R5SCUED

Prologue

~Miranda~
I can't take it anymore. I've tried. I can't ignore him, it just isn't possible. Have you tried ignoring someone who haunts your every waking hour? My dad won't mind if I slipped away. I could jump right out the window and he'd just laugh. Isn't that funny how easy it is? I'm not upsetting anyone. I'd be closer to mom and Skip. Skip, the brother I've always wished I still had. Grabbing my phone and earbuds off my beat up nightstand, I opened Music. I scrolled down until I found R5-8 albums • 37 songs. I pressed shuffle and Repeating Days came on. I closed my eyes and tuned everything out and focused on the music. I was able to point out when Ross was singing, what notes Riker was playing-I'd gotten good at this. When I heard my dad yelling I turned it up louder. But his yelling wouldn't stop. It never did. I heard his footsteps overpowering every noise in the house. Suddenly the hinges on my door swung ops and the door hit the wall, making the house shake. I looked up to see my red faced monster of a father, steam blowing out his ears, a vein bulging out his forehead. "Can't you hear me, you worthless piece of crap?! I said I wanted beer and I wanted it now!" He yelled. "Can't you get it yourself?" I didn't bother obeying my father. He didn't deserve it or anything else he wanted. "Excuse me?! Do you wanna repeat that?" I brushed my side bangs out of my eyes. "Yeah. Get it yourself." Quicker than light, his fist was on my face. I quickly bounced back and blocked his next punch, only to be stricken with an even harder one in the nose. My hand reached up and I touched the blood falling from my nose. My dad caught me off guard and took this opportunity to send me a series of punches, knocking me off my feet. He stepped on my chest in an attempt to knock the air out of me, which was successful. In a length of time that seemed like forever, he finally grabbed my bloodied head and knocked it against the corner of my dresser, knocking me out cold.
~
My eyes slowly opened. I've got to get out of here. I grabbed a small torn hand bag off my dresser. I filled it with a water bottle, all of my money ($32.41,) my phone, earbuds, a cookie that was days old, and a pen and paper. I walked over to my mirror and wiped the blood from my lip and my nose, but I couldn't wipe away the pain. I put on some mascara and eyeliner. Normally I didn't look bad, but I'd just received a beating and my wounds hadn't healed from even weeks ago. I pried open my bedroom window and looked down at the long two story drop. At least there were bushes. Pointy, prickly, thorny bushes. I took a deep breath. Don't think, just jump. So I did exactly that. The fall lasted four seconds, really, but the landing was rougher than I expected. I got to my feet, brushing leaves off my denim jacket and my skinny jeans, causing them to fall onto my Converse. I ran my fingers through my straight hair. I walked out into the street, looking at the horizon. Then, I ran.
~
Where was I going? I had no idea. I was just running as fast as I could to get away from home. Was it illegal? Maybe. But was it worth it? For sure. I noticed the Verizon theatre in the distance. Had I been running that long? It takes forty five minutes to get there by car. My legs felt like liquid, and my head was hot. I decided it was best to stop. I slowed to a walk and walked to the front of the theatre. The headline read, LIVE SHOW TONIGHT AT 8! R5 FT GUEST SHAWN MENDES. I smiled. "R5, huh?" I whispered to myself. I looked down at my phone. 9:21. R5 was playing just inside the building I was in front of, but I couldn't go in. I felt so trapped, yet I was the one on the outside. I sat down against the outer wall next to the door and closed my eyes. I thought about everything I'd done today. I'd got beaten, ran away from home, bled until I was white as snow. So I guess today was one of my better days. I realized my ears subconsciously tuning out all other noises, and I fell asleep in no time.
~
"No, dude, I swear! She was front row and I held her hand for like, two seconds." "Wow, that's like one second longer than usual!" My eyes shot open as I heard voices to the left of me. I turned my head and my vision focused. Holy shit. R5 was literally one foot from me. They were walking out of the theatre, talking and laughing. Ross and Rocky were bumping shoulders while Rydel and Ratliff were holding hands. I didn't know what to do, my only choice was to sit there and stutter. "Rocky, you're never gonna get-" "Wait, guys." Riker interrupted Ross and turned their attention towards me. Shit! I was hoping they wouldn't notice me. I look like crap. When they noticed me their smiles faded and their eyes widened. Riker was the only one brave enough to approach me. He kneeled down, staring straight into my eyes. Up close, I realized what a deep brown his eyes were. "Hey," Riker spoke. He sounded different in person. His voice was more audible than I'd heard on his music. "Are you okay? What happened?" Next to muster up some courage was Rydel. She sat down next to her brother, taking off her scarf. She used it to wipe blood off of my lip. Soon everyone was on the ground, which was intimidating me. I backed up, feeling my eyes widen. "Hey, it's okay. Nobody's gonna hurt you." Ross spoke in a caring voice. "Just tell us what happened." I swallowed hard. "M-my dad. I had to get away. He beat me-so badly that I just couldn't t-take it anymore." I hugged my chest and wiped away a tear from the cold. "Okay, wait here. We're gonna go make a phone call." Ross said. "Riker, you find out more about her." He nodded. "Hey, you don't have to be scared of us. Do you know who we are?" His blonde hair flopped around in the wind. I nodded. "Of course I do. You're R5. Who doesn't know who you are?" He smiled and looked down. "C-can I get your name?" Riker asked me. "Miranda Gates. I'm 20." Before Riker could say anything, the boys walked back over. "Good news," Ross started. "You're coming home with us."