Rhys Campbell.
- - - - past; 18 years old. - - - - All David could think about as he loaded his jeep up with boxes was how much he couldn’t wait to be out of that neighborhood. He couldn’t wait to get away from his “parents” who had made his home life unbearable, away from his so called “friends” who had come and gone whenever they pleased, and away from all of the bad memories that had built up through the years. Everywhere he looked held a memory, and while that specific memory might’ve been good, it always led to a bad memory. As he looked up at the house he had spent the last eleven years living in reminded him of the very first day he and his twin sister had been taken in by the Adkins family. He could remember how he felt, mixed and confused with his emotions. They were kind and sincere (ha, that wouldn’t last long) people, but they weren’t his mom, and the seven year old had only wanted her. Of course that had been its own set of problems. The two people who appeared in most of his memories were Bryce and Rhys, both of whom he wasn’t on good terms with. It wasn’t like he wanted to be a bad terms with either of them, but his stubborn nature kept him from fixing things. While he couldn’t blame anyone but himself for the way his twin sister was pushing him away, he blamed Rhys for what happened between them, for what happened to him. He had just abandoned David, leaving him nothing but a pathetic text message explaining it, then had the nerve to come back recently, acting like nothing happened. Three years had gone by without so much as a word, but a lot had happened in those years. David hadn’t been the same hyperactive, hiding-everything-behind-a-witty-comment boy he was the last time his best friend saw him; no, he was angry, dark, shut off from the world all the time. If he didn’t like the person he had become, why would his best friend accept it? These were the thoughts that continued to plague the eighteen year old’s mind as he drove down the main road, away from the mayor’s house. He couldn’t shake Rhys from his thoughts, and it wasn’t until he was almost out of the city that he realized why. He hated even said goodbye to him. David might’ve been mad at the younger male, but they still had a lot of history together, having been David’s very first friend and sticking by his side while David adjusted to his new home and town. It was an instant connection back when they met, and no matter what had happened, he was like a brother to him. Without a second thought, David turned his jeep around, heading toward Rhy’s house. In a little over ten minutes, David parked his jeep in the clearing of the woods. He stopped in his tracks once he got out of his vehicle, looking up at the house that had been abandoned long ago. It had become David’s and Rhys’s hide out spot when they were younger, and while he had spent the three years visiting occasionally, he hadn’t been here since before Rhys had come back to Los Angeles. Forcing himself to keep walking towards the house where he knew the dark haired man teenager was, he turned the door handle, the door creaking as it opened. “I know you’re here, Rhys. You weren’t home, so I came here t-” he stopped mid sentence as he took in the scene before him; his best friend held a rope in his hands, his eyes red and a visible tear was streaking down his face. “Wha… what’s going on?” David asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer to that. - - - - present; 25 years old. - - - - David had never expected that he’d ever be a lawyer. When he was younger, he dreamed of being a professional baseball player or a drummer in a band, but everything had changed while he was a teenager. Still, though, it wasn’t until his first year of college that he decided that he wanted to be a lawyer, to help out those who needed justice, to help send the bad guys away. Never, in a million years, did he think he would enjoy his work or be one of the best lawyers at his law firm. It was only his first year there, and already, David Adkins was making a name for himself. He supposed he had his stubborn attitude to thank for that, for his ability to never give up on his client, and going to hell and back just to win. It wasn’t just about winning for him though, it was about doing the right thing, which he took pride in. As much as he loved work, though, he enjoyed when it turned 6 o’clock and could go back home, or, in this case, crash at his twin sisters for the night. That was one of the downfalls to having a roommate - whenever Cass was over, David either had to leave for the night or suck it up and deal with hearing it in his bedroom. He normally went with the first option, and took turns sleeping over at Aurora’s and Bryce’s house. But with Aurora taking care of a sick baby, David and his sister decided to have a bonding night. Unknown to him, it’d be cut short. He’d only been there for five minutes when he heard his phone beep, letting him know he had a text message. Seeing it was from Rhys, he opened it immediately, reading the words, need your help. come home. His eyebrows came together in confusion, before he looked up at Bryce. “I have to go for a bit. I’ll probably be back later, but I’ll call you?” He told her, feeling bad for leaving her, but Rhys needed his help right now, for whatever reason. He got into his jeep, and it was moments like these he was glad that Bryce and him happened to live in the same neighborhood. It only took him two minutes before he pulled into their driveway, running up their porch and into the house. He spotted Rhys in the living room, and after taking a second to catch his breathe, he raised his eyebrows. “I got your text. What’s up?”











