Running Away

Chapter One

The gravel crunched under my foot as I kept running, my legs never ceasing to stop, an unknown fear crippling my insides. The darkness was closing in and so were the footsteps. My breath was getting more ragged and heavy as I struggled to keep my pace. In front of my eyes, all I could see was the darkness getting darker and the silence getting eerier. The footsteps started getting unbearably close, the sound of which echoed against my thudding heart. Suddenly, a cold hand reached from behind and clasped my shoulder. And then I woke up, my heart racing and beads of sweat making their way down my forehead.

I sat there shocked for a moment, my nails digging into my thighs, as I tried to calm myself down. After I had regained my composure, I looked down at the claw marks on my thighs. Now there were a couple fresh ones to add to the rest. I dragged myself out of bed and poised myself in front of the mirror. I looked at the tired eyes staring back at me. This was getting to be a regular thing, the waking up from nightmares, and yet I still had no idea how to deal with it.

I trudged into the bathroom and washed up, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. I was going back to school after a really long break. And to top it all off, I was in a whole new school in a whole new city.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was wearing an oversized white tee, tucked in to my black skinny jeans. My chestnut brown curls hung all the way down to my waist. My piercing blue eyes, that were once full of life, was now deadened inside. Grabbing my hair, I tied it into a messy bun and shrugged on a large sweatshirt, one that was probably at least two sizes larger than me. All I wanted was to go through the day inconspicuous and unnoticed. I did not need any unnecessary attention, I just wanted to try and get on with my life, and forget about all that night, the night that changed me.

The drive to school was silent. As I pulled into the school parking lot, I took in the atmosphere around me, the typical high school cliques, the mean girls, the jocks, the nerds, the beauty queens, the hippies, and finally me.

Trying to weave my way through the crowd, I made my way forward. A guy came charging ahead and I had to swerve around a corner to stop from colliding into him. And impact, as I collided into something shiny, sending me tumbling down.

I heard a high pitched shriek, and I looked up to see a Barbie like figure with butterscotch blonde hair, and an immensely red lip, wearing a tight miniskirt and five inch stilettos screaming at me, waving her manicured hands in my face. "You ruined my hair, you freak. Don't you have eyes?" she shrieked. "I'm sorry" I mumbled, clearly not wanting to make a scene, as I grabbed my books and tried to walk past her. She grabbed my hand and pulled me back, "Where the hell do you think you're going?" By this time, a large crowd had gathered, probably hoping to catch some high school drama, or maybe even some back to school girl-on-girl action. I shrugged her off and repeated,"I said I was sorry", deliberately stressing each word. And then, I noticed him.

Standing just behind her, leaning against the locker with an amused smirk on his face, watching me. God, he was so freaking gorgeous. I was shook out of my trance by her incessant squawking. Honestly, I had no idea what she was going on about. All thoughts had slipped off my mind the moment I laid eyes on him. Finally, feeling irritated, I snapped, "I would tell you to go fuck yourself but I'm pretty sure you'd be disappointed." Her mouth lay hanging open, as I heard a couple of gasps from the crowd. With that, I turned on my heels and walked away, a confident smile plastered on my face.

Only to find myself tripping on the invisible foot of nothingness and falling facedown on the floor the next minute. Damn you clumsy feet! The one time I need you to function! I fumed as I heard laughter behind me. "Who's talking now, bitch." She cackled as she walked away. So much for being unnoticed.

Picking myself up, I walked slowly to class, my face flush with embarrassment. I settled down in a corner of the empty class with my head down. As people began to fill in, I saw him walk into class with a bunch of other guys. My heart literally stopped beating for a minute as I gawked at him. His hazel eyes perfectly highlighted the golden blonde hair that kept sliding into his forehead. His eyes crinkled at the edges as he laughed, running his fingers through his hair in a carefree manner. He was sweep you off your feet hot with his toned chest and muscled arms, with the outline of his abs ever so slightly visible underneath the black shirt he wore.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer" Shook out of my reverie, I glanced as a girl slipped into the seat next to mine, a smirk on her face. "Hi, Brooke. That ain't good for your health" she said, pointing in his his direction. She was strikingly beautiful, with short blond hair and caramel highlights, and a voice like an angel.

"Alexa" I muttered, giving her an embarrassed smile. "And I wasn't planning on looking. It just happened. "

"It always does. New girl?"she asked.

I nodded. "That's Wesley Parker. Hottest guy alive possibly. And a player obviously. I mean, they don't make guys this hot without a reason." She winked at me. "And those guys with him, Brett and Carter. The three of them, every girl's dream come true. No feelings, no emotions, just sex. That's how they roll. And then there's Erika and her minions."

Her speech was abruptly stopped as a flurry of excited whispers erupted through the class. "Speak of the devil" she muttered, furrowing her brows, as I watched the stilettoed horror walk into class, with a troupe of girls following her like puppies. She walked upto Wesley and stuck her tongue down his throat. I watched with my mouth open, as he slid his hands down her back and gave her butt a slight squeeze.

I could feel the bile rise in my stomach, as flashbacks clouded my memory, and I began to start shaking. "Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts" I repeated, clutching the side of the table so hard my hands were beginning to bruise, forcing myself to think of something else.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 

Hi guys. This is my first attempt at writing a story. So, I would love to know what you think of this. Your support, encouragement and precious feedback is what drives me to write more. If you guys think this story is worth writing, do tell me(comment or message me, I will reply for sure) and I will continue updating more chapters. 

You are most welcome to create covers or banners and send them to me, along with your username so that I can write something really sweet dedicated to you. I really appreciate it.

I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.  <3