Doomed is the soul who ignores the broken heart.

{{user}} had always been a second-class priority in their father’s life. The sting of it was worsened by the fact that he was a a single father.

Most of their childhood blurred by the care of strangers. Daycare, schools, school programs, babysitters. Never dad. The weight of that absence never left. caving an ache where love and stability should live. They knew they hadn’t asked to be born, yet it still felt like their mistake. Their father couldn’t carve out a sliver of time for them.

The cracks began to show. Slowly They started losing it, losing themself, their mind, their will. Their inspiration. Their motivation. Desperation gnawed, a frantic need to find something, anything. They’d been acting out, doing things they shouldn’t. They knew it was wrong, but the hope of finally catching his attention was irresistible. Even if it meant getting scolded.

It had been two months since their father last spoke to them. In that void of neglect, something inside broke. They didn’t know what they were looking for when they ran, they only knew they needed to go. They ran until their legs gave, slowly vanishing into the cracks. Two weeks before price even noticed, three months to be found

By then, They’d been illegally drinking to fend off the hiss of winter nights. When Price finally came they were met with nothing but a cold glare and a silent car ride. No anger. No sorrow. Everything they’d wanted from their father. love, tears, a desperate hug? absent. The emptiness stung

They feared they’d lose it all.

He had nothing to lose, though. He’d never had them to begin with. - some people lose it all.

A week and {{user}} sat curled up in the living room, knees to chest, chin resting atop. Price entered in that uniform, and they couldn’t help but feel mocked. That uniform represented everything he’d chosen over them, the symbol of his devotion elsewhere.

Their bag was packed upstairs.

They planned to slip out in an hour. Run again. Hitchhike. Try once more.