One Day

chapter 1

Hailey's POV

They're fighting again.

I'm sitting on my bed right now listening to my parents screaming bloody murder at each other over who should clean the dishes.

This doesn't surprise me though.. not anymore at least.

My parents' marriage has been over for months now. They're both too stubborn to admit it so instead, they have screaming matches every day and every night, much to my dismay.

The yelling is getting louder and I can hear the sound of plates being thrown to the ground and shattering.

This was going too far.

I've had enough of them feigning to be happy in front of the whole town just because they want to put up a 'perfect family' front, when in reality we were living pay check to pay check and my parents were bound to split up. I couldn't take this, not anymore.

The next thing I knew I was climbing out of my bedroom window, still rocking my PJ's.

I don't know why I did this but I started running, and fast.

I am running aimlessly and I have no idea why, but I knew I couldn't be in that house for one more second.

The more I ran the more free I felt and the less I thought about my twisted reality. I am instead thinking about the rain pouring down on me and about where the hell I am. I'm looking around this excuse of a neighborhood that fits much more into the description of the aftermath of an apocalypse, and now I'm scared.

I'm not the judgmental type but it honestly didn't look like a place where a 120 pound, 5 foot 2 , 17 year old girl should be alone in the middle of the night.

I turned around to walk back home but instead ran into a hard chest. This person wreaked of alcohol and cigarettes. I looked up slowly, afraid to see the face that would be staring back down at me. When I finally met his gaze it was worse than I had imagined.

I was met with the blank stare of a man roughly in his 40's to 50's, with a white beard, the yellowest teeth I'd ever seen, I'm guessing from the cigarettes he smelled like, and a sneer look on his face. He was sporting a wife-beater and he had the scariest tattoos all over his left arm.

"um.. I'm... I'm sorry.... I'm just gonna go" I mumbled as I turned around to walk away.

Something in his eyes told me it wasn't going to be that easy.

Before I even turned a quarter of an inch, he dug his dirty fingernails into my sleeveless arm and squeezed. I was really regretting wearing a tank top to bed right about now.

I whipped my head back around in fear, just before my braless body was sent flying into his wife-beater clad chest. I felt dirty the second I felt his body against mine. I wanted, no I needed, to get free of his tight hold. He was looking at me so intently as if he knew I'd be here tonight and now that I'd finally showed up, he could have his way with me. Well not so fast because I had moves too.

Before he even knew what was happening I raised my knee with all the force I could muster, straight into his crotch. I made a mental note to pat myself on the back later, because now I had to run.

I have never in my 17 years of life run so fast in my life. I was exhausted after about 20 seconds of running... I know, I need to work out. I eventually came to an abrupt stop when I thought the coast was clear, but I guess I stopped a little to early, because the same rough, dirty hand that was on my arm about two minutes ago, was now squeezing even harder on my waist.

I am terrified. We were now on what seemed to be the side of an abandoned factory, completely out of sight and completely alone. I felt tears welling my eyes as I heard what came out of his mouth next.

He pushed me up against the wall and came unbelievably close to me.

"Didn't think you could get away that easily, did you now? Well now you're gonna get it even worse," the man said so close to my face that I could see his rotting teeth even clearer.

I have no idea what i was 'getting' or not getting but what came out of my mouth next shocked both me and him

"Well maybe you should consider 'getting' some toothpaste, because your breathe smells like shit."

He released a low growl that made me believe he may be some sort of bear, or maybe a wolf, or even a—— my thoughts about what animal he may have been got cut off by his dirty hand raising with determination.

I squeezed my eyes shut and turned my face away, waiting for the consequences of my words.

It soon came with a smack to the right side of my face. A smack so hard I went flying back against the wall and fell to the floor.

The man balled his fists and I knew what was coming next, so I closed my eyes and squirmed into a corner.

My eyes were still shut impossibly tight, waiting for his fists, but they never came.

I heard slight grunting and opened my eyes to see a toned body hovering over the man that was assaulting me a minute ago and beating the crap out him

I sat there, shocked, for about a minute when I suddenly noticed my assailant hadn't been moving for quite awhile.

I mustered up all the strength I had left and stood to my feet.

"STOP!" I screamed to the shadow still throwing punches

"You're going to kill him, you need to stop now!" I said, determined.

Still nothing.

So, I did the only thing I could think of to get this mysterious figure off of the man he was bound to kill if he kept on throwing these punches, I ran so fast at this toned shadow and threw myself on him to get him off.

It worked.

I was now completely hovering over this not so mysterious figure.

I recognize this boy.

I know this boy.

I go to school with this boy!

Why was River Blakley beating the shit out of a man that just slapped me and more importantly why was I still on top of him.

I quickly hurried off of him and stood as far away as possible.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" he yelled straight into my eyes

"Why the hell did you just tackle me?" he questioned, " and why the hell did you say his breath stinked, do you have a death wish or something?"

I stood, unmoving, still to shocked to do anything but stare.

"Hello?" he asked coming closer to me

"Can you hear me?" he asked me yet another question while grabbing my face, no doubt to examine the forming bruise on my right cheek.

"Shit" he stated and looked at me in the eyes for a moment before he turned on his heels and began to walk away.

That was it .

He had just walked away like nothing had happened, leaving me alone with a bloody, swollen, man on the floor next to me... who could wake up any minute now.

I did the only thing for me left to do, I ran. I ran all the way back home.

But the whole time I had one thought on my mind,

"What the hell just happened?"

For some reason, I knew that this one day would change my life.

That this one day would start a whole new chapter for me.

*******

Thank you guys so much for reading!

I hope it wasn't too bad for a first chapter. If I made any mistakes just comment and let me know so I can fix them.

Please vote!!!! It will help me out a lot.

MUCHHH LOVE!