saw my arm and froze.

The scars on my arm from the incident makes it look like I cut myself. I didn't! It's just a coincidence it looks like that. He reached out to touch it and I hid my arm. I felt uncomfortable with the tight enclosure and him being so close to us.

"Noah. Are you cutting yourself?" He asked in a soft voice. I tried to respond back but his breath was hitting my forehead and I hated the closeness to intimacy.

"N-no Mack-k. I-I swear I'm not." My voice sounded pathetic.

"It's okay Noah. I'm here for you." He hugged me but I knew this hug was not out of care.

From then on, he would continue to hug and treat me like a child for the following week. I tried to ignore him but he was everywhere. One day I had enough of him and lashed out at him. He looked stunned and I walked away. The next day was full of peace. But you know what they say. There's always a calm before a storm.

I walked into school the following day to people looking at me with concerning eyes. Some couldn't even look at me. I went to my locker and felt eyes around me. I was confused as to what I did. I was called into the principal's office and was met with the man himself and the school's counselor.

"Noah, it has come to my attention that you apparently tried to take your own life." He said and my eyes widened. This is absurd. I quickly dismissed the claims but no one believed me. I even brought my parents and the surgeon who treated me to clear up the claims. The school believed me but the students were a different story. From then on, I was that kid who tried to "kill themselves."

Mack met me the following day after everything and told me he was the one who spread the rumor. He warned me that the next time I tried to tell him off that the rumors would get worse. So that's why I let him do what he wants.

I looked back at my tree house and climbed it. The ladder was a bit shaky but I couldn't bother to fix it. If you knew where to step, you could reach the top.

I entered the treehouse. The ladder led directly into the room, all you had to do was open a trapdoor. I lifted myself up and sat on the floor. The space inside was about 1/2 of my normal room. That being said, I found it more comfortable. There was a simple bed with a desk and a mini fridge. My dad was able to connect a large extension cord from the house to here.

After finding this tree and falling in love with it, I wanted to have something here to escape. I hadn't spoken that much within the past months after the accident but talked to my dad. He was stunned at me talking to him with more than just one word.

My proposal was simple, I wanted him to build me a treehouse. He agreed because A) I rarely ask for anything and B) I literally just got into an accident so of course he'll give me what I want. Within the span of a few weeks, he would build my second home. His buddies came over to build the house. I'm sure they only agreed out of pity.

I layed on the bed. It was a bit uncomfortable but my back was already broken. I checked the time and pulled out a pill I kept in a small container and swallowed it. Looking out the window, the wind blew and made the branches knock on the window.

I layed for a while but decided to do my homework. After an hour, I pulled out a snack and munched on them. I had nothing to do so I blasted music and read a book.

'You're worthless without me.'

'No one will fuck you except me.'

'It's just a simple blowjob.'

'Sluts like you will always be alone.'

SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!

His words rang in my head and I covered my ears as if it'll block them out. But his words rang in my head because despite him being gone, he scared me. I was afraid of him everyday. He could come and do something to me whenever he felt like it. He has power. All I am is a simple town boy who was left broken and abandoned by someone I had trusted.

Tears formed in my eyes and I wiped them away. I heard a voice calling me. Took me a few seconds to register that this voice was in the present and was calling me.

"NOAH! YOU THERE BUDDY?" my dad's voice was calling out from the bottom of the tree. He doesn't enter my treehouse because he understands that I have this place for myself. It's my place of peace.

I looked outside and saw it was dawn. The sun was setting and the sky was painted with strokes of red, orange, yellow, and indigo from the night. The tall pine trees made the view all the more breathtaking.

"NOAH?"

"I'm here dad." I called from above. I opened the trap door and saw him with a flashlight looking up at me. His outfit was a bit more professional, something he usually doesn't do for anything.

"Hey bud. Uh, we invited the new neighbors over for dinner. Wanna come and meet them? They have a guy your age." The mention of someone my age pained me. My dad may have given up on helping me make friends, but this new guy lives next to us. I'll have to see him several times now and if he's friendly he'll try to talk to me.

"No thanks. I'll just stay here." I said.

"Okay bud, just make sure you come back before 9." I felt the disappointment in his voice as I declined his offer. We said goodbye and I returned to what I was doing before I remembered those hurtful words.

I'm hoping for a silent night today.