She didn't go to the rest of her classes. It was as if she disappeared for the day. 

My heart was tearing at the inside of my chest. Where was she?

All day long I had been sending messages to her data pad, but her status remained off, the messages unread. 

After the school day was over I went for a run down the streets, counting in my daily exercise points. Passing by her house, I saw the lights were out, the car gone. No one was home.

The sight sent me into pure rage and sadness as I detoured and headed for the mass of trees behind our town. Nestled in the plant life laid the treehouse we found years ago. Our moss covered hideout was hidden well in the branches, little groves in the trunk to make our way up. 

Inside we held treasures, drawings, kid toys they told us we were too old for, small games. It was all piled on the blanket in the corner , underneath our initials carved into the wall. 

I sat in the center, curled into a ball. This was it, they caught here. Soon I'd be gone too, no doubt. But that'd be fine. They could beat me, turn me into a slave, kill me for all I cared. Without my Phoebe, I'm nothing. I barely could contain myself in this hell with her, without I'm a bomb, just waiting to set off. 

"Hey," I heard her whisper, pulling herself up through the entry. "Sorry I didn't answer, I was busy." 

"Y'know, you have to stop doing that to me." I hissed angrily, "Two heart attacks in less then twenty four hours can kill a girl you know!" 

She grimaced, "You know it's against the rules to have your data pads out during funeral services. My uncle died."

Stepping back, I winced, seeing how I was worrying only about my own feelings instead of hers as well. While if she was actually taken, she could have been terrified, or whatever, but I was too busy thinking of how sad I was myself. "I'm sorry." 

Her sigh made the room thicken with unspoken sadness, "I didn't know him well, but mom's pretty upset about it." 

"I bet."

For a few minutes we just sat there awkwardly in silence. 

"So, um, how did he pass?" I asked quietly. 

"The neighbor was really upset about the gay couple message this morning that he threw logs around to release his anger, and one of those logs ended up hitting Uncle Tom right in the head. When his head hit the concrete after the log impact, he died instantly. "

I moved her into my lap, and played around with her hair. "I'm sorry, Beautiful."

Her cheeks were a light pink as she leaned back against me. "The government is moving my aunt and the baby into a nursing facility. She'll work there and in return she gets around the clock babysitting and housing."

My eyebrow rose, "That's not a normal program."

"No, it's newer, currently only for emergency status. They'll take her out as soon as she either remarries, or until the baby gets too old. They'll make her take a new job and then she'll get a new house." 

Nodding, I leaned my head into the crook of her neck and closed my eyes. She was warm and soothing, I wanted to be the same for her. A blanket to shield and remove the cold pains of the world. 

_

We finished our work assignments and each told our parents we were hanging around for the day. They never cared where, as long as we didn't break the rules. 

Which of course we did, but parents never find that out in the beginning. 

We couldn't let them find out at all. They wouldn't hesitate to turn us in, they have to keep their own heads in line for the rest of the family. 

In my hand I held one of the sharp rocks we found outside our tree. Without thinking, I pressed it against the wall and carved more words under our initials. 

"BFFS?" My girlfriend wondered, reading over my shoulder. 

"Yeah, being freaking fake sucks."