Oh, Dakota.

Chapter Two.

~ I really hope IPurple reads this, and likes it, and gives me a shout out! It would mean a lot.

Also, I hope people start leaving comments. It will get better, promise.~

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Dakota Aniston

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One thing is for certain, I didn’t want to leave Phoenix. Not really, anyway. I grew up here, I know it here, and I’m comfortable here. Everything that I am is here. That’s one reason I’m so against high school actually ending after next year, because I have nothing if I’m not here. Stacey will be leaving after senior year; going away to some fancy college, given her parents can actually afford it. But, me? I’m afraid there’s nothing for me, I’m stuck here. In Phoenix, and I’m not sure exactly how I feel about that. Sure, I wanted to go to college too, but I’m not. There’s no way I can get there. Unless, I magically higher my GPA, and somehow, if I was gifted with a miracle, be offered a scholarship to somewhere far away. Maybe, I could start new, become a different person. I could stop worrying about what everyone thought about me, stop wondering if Stacey would ever get tired of me, and kick me to the curb. Because, without Stacey, who was I really?

She’s the one who practically made me who I am today. I still remember coming into freshman year, and meeting her. The first thing I noticed was how confident she walked in, like she’s been here for years, but she was new to this high school, just like every other freshman. But, still, she smiled, and walked with smugness, her perfect shaped nose raised in the air as though nothing could touch her, nothing could hurt her. She was strong, brave; I wasn’t. I was weak, feeble, and afraid.

You see, I wasn’t popular in elementary or middle school, I passed by unnoticed. I was tired of being the girl that always fell behind, and I was tired of watching from sidelines, being alone on weekends, eating lunch alone, and I was especially tired of just being ignored. I didn’t want to be ignored anymore, I wanted to be worshiped. I wanted people to want me. I wanted to be the one other’s admired, and I wanted to be the one other’s wanted to be.

I was tired of being me.

So, when Stacey talked to me that day in gym class, and asked me if I was interested in trying out for the cheerleading squad, I didn’t think, I atomically said yes. But, that was stupid, because I didn’t even like cheerleading. But, I did it anyway. We started hanging out, and we practiced for weeks upon weeks for tryouts, but I didn’t mind, because I finally had a friend. And then, with pure luck, I made the team. I let Stacey change me. She pulled me into her group of friends, and I started going to all the parties late at night, letting my grades slip, just because I was finally noticed. And boys, they wanted me. Just too hook up, but still, they wanted me. And I would take anything instead of nothing.

“Where are you going?” My mom asked, looking up from the book she was reading. She was seated at the kitchen table, her reading classes perched on the bridge of her nose, and a cup of steaming coffee in front of her.

“Over to that new bar opening up.” I answered, and grabbed my car keys off the hook by the front door. “I got a job.”