Except for the fact that our apartment didn't have a fire escape (unless jumping out of the window counted) and the entirety of the building was locked up pretty well. The apartments themselves weren't openly available for anyone to just walk up to the front door – you needed a key, and even then, the keys had a fantastic habit of sometimes getting jammed. All in all, it was a lot less exciting having to stroll through the living room where Brandon sat, still reading. His eyebrows raised immediately. “Where are you going?” he asked. I thought about telling him, but the look on his face already told me that he knew. “I'll won't be long,” I reassured. “I'm just going out for a bit.” As I was leaving, wrapping myself up in a coat and scarf and hat, I could hear Brandon laughing to himself as he yelled: “Don't forget, you have homework!” I slammed the door shut, feeling giddy and excited and mostly, just feeling alive.
