My Side of How It Happened

1

I never really wanted to know how it would feel to just be lying on the ground, not moving and not breathing. So, when it actually happened I was pretty shocked to say the least. I mean my body was just there, lying cold on the ground, yet it was like I wasn't in my body anymore.

Let's not talk about that though. Let's talk about who I am and why my body is laying on the ground. Well, before we can get to that, we have to go back to the beginning. Not to the day I was born, but at least the beginning of high school.

My name is Juliana Westside and I am the daughter of Angelo Westside. The name Westside means nothing to you? Well what if I told you that my father owned the largest diamond company on the east coast, and arguably in the entire United States. Now I have your attention?

You could say that I grew up in a decent home with above average money. The only traumatic thing that I can really remember from my early days as a child was when my mom passed away after fighting a long battle with cancer. I don't like talking about it though because that day I lost one of my best friends and that was pretty much the only thing so far in my life that my dad's money couldn't fix. Until this that is... my father's money was the cause of this.

I went a little too far back there. How about we start with the beginning of high school. I had grown up in this town, Howardville had been the only place I was ever able to call home. As you can probably guess because of my last name I was well known in the town, which meant that I had a ton of "friends" as they're called.

I say "friends" because they really just like me because of my dad's money, I only really have one true friend. Her name is Kylee and she sees past all of my dad's money. That might be because her dad owns the largest pearl company on the east coast, so I'm not allowed to bring Kylee home anymore. Since our father's companies are rivals I'm really not supposed to be seen with her. Yet she is still my only friend.

Kylee moved to our town in the ninth grade. Before that I really didn't have anyone that I could consider a true friend. When Kylee moved here we quickly became best friends, until our fathers met. It was like setting flame to a full pot of oil. Unfortunately for us, we have to sneak around now if we want to see each other outside of school.

As far as relationships go, I've only had 2 and the first one, being that I was only a freshmen, I had no idea what I was walking into. His name was Mitchel and he seemed to be the first one that was interested in me that didn't just want free access to my father's money.

If only I would have known then, maybe I wouldn't have dated him at all. There was a reason he wasn't interested in the money, and it took me until the end of summer going into my sophomore year to finally realize that all of the roomers were true. Mitchel was a drug dealer on the bad side of town.

I just kind of took his laid back vibe as someone who was slightly hippyish, not of someone that was shooting heroin and popping pills like it was the only thing keeping him alive. It took me until he got pulled over by the cops with me in the car to see this though. To say that my dad was pissed would be an understatement. I mean he was thrilled that I was not involved in his behavior in anyway, but the thought that I would even hang around with him got me majorly grounded until the new year.

I then refused to be in a relationship for the rest of sophomore year. This was also the year that I realized that I couldn't really keep the people that didn't matter around. So, I cut them out of my life. Those that were left, well, there was my dad of course, he has been there my entire life and I'm proud to call him one of my best friends. Then there is Kylee, which I think my dad knows that we are still friends, and trust me he isn't happy about it if he dies know, but thankfully if he does he has yet to mention anything. Then there is Penny. Penny is my horse.

I got her as a birthday gift when I turned 16, halfway through my sophomore year, and ever since I got her she has been my stress relief. Whenever I would be stressed or in need of comfort I would go out and ride. It was my way of dealing with things that life threw at me.

So after being left with only my dad, horse, and forbidden friend, I started my junior year. This was the year that I wish I could change. You may be sitting there saying why? Junior year for most people is when they start to feel more like an adult. Like they are finally getting close to being done with high school.

Well for me I felt all of that, but junior year was also the year that I met Adam Toura. Adam was new to our school, but quickly started climbing the social ladder as he brought our football team from winning zero games in a season to winning all, but two. Adam was a huge jock and was widely known as "the best thing that has ever happened to our school" in just a few short weeks.

Adam had everything that any girl would want. He was academically talented, a superstar football, baseball, and basketball player, and he had the looks. Now, this made almost all of the girls in our school go absolutely insane. There was one girl though that never really seemed interested in him, or really any guy for that matter.

That girl was me. After what happened my sophomore year I really wasn't ready for a relationship. Even Kylee got a boyfriend and was falling hard for Adam I still had no interest. I specifically remember a conversation that we had at lunch one day.

Kylee: How could you not think that he's super hot? (She said looking over my shoulder towards where I now knew that Adam was sitting)

Me: It's not that I don't find him attractive Ky, it's just that I don't think I can handle a relationship right now. Not after what happened last year. (I said not turning to look and instead focusing on my food in front of me)

Kylee: Just forget about Mitchel already, Jules! It's been a year and he was bad news. I don't think he's getting out of his jail cell anytime soon anyway, so just move on.

Me: If you think he's so hot than why don't you go talk to him?

Kylee: There's only one boy I have eyes for. (She said winking as her boyfriend sat down next to her and kissed her cheek, which made me have to hold back my barf)

Justin: That guy better be me! (He said looking at Kylee, she blushed and gave him a kiss and I turned my full attention back to my food successfully ending all conversation involving me)

Kylee wasn't the only person who found it odd that I wasn't automatically falling for the hottest boy at school. I started to hear people talking around me in classes. making quick glances at me before turning away and giggling. I mean I really didn't care. It didn't change any part of my life at all.

What I found strange is when members of the football team started coming up to me and asking me what I thought about him. I mean since when did they need my permission for anything? They always just did what they wanted and their little cheerleaders followed along. And trust me when I say I was definitely not a cheerleader.

Eventually the guys started asking me questions like if he was made captain of the football team how would that make me feel? I refused to answer every time they would ask because again that would not change my life in any way at all.

The thing that was the last straw though and the thing that had the biggest impact on my life, was the day that the Adam Toura came up to talk to me.