Hope | ✔

Chapter 1: Boy in the jean jacket

"Once in a lifetime you meet someone who changes everything."

Jaimie-mae kept her head down as she walked briskly through the dark. The hoodie on her head was held down by one hand to keep the wind from blowing it off again. She was exhausted from a full day of waitressing at a fancy restaurant called the 'Garden Corner'.

Even though she hardly felt like it, she walked home from work every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Not walking would feel strange and she was never really a huge fan of the bus. She enjoyed the cool breeze she received when she walked home at night. The air was a big improvement from the warm and crowded restaurant even though the aroma from the food was mouthwatering. 

The air was just starting to turn cool after a hot summer and the sky was clear enough to see the stars, so despite how sore her feet felt from walking back and forth all afternoon after school; she enjoyed the walk and inhaled the fresh fall air.

She pulled her black sweater tighter around her when the wind blew harder and she sped up her walking when she saw three men leaning against the side of an abandoned shop in the dark. Knowing that her apartment was just seven minutes away she slipped her backpack off of her back and held it in front of her so she could grab her keys out faster.

Right before she turned the corner to get to her house she heard the revving of a car behind her. She turned around to see the headlights of a car advancing towards her at a crazy speed. She knew that they weren't going to come up on the sidewalk, but she still pressed herself up against a brick wall. It continued to speed forward and she could hear the music playing loudly from it. The base made her heart thump harder in her chest and throat.

She looked around and noticed that she wasn't the only one on the street. Her eyes widened when she saw a tall male in a jean jacket sprinting further up the street. Her heart rate picked up when she realized he was trying to avoid the car. 

The car sped past her and raced towards the guy. Just as he crossed the street to hop over what looked like rose bushes, the car slammed into him, knocking him off his feet and he rolled off onto the side of the road. 

She cringed and let out a shrill scream and watched as the car swerved around but didn't stop. It sped away. The music grew fainter as it disappeared from sight.

With her backpack gripped tightly in her hand, she sprinted towards the man and prayed that he was at least breathing. 

When she reached him, she dropped down to her knees and hesitantly pushed him so he was laying on his back. 

The light from the moon shone on the cuts on his face. His black jeans were patchy with blood and his navy blue t-shirt was ripped slightly along his chest and was also decorated with blood. 

"Crap," she mumbled under her breath. She waved her hand in front of his face "Hey, mister can you hear me?"

She lightly shook his shoulder and he groaned lightly. "Oh thank god, you're alive. Just hold on, I'm going to call 911."

She quickly unzipped her backpack and searched through it for her cell phone. When she didn't find it, she quickly flipped her bag over and shook its contents out beside him. She shuffled through the items and finally found her phone.

She dialed 911 quickly and looked at the man carefully as she waited for someone to pick up. 

She realized that this 'man' was more a boy around her age. He had a sharp jaw and long eyelashes. He was quite charming looking despite the small cuts that littered his face. 

"911, what is your emergency?"

Jaimie-mae jumped when she heard the voice come through her phone but she quickly recovered and pressed the phone tighter to her ear. "Hi, um. There is a boy here on the ground. He just got hit by a car. The car drove away without stopping and..."