Chapter 1

I pushed my long bangs out of my face as I ran. I didn’t really have a destination in mind I just wanted to get away. My black hair wiped around my face, as I slowed, deciding to stop at the abandoned park.

The park was abandoned because it was old and everybody hung out at central park, which was newer and “safer,” but I didn’t see anything wrong with this one. I hated central park, but probably just because everyone loved it so much, and I had so many memories of this place, good and bad. Besides this was were I came to think.

I sunk into one of the low swings and started absentmindedly swinging my legs back and forth going higher and higher. I groaned in frustration at how dramatic my life had become in the last year.

It all started when my mom decided to marry her boyfriend, Dan, who may I add she had only been seeing for three months. I tried to talk her out of it, but of course what do I know? Not even a month after their marriage Dan decided he was going to go out with a few friends for a drink. He told my mom he would be an hour tops, but I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t return until well after midnight. When he did return he was completely smashed and looked like he had been involved in a major fight. Instead of being angry my mom went straight to swooning over him and trying to clean him up. That was when he first yelled at her. Later on that week the same thing happened but this time he came home and he hit her. Every time I try to stand up for her he would threaten me but he never actually hit me.

I always tell my mom we could just pack up and leave one day, and we could finally become happy again; but she is much too afraid of Dan to try, I don’t really blame her though. I’d be scared of a 6’3”, 46 year old man coming after me to.

I continued swinging, when I heard someone yell “Torri!” from behind me, it was a male’s voice. My first thought was Dan, but I turned to discover Jordan running towards me. Even though I had only moved here less than a year ago, Jordan and Sam had immediately become the best friends I’d ever had.

I had always moved around a lot because ever since my dad died when I was two (don’t feel all sorry for me now though, sure I’ve always wanted a real dad but you can’t miss what you don’t remember right?) my mom has had on and off boyfriends, all of which I have hated. Anyway every time she broke up with one of these boyfriends or they broke her heart she would pack up and we’d move. Hence, I never really had time to make real friends.

“I’ve been calling you for two blocks! Who were you running from? Not me I hope,” Jordan teased smiled one of his adorable half smiles. I stopped swinging but remained sitting.

He was actually very good looking, though I tried to ignore this, he is my best guy friend after all. He had light brown hair which was always messed up casually, and crystal blue eyes, so unlike my green ones. In addition to that he also had his lip pierced on the right side.

“No,” I replied. “I just wanted to get here fast. Dan’s complaining about everything again.” I said rolling my eyes. It was true, Dan complained about everything from my grades (I only but B’s of course…) to my mom’s most resent meal.

“Want to tell me about it?” he said walking up to stand right in front of me.

I smiled apologetically, “Not really, I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“That’s too bad,” he said looking somber for a moment, “I’ll beat him up if you’d like,” he added as he started imitating very exaggerated karate moves.

I laughed. “See! You can’t be that upset if you’re laughing.” He practically yelled, pointing out the obvious. “I like it when you laugh,” he said in just a quiet whisper, putting both his hands on the chains of the swing I was on. He leaned in close to me so our faces were almost touching.

I breathed in deeply, inhaling his scent, enjoying his presence but it only lasted a second before he pulled away.

“Where do you want to go?” He asked, walking away from me, but making it obvious that I was to follow.

“Hmm, well Sam is still out of town. What do you want to do?” I said obediently following along.

Sam, the third part of their group went with her parents to visit her grandmother in California. She was a petite Asian girl with jet black hair that matched mine except the hot pick streak in her bangs. This was a real drag for Jordan and I because we usually hung out and her place.

“How about the movies?”

“Sure, anything but that new horror movie,” I said with a shudder.

“Aww, come on! What’s wrong with watching a couple of vampires tear people’s necks open?” He teased.

There aren’t many things that can scare me, but my biggest fear is blood or gore of any kind, most people in my age group (including Sam and Jordan) loved that stuff. I don’t know, it just made me squeamish. I don’t understand how people could watch horror movies; even the ones without gore and just supernatural spirits or something still freaked me out. Why does anyone like getting scared out of their wits anyway?

We walked over two blocks to get to Jordan’s house where his car was waiting for us. He turned 16 four months ago, and even though it was technically still illegal for him to be driving without a licensed adult in the vehicle, we always ignored this rule. I couldn’t get my learners for another two months, and was always jealous of his awesome car that his parents bought him because he got 97 on his test. I know absolutely nothing about cars so I couldn’t tell what it was but it was pretty. Life sucks.

The movie didn’t start for another hour, so we decided to hang out at Jordan’s apartment until it was time to go. I was surprised when his mother didn’t greet us when we came in. She was always swooning over us, telling us what a cute couple we would make, much to my embarrassment. “So where’re your parents?” I asked about fifteen minutes into the TV show we were watching.

“Didn’t I tell you? They went to Mexico and decided I was old enough to be left home alone. How fun eh?” he said rolling his eyes.

I wandered around the house aimlessly. I remember the first time I was here. It was my first week of school and we were given an assignment in English. Jordan and Sam offered to be in my group since I didn’t know anyone. We came back here after school to start on the project, but we never got anything done, we just hung out. Jordan and Sam have been my best friends since.

“Hey,” Jordan said bringing me back to the present. “It’s time to get going.”

When we got to the movies I went to buy popcorn and drinks while Jordan bought the tickets. I had just got the food when I realized me and Jordan never agreed on a movie. Cursing I grabbed my change and turned around, just to run straight into Jordan, spilling popcorn everywhere. “Hey, I got the tickets,” he said and held them up to me.

“Let me see those!” I yelled and grabbed the tickets out of his hand. I let out a low moan from the back of my throat as I read the tickets. “You jerk! You know I hate scary movies!”

He grinned cheekily and draped an arm around my shoulders, “Don’t worry babe, I’ll protect you.”

I shrugged his arm off my shoulder and sighed, “Well, let’s get this over with then.” We bought some more popcorn to replace the one I spilled then walked into the dark theater.

We picked seats near the back of the theater, with only two rows of seats behind us. My skin was prickling already, and the movie hadn’t even started; something just seemed off. When I voiced this to Jordan he just laughed and told me I was being paranoid, and I was just nervous about the movie. I shrugged off the feeling and watched as the previews began to role.