the moment the door to the abandoned warehouse creaked open, a thrill rushed through you. beside you your best friend, billie, slid the brim of her backwards baseball cap down a little farther over her eyes as if to hide the grin playing on her lips. the two of you had been planning this for weeks. sneaking into a forgotten corner of the city to leave your mark to remind everyone that you were here, alive and unafraid

inside shafts of late afternoon light cut through dusty windows, illuminating spots of paint splattered air. the walls rose four stories high, scarred by old fading tags and peeling posters. it felt like stepping back into a secret world. one that belonged only to people brave enough to pick up a can of spray paint and paint their name across the blank canvas of forgotten concrete

you reached the biggest cleanest stretch of wall, a pristine expanse of pale plaster that practically begged to be defaced. billie tapped your shoulder and nodded as if to say 'go ahead.' you shook your head

"you first” you whispered. she laughed softly, her breath echoing in the empty hall