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I quietly closed the door as I walked into the empty room. The room was rather small and appeared to be unused for quite some time, hence the dust on the furniture and the old, almost dirty scent that you usually smell when going into an old, abandoned house. I begin to wander around the room trying to get a feel for everything. 

Within the room was a neatly made bed against the corner wall with a small nightstand to the left of it. On top of the nightstand was a lamp and a purple berry scented candle. To the left of the bed and nightstand, were two doors. One leading to a small but full bathroom and the other leading to the rest of the house. Across from the bed was a dresser, also against the wall, with a small TV placed on top. To the right of the dresser was a small empty closet. Within the closet was a hanger rack with sixteen bare hangers. Beneath the hanger rack was a small shelf for shoes. The walls of the room were bare. No picture frames, art, or posters. 

Before unpacking my suitcase, I dusted the furniture with an old towel I found under the bathroom sink. I would guess that this room has been vacant for a while. The towel was covered with dust after just one wipe from the dresser. I also lit the berry candle on the nightstand to hopefully get rid of the old, dusty smell of the room.

I tossed my suitcase onto the bed and began to unpack. I hung up my nice shirts and everything else was folded neatly and shoved into the drawers of the dresser. I placed my pair of shoes on the shelf. Then I organized my toiletries neatly on the bathroom counter. 

I stood in the bathroom looking at myself in the mirror wondering how I got this far from where I started. I couldn’t believe it. I finally got away and I’m actually doing okay without my parents around. 

I washed my face and changed into my pajamas then I hopped into bed. I turned on the TV where I found the music channels and chose classic rock. As the music played, I began to write in my journal. 

June 18, 2019 - 

Today I ran away from home. Mom and Dad were creating more rules to control my life and I couldn’t take it anymore. It’s summer vacation and I just want to live my life and have fun with my friends, however, they had other plans. Their plans were to take away my phone for every little thing and to keep me away from my friends just because I came out to them as a lesbian. Mom and Dad have been arguing a lot and even brought up splitting up because they “don't love each other anymore” but I don’t think that's why. It definitely has something to do with my sexuality. Besides, you can’t fall out of love that quickly. Just two weeks ago, they were going on dates all the time and always being all lovey-dovey but that's not the case anymore.

I left a note for Mom and Dad telling them I couldn’t live in the house anymore and I had to go. I told them not to look for me because by the time they saw the note, I would be long gone. I made sure to let them know that I was safe, had money and food. I’ve had a job for a while now and have secretly been saving up for the day that I finally leave the house. I couldn't stay in a house where I’m always being told what to do and who to be. 

I left at three in the morning. My friend, Vicky, picked me up and drove me half an hour north where we would take a plane to Arizona. Vicky stays with her dad during the summer and invited me to live with them for a while so I’m not wandering around on the streets. Vicky's Dad was super chill about the whole thing and said that even when Vicky leaves after summer, I can still stay if I would like to. They lent me their guest room which was super nice. 

Tomorrow, Vicky wants to show me around town and introduce me to her “summer friends''. I’m really excited and am super grateful for Vicky and her dad letting me stay with them. I never expected this plan to actually work. I’m glad I’m not alone and sleeping at a bus stop.

I was putting away my journal and turning off the TV when there was a knock on the bedroom door. 

“Hey Riley,” I could hear Vicky say through the door, “can I come in?”

“Yes, yes of course,” I reply as she begins to open the door, “Thank you for letting me stay, I really appreciate it, I owe you and your dad.”

“Oh yeah of course. If you need anything just ask. This is your home now,” she says with a warm smile, “but you don’t owe us anything, we're happy to help you out.”

“Thanks. What time are we leaving tomorrow?” 

“Anytime. You can sleep in tomorrow if you want, I know you didn't sleep much on the plane. I’ll probably be up at 8 so when you wake up, you’ll probably find me in the living room.”

I smile at her, “Okay, well I’m going to try to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Alright, goodnight Rye.” she says with a comforting smile as she steps out of the room and closes the door lightly.

When she left, I turned off the light and closed my eyes. I fell asleep almost instantly.

August 29th, 2019 -

It’s been a little over two month since I ran away from home. I’m still living with Vicky and her dad in Arizona. Vicky and I are basically sisters now and I see her dad as my dad. Last month, they let me customize the guest room to fit my taste which was super cool. I painted the walls a dark gray and hung up posters of my favorite bands. I was super pleased with the way it came out. I left the furniture the way it was but decorated it with small decorations like plants and picture frames. Even though it was just painting and hanging up a few things, it was still super cool and everything started to feel like home even more.

Vicky has introduced me to all her “summer friends” and they all like me, which is cool. I’ve gotten more familiar with the area and have explored some of it on my own. 

Last week, Vicky left to go stay with her mom for the school year. She's thinking about transferring schools so she can live with her dad and stay in Arizona for her senior year (next year). Vicky face times me every other night to make sure that everything is okay and just to check in. 

Pretty much everyday, I wander around town and just check out the local shops. Which brings me to tell you about a wonderful girl that I met, Dallas. Me and Dallas met at the beginning of July (last month) when I went into the local art shop and bought a sketchbook and some pencils. While looking at different sketchbooks, Dallas came over and asked if I needed help with anything (she works there). She ended up helping me pick out the perfect sketchbook and the right type of pencils. 

When she was checking out the sketchbook and pencils for me, she slipped a sticky note onto the first page of the sketchbook without me noticing. The note had her name and number on it. When I got home and found the note, I called her immediately and we talked for an hour or two. We started hanging out a lot and after a while, I liked her. I told her the next time we hung out and she said the feeling flows both ways. A week and a half later, we started dating. 

We have been together since August 6th. So far, it's going well and we both are happy. She’s very good at art and has been teaching me how to draw. Last week, she got me a job at the art shop she works at. After school everyday, we meet up and walk around town while we talk about the most random things. 

Anyways, I’m really happy that I followed through with the plan to run away. I’m happy with my life now and can’t imagine what it would be like to still live with my parents. I miss them and have been thinking about giving them a call but I’m not sure yet. That's all for now. It's almost three so I gotta start walking to the ice cream shop where me and Dallas are meeting today.