Lost Souls

"Hey bestie". I spin around and smile wide. "Avery!!", I hug him, both of us laughing. "God, I'm so glad you could make it to the wedding", I held his hands as we looked at each other. I honestly felt like this man got buffer, but then he was always very big and muscular. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world", he smiled down at me. "Where is Asher?", I look around waving at a few people. "Only god knows. I split off to look for you, shorty". I laughed, as he looks down at me. "I saw you earlier looking kind of sad. Are you ok?" I sighed. "Yea, just thinking about a few things. Thank you for asking". "You wanna go outside and talk?". I nod and he leads me out to the balcony. "You've aged well", he said randomly and I laughed. "It's only been 4 years". "You still look 19", he sighed, leaning against the rail. I smile, looking up at him. "You still look 20". He scoffed and I laughed at his expression.

Sad to say after Zayne died, Darrius ended up moving back home, Chance dropped out of college and I moved to Seattle with Janson. This was the first time in years that we've seen each other again in person. "Can you believe Chance is gay-or Bisexual?", I shook my head in disbelief. "Yea, I'm not surprised". I hit him in shock and he laughed. "I kind of figured that out when he was overly upset about me being with Asher". I hummed. Never thought of it that way. "Are you happy?" Am I? I looked at him thoughtfully. "Yes, I think I am". His reaction was not what I expected, however. "Well you better get knowing before you spend the rest of your life with this guy". He patted my back lightly then walked off. How did I get here?

---

10 Years Before
"I found something". There was rustling before a boy with Dirty Blonde hair popped out of the bushes. "What is it?". A boy with brunette hair walked up to him, taking the item. "A key? Where'd you find this?". The Dirty Blond haired boy shrugged. "You think it's from around here?", a boy with curly brown hair spoke up, looking over the brunette's shoulder slightly. "I sure as hell hope so or we're fucked". "Hey, no cursing", the blond haired boy frowned. "Cayden, get your ass outta the bushes and let's get hustling before someone wonders why were stalking around here". The three boys moved away from the dumpster in the ally way of a local donut shop and pulled up their hoodies.

"Do you think we'll have somewhere to sleep for tonight, Austin?" The brunette, Austin, sighed. "I sure hope so, Cay, or we'll be in trouble". "You think we should go back to the warehouse? It's a bit far but if we start heading that way now, we'll make it before sun down", the brown haired one spoke up. "It would mean we wasted today walking all the way here just to go back. We gotta keep moving forward-". "But what is forward, Austin? We have no where to go", he huffed. "We have a goal, Jeremy, be patient". Jeremy went quiet again. He had doubts about this 'goal' Austin always told them about. Supposedly it was his whole reason for running away, along with a few other reasons. "Meme, I'm hungry", Cayden pouted. It broke Jeremy's heart that the poor boy was lost at such a young age. He was only 10, while Jeremy and Austin where 13 and 14. Unlike Cayden, who they found a year prior, the boys had been together for awhile.

Austin ran away from home when he was 12 and Jeremy had always been alone. His mother apparently couldn't bare the responsibility of a child and after taking care of him until he was 4, she abandoned him at an amusement park. He hated them with a passion now. "Here", he reached into his backpack and handed Cayden his last granola bar. "I think an abandoned church is up ahead", Austin informed the two. "We can't keep going on like this, Austin. We're almost out of food and we're barely sleeping in sanitary places". "When was the last time you had a shower? A new pair of clothes? Don't tell me about sanitation when we don't have any in the first place", he scowled, walking ahead of them. Cayden quietly finished off the granola bar. "I'll talk with him", Jeremy said before Cayden could even open his mouth.

The boys ended up staying at the abandoned church. Cayden was fast asleep on one of the booths and as Jeremy tucked him in, he saw Austin sitting up by the pew. He walked over to him with as much confidence as he could muster and-. "I know", Austin spoke before Jeremy could even speak. "I'm trying Meme, I really am. This shit is hard, having to fend for the three of us". "Your not fending for the three of us, we're fending for ourselves and each other. We have to work as a team". Austin pulled Jeremy down next to him. "I have an idea that your not going to really like", he rubbed Jeremy's hands with his thumbs. "I saw a place that's hiring. With a bit of persuasion and convincing, we could possibly get a job there". Jeremy's eyes lit up and he smiled. "Really? Oh my god that's great. What is it?". Austin took a deep breathe before saying, "A strip club".