Chapter Text
"MS. JACKSON COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP NOW!"
The cops yelling could be heard from all over the neighborhood with how loud they were being. Mason knew this was going to happen. His mom had abused and neglected him for years. He knew his neighbors could hear him. He just wandered why they decided to call now. He hides in a place he knows where the cops won't find him, in a spot he made himself in the attic. Finding the attic itself was hard to find because the entrance was in his closet behind all his clothes, but his hiding spot was damn near impossible. It was in plain sight too. Just lots and lots of cardboard boxes, then into a massive hole that leads to a closet like space that's only accessible from the attic. So, it was safe to assume he was safe, right? Well, that's what he thought too. Unfortunately, the cops managed to find him and had to drag him out because he didn't want to potentially be thousands of miles away from his only friend, Milo. Even if his mom wasn't an abusive piece of shit, the house was damn near unlivable and there were lots of drugs. LSD, Shrooms, Coke, Molly and basically every illegal drug (in the United State) that isn't weed (because it's legal in some places and according to Masons mom that's pussy shit). So, no matter what, she's going to jail.
Thankfully, he was placed under the care of his grandparents which was actually closer to Milo's house. That was eight years ago. Now he's a senior in high school. His grandparents passed away on his eighteenth birthday. They gave him $8,000 which was basically all they had besides their house which is going to his aunt. Mason never got a job because he was barely making it through high school. His aunt moved in with him, but she was constantly high and that constantly reminded him of his mom, so he was constantly sleeping at Milo's place. One night while Mason was sleeping over, Milo asked him why he was always sleeping over. He wasn't complaining, just curious. That night was filled with lots of tears from Mason and hugs from Milo. Here's how that basically played out:
"Hey, Mason? Can I ask you something?"
Milo was laying on his bed while Mason was laying on his beanbag.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"So, like, why do you constantly want to have sleep overs?"
That makes Mason pause for a bit. He doesn't really want to vent to him. He doesn't like venting to anyone, but he feels like Milo does deserve an explanation.
"Well, you know how I used to live with my grandparents? They passed away and now I have to live with my aunt and she does a lot of coke and the smell triggers me and makes me have really bad nightmares..." (just found out that coke has a smell)
Milo give Mason a confused look.
"Why is it giving you nightmares?"
"My mom wasn't a very good mom and she did a lot of drugs..."
Mason tears up a bit and Milo moves to the beanbag next to Mason and hugs him, Mason then goes on to explain basically the beginning of this chapter and they end up falling asleep on the beanbag.