Paper Towns~ A Continuation

Chapter 1. Everyone Gets A Tragedy

The way I figure it, everyone gets a tragedy. Your friend could have died in a car accident, or maybe your father left you as a child. Hopefully, you won't get more than one tragedy in your lifetime, and preferably, none at all. Sometimes these dreadful events happen suddenly, and sometimes... not so much. But those tragedies are still pretty tragic, no matter if they are or aren't sudden.

When I stumble into my college dorm room that night, I'm not exactly expecting a tragic event to unfold anytime soon. Not unless you count college exams, which are scheduled to be taken place tomorrow, as tragedies (Most college students do in fact count these as tragedies. It's scientifically proven).

I double-check that my dorm room is locked, get into my pajamas, brush my teeth, triple-check that my dorm room is locked, turn off my lamp light, and fall asleep.

The thing about tragedies is that there's also miracles. My miracle was my adventurous ex-neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. Last year, she had run away from her home and left a trail of clues for me that hinted to where she was hiding. It was a wild experience from start to finish, and when I had finally found her, she decided to leave Florida behind and travel across America.

What were the chances of Margo Roth Spiegelman coming back to this paper town?

Slim.

The answer is very slim.

~

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I awake groggily to the furious pounding on my door. I check my little alarm clock and groan when I read the time. It's one A.M.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I flick on my bed-side table's lamp and make my way to my dorm room's door.

When I open it, I'm prepared to throw some punches at whoever woke me up, but the sight of a ninja in my doorway kinda puts me off-guard.

Margo Roth Spiegelman pulls down her ninja hood. "Hey, Q," Margo says. She wears a slight smile. "I would have come through your window again, but sadly, your dorm is windowless."

"Margo," I say lamely, trying to pat down my bed hair. "Uh, come in."

Before I can say or do anything else, she gives me a giant hug. We stay that way for a minute.

I know that I should be enjoying this glorious moment, but the only thing that's crossing my mind is: Why in in the world is Margo, my long-time crush, stopping by for a visit at my dorm at one A.M.?

She breaks away first, and enters my dorm room. "You must have some questions."

She looks different from the last time I saw her. Before, she was fuller and had short, choppy hair. Now, her hair is down to her shoulders. She lost a few pounds, too, and has a few green and blue bruises.

"What's with the bruises?" I ask.

She blinks. "So your first question isn't 'How have you been'?"

I sigh.

"Why, I'm doing just marvelous, thank you for asking, Q!" Margo says with fake cheeriness. Typical Margo.

"Margo. What's with the bruises?" I repeat.

She bites her lip. Margo seems super hesitant about telling me, and I can tell she's choosing her words carefully, as if I might explode or something if she doesn't phrase it correctly. "It's kind of a long story, so bear with me," Margo sighs. "Ever since I left Florida, my financial life has been a little...rocky."

I nod. Last time I saw her, she was living on an abandoned farm, eating energy bars for food. Her lips were badly chapped, had dirt under her fingernails, and her hair was wild.

"When I asked my parents for some cash, y'know, just enough for some food, they said no," Margo continues. "They said no. Like, I know they despise me and all, but I'm still their daughter! But since I'm eighteen, and technically an adult, they don't legally have to take care of me anymore."

My heart rate goes up. "They didn't...they didn't hurt you, did they?" I ask, glaring at her bruises.

"No. Gods, no," she says quickly. "I'll get to that part soon. So...as I was saying... I'm in a financial bind right now. And I didn't want to ask any of my friends for cash because...it's a pride thing. And..." She pauses for a moment. "And...I was stupid. I thought...maybe if I got a boyfriend who had a bit of cash...he could help me out."

I look back at her bruises, and the horrid realization hits me. I put my face to my hand, because I know what's going to come next in Margo's story. Her boyfriend abused her.

"After the first time he...you know." She's crying now. "After the first time, I tried to get out of the relationship. I wanted to get out. He wouldn't let me. The second time he...I saw a pair of scissors on the table...I didn't want to hurt him badly...but..."

What are you supposed to do when a girl is crying?! If someone made an instructional book titled "What To Do When A Girl Is Crying", I would buy it in a heart-beat. I hug Margo, and she begins to sob on my shoulder.

"I killed him, Q," she chokes out.

Knots tangle in my stomach, and I get that sort of sinking feeling that you get when something terrible happens. I grab her shoulders and hold her out in front of me. "What?" I whisper in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly, almost too quiet to hear. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

I guide her to my couch and we sit down, my arm across her shoulders. We stay there for awhile, her crying, and me sitting there lamely in disbelief. Margo begins to calm down, and she starts speaking again.

"Sorry to get all panicky on you right there," she says, taking a deep, shaky breath. "All right. You're probably wondering why I'm here, in Florida, at your dorm, at one-thirty in the morning." She looks directly into my eyes. "I need your help, Q."

I nod. "Ok. With what?"

"Police will be looking for me," she says. "I won't be able to go anywhere, into any store, without people recognizing me as that crazy girl who's suspected for murdering that boy."

"Ah," I say. "That's why you're in the ninja get-up. So you could sneak onto my college campus."

Margo Roth Speigelman fiddles with her ninja hood. "Exactly. As I was saying, police will be looking for me. I won't be able to go into any store to buy food or what not. But you can. I need you to come into hiding with me. I don't trust anyone else to keep my secret."

So that's the real reason why she's here. So I can buy her food, and so we can hide from the police for our whole lives.

"Oh," I say, looking down at my feet.

"Hey, you didn't let me finish," Margo continues. "I also...I also really need a friend right now."

I look back up into her eyes. It's true. She does need a friend right now.

"Ok," I reply. "Ok, you can stay here for tonight. But...I can't stay in hiding with you forever. Police will get suspicious if Margo Roth Speigelman, a suspected murderer, and her friend, Quentin Jacobsen, go missing within the same day. My parents would also get worried, and my friends, and..."

I don't have to say any more. Margo gets the message, and nods.

"But if you stay in town..." I continue. "I can bring you food, and magazines, and other stuff. I'll also visit you every day."

Her smile broadens, and hugs me tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She hops up from the couch and jumps into my bed. "I call the bed!" she exclaims.

"Ok." I grab a pillow and blanket, arrange my new bed on the couch, and close my eyes.

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author's Note: hey there! hope you enjoyed the first chapter :) if you did, then consider voting/commenting on this chapter. your guys' input always makes my day and really motivates me to write!