“13 Days as Runaways” (Short Story)

A coming-of-age story about two queer teenagers, set in 1970s Chicago

Best friends Erin and Daisy are boarded up at boarding school- up until now. Summer is just around the corner and Daisy will do anything to get away from the clutches of her father, who is on his way to pick her up and bring her home. A sudden decision leaves both teenagers running from more than the principal...

(This is the beginning to a larger story, which is summarised below)

When a strange turn of events causes teenagers Erin and Daisy to run away from their boarding school, they are faced with the harsh reality of surviving alone in the depths of the Chicago city outskirts. Forced to adopt aliases, they change their appearance and their names as they chase down Daisy's mysterious aunt that might not even exist. Along the way, they meet the cheese makers, the skater kids, and a bunch of interesting locals who all work together to help them. Even after they've found a safe home at Frank's corner store, Daisy insists on keeping her pseudonym and seems to be growing distant, but Erin can't figure out why. Meanwhile, Erin's complex feelings about Daisy begin to bubble to the surface and cause tension between them. All the while, unbeknownst to Erin and Daisy, there's something nefarious brewing in the basement of the corner store that just might come back to haunt everyone involved...

A solemn poem intertwining a forbidden love with the magic of the celestial