Trapped (Book 1)

Chapter 1

Life is full of unexpected events. You can never know where life is going to take you.

In the town of Lowell, Maine, I wait under the grey clouds, in the early morning. The wind is blowing my chocolate brown hair in all directions. I have a hard time keeping it out of my face. I am wearing my school uniform waiting for the school bus to pick me up. I hold my skirt tightly in both hands so it does not fly up. The bus always comes on time - 7:30am. Today is no different. Susan, the driver, a middle-aged lady with short, blonde hair and sky blue eyes, is very friendly to all students. She plays music for us the whole way to school and back. She even sings along sometimes.

As usual, when I arrive at school, I go to meet my friends in the cafeteria. The cafeteria is spacious but most students prefer staying outside when there is no rain. I find my friends sitting on our usual table on the left-hand corner. No one else likes to stay there because it is close to the bathrooms so it is a smelly area sometimes. We got used to it eventually.

My friends are the best. After what happened to my family last year, my friends were always there to support me and they try their best to make me feel better, but it is not always easy.

"Hello" Stephanie welcomes me. Stephanie is very polite and kind to everyone - sometimes she is too kind. She is my best friend. She always ties back her straight, black hair into one braid on her right shoulder. Her black hair and dark brown eyes are a huge contrast to her pale skin.

I sit down on the uncomfortable, plastic chair. Sitting in front of me is Nate with his messy red hair, freckled face and emerald green eyes. We were very close growing up until last year, when everything changed because of the accident. We used to play together, joke around and share secrets. Nowadays we only say "hello" and "bye" to each other. We are still friends but do not talk much.

All my friends are caring except one, Lizzie. She hangs out with us but no one really likes her because she does not have a filter when she speaks. She does not care about hurting people. She thinks she is the most popular girl in school. In fact, she is popular but not in the way she thinks she is. There are rumors that she slept with the whole football team and a teacher. She is very proud of herself - the way she styles her blonde hair and the heavy make-up around her hazel eyes, and the way she walks, talks and moves. Lizzie only talks to me when she needs something so I try my best to avoid her at all cost.

On the same table, there is Lizzie's boyfriend, Nick. Nick is the total opposite of Lizzie. If I could choose Nick's girlfriend, I would choose Stephanie because they have a lot in common. They both like to drink orange juice, they both like sports and they both like pop rock.

It is the first day of school after summer holidays and some faces are new to me - first years or students who transferred to our school. They are easy to recognize with their muddled expression and seeming to be lost.

The bell rings and everyone gathers in the hall to receive the time table. My first lesson is English with Steph. We walk to class together and sit in the second row to the left of the class. There is a lot of chattering and laughing in class until Mr. Turner, the English teacher, enters with a loud "Good morning, everyone!" I find the academic part of school very boring, except English and Biology. I always end up doodling to pass the time in other subjects.

The lessons go by quickly and before I knew it, it is lunch time. I join my friends in the cafeteria and they are planning to go out from what I understand as I near them.

"Hey, Emma!" Steph greets me with a beaming smile on her face, "Do you want to come with us to the beach?"

"When?" I am trying to keep up. Steph knows I love beaches. I enjoy watching the waves crash into the rocks on a windy day.

"Tonight," Nate replies before Steph could answer my question. He seems hopeful that I will agree to join them. He knows me just as well as Steph, if not more. We were best friends after all.

"At six o' clock," Petra adds. Petra was the last girl to join our group. She was a transfer student from South Carolina. She moved to our town with her mother after her parents divorced. She is so sweet.

I give them a friendly smile. "Okay."

"Great." Steph claps in excitement.

I know it is a school night and I do not usually hang out on a school night but I figured what's the harm, right? I need to enjoy myself more.