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Tuck your hair behind your ears

Your midnight hands are unworthy

He couldn't be much older than 18, with pale skin littered with drawings and long black hair which fell just below his jawline, covering one of his dull hazel eyes. I watched him light his cigarette and take a few draws, beginning to visibly relax, before handing back my lighter.
'Ta' he shrugged at me before walking off in the direction of the bridge. He was much shorter than I expected. When I was sat down I hadn't realised just how tiny he was; not much more than 5'2" with twiggy legs and hunched shoulders.
I watched him walk as he blew smoke rings into the air, his expert lips forming exactly the right shape.

I turned my attention back to the river and it's small noises, the sound if water making me need to pee. For a first day it was pretty good by my standards, I had put trousers on and left the house (although that was partly due to not having anything to do in my flat). Seeing as it was beginning to get a little too dark for this part of New Jersey, I decided to finish my walk around the park and head home.

Stubbing out my last cigarette, I got up and wandered around the rest of the park, going down to the small puns which the river drains into and back up the path, leading under the bridge which crosses the river. My phone buzzed.
Mum: Mikey has got into Oxford. We are so proud. Don't come back until you've actually accomplished something.

Wow thanks. Mikey wasn't even in his final year of college yet, only 16 because he is young in his year. Well I'm never going to be anything like my baby brother and I had no intention of returning 'home',the only thing which stopped my moving earlier was money and my aunt Helena. And now I had the money and no one who I liked or could talk to and ultimately, no reason to ever go home.

Caught up in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed I had reached the bridge. It was unlit underneath and difficult to tell where the water ended and the path began. Under the bridge was littered with grafitti, homophobic slogans and a variety of gang signs. A tiny whimper came from below me. I looked down to see a small pile of tattered clothing and muddy blankets with a pale, lifeless looking figure wrapped in them.