High on Life | Johnny Cade | The Outsiders

Chapter 1 | On the Run

3rd Person POV

"Listen Ava, we just want to talk about what happened. Just stop running."

Ava now faced a decision. Make a run for it into the forest or peacefully surrender to the cops. The easy way or the hard way. One thing about Ava, she doesn't do things the easy way.

So there she went, letting the darkness of the woods surround her as she escaped her home, trying to find somewhere to hide out until she could figure something out. Where was her brother, Dallas when she needed him?

1st Person POV

Earlier that day...

"We should go to a movie house." Eric said. I shrugged.

"Oh come on, Ava. We should do something fun, just the two of us. Like we used to..." He trailed off.

"I-I promised Mike I'd-that I'd hang with him and his buddies tonight." I said.

"It's always about Mike now, when can we hang out again? We're best friends...remember?" He asked. I suddenly felt agitation rise in me. It's been a new feeling lately, ever since I started dating Mike and hanging with him and his buddies.

"Look, you're not the only person in my life, okay?!" I felt instant regret, Eric's expression softened, before it turned cold.

"Fine, hang out with your loser boyfriend and his gang of trash." He got up and stormed away. I sighed with agony and slammed my head on the table. Why'd I snap at him like that? I've been such a bitch lately.

I shook off the feeling and left the cafeteria. I just left school. Nobody noticed, and if they did, they didn't say anything.

I stopped by my house and went into my room. The old man wasn't home at the moment, so I was free to do whatever until he got back.

I ransacked my closet for pot, feeling the need for it back in my system. It would take me out of my funk.

I smoked it until I was high. My eyes were dull and puffy and my skin was pale. I felt invincible. That's how you knew it was working.

I quickly left my house, not even caring if my dad smelled the weed. He'd be too drunk to realize anyway.

I got to Mike's house and let myself in. His folks weren't in town, they were on a business trip. He was probably in the basement with his buddies, so that's where I went.

My mind was pretty blurry, I wasn't in any condition to be here...or I was in the perfect condition. Perhaps if I was thinking straight, I would've left and never come back.

We ended up going to some house of a kid that owed Mike some money. His buddies surrounded the house while Mike tried to break in. I was just there, not really having a purpose. I knew it was wrong, but I didn't care. I just watched, laughing off the feeling of regret that came across my mind.

"Hey, this is your last chance!" I looked over at Mike, just in time to see him throw a stick which was on fire through the kid's window. I ran over and grabbed his arm.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I yelled at him. He shoved me off him, causing me to fall and hit my head on the ground. I was slightly dizzy, but I knew I didn't have a serious injury.

Mike and his buddies ran, leaving me stranded with nothing to do. I heard sirens in the distance and knew one of the neighbors must've called the cops. I recollected myself and booked it down the street, only just realizing that Eric lived on this street.

I saw him walking home from school and probably soccer practice as well. It was 5:00 and winter, so it was already almost completely dark. It was cold and the air was dry. 

"Ava?" He asked as I was about to run past him. I stopped, already out of breath. He looked over my shoulder and saw the house, slowly engulfing in flames.

"You didn't-" The sirens got louder.

"I promise it wasn't me, it was Mike and his friends." I said, out of breath. The sirens were wailing.

"Look I gotta go-" I went to push past him, but he stopped me.

"Just wait for the cops and tell them the truth." Eric said. He was always the good, honest type.

"I can't...I just...I have to get outta here." I ran and this time, I didn't stop. Little did I know, this would be the last time for a long time I would see my best friend.

I ran all the way back to my house, finding the lights on, so I snuck through my bedroom window, grabbing the last of the pot I had and kept running. I didn't know where I'd end up, but I can't be on the run for arson and possession of illegal substances.

I ran until I was out of the main part of the city, where the woods began. The cops quickly pulled up behind me. I was cornered, I sure as hell didn't want to go into those woods.

"Listen Ava, we just want to talk about what happened. Just stop running." A cop said to me.

I now faced a difficult decision. Make a run for it into the forest or peacefully surrender to the cops. The easy way or the hard way. There is one thing to know about me, I never do things the easy way.

So there I went, letting the darkness of the woods surround me as I escaped my home in New York, trying to find somewhere to hide out until I could figure something out. Where was my brother when I needed him?

933 Words
Published: 12:00 a.m. EST