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Set Aflame

Boar had never been so cold, and it wasn’t even winter yet Fall had crept up on hiht develop into pneumonia So he wore more of his clothes in layers, and even used some of his sparse cash to buy a blanket at Goodwill It still wasn’t enough

The cold pushed its sharp claws into him as soon as he tried to fall asleep, so he rose andto dark corners where no one would see hiht, and he’d only ed to fend them off thanks to his size

He rehttime walks enjoyable

No longer

His phone had run out of juice yesterday and he considered going into a cafe to load up, but despite knowing it couldn’t be so, he felt as if he had homeless tattooed across his forehead

Just four days ago, he’d fallen asleep in a bed in his parents’ house as the cherished son who maybe didn’t do as well acadeh and would find employment in Dad’s car wash

But that plan couldn’t possibly coay

Boar hadn’t evenshit about To led to another, and the truth stepped into the picture-perfect houest

‘You cannot be serious, Jamie,’ Dad had said ‘There is no place for such behavior under my roof!’

For three days now, Boar had been agonizing about the possibility of retreating ho back into the closet was a far better option than spending the night on a bench, but he couldn’t find it in hih

Then again, maybe he was still in denial about his position, or he’d have tried harder at job-seeking Finding employment would becoh he washed himself as well as he could in public bathrooms

Lamps illuminated the two central alleys of the park, but Boar didn’t feel like he belonged with all the nor froed in the dark in his three layers of clothing, with a plaid blanket worn as a cape, and less than ten dollars in his wallet

His gaze was drawn to the ihts, and he made his way there in hope that the structure’s roof would save hi soaked in case of rain