This Love Was Out of Control - (v.f.)

I.

A beautiful blonde girl walks through the streets of San Diego, catching the eyes of many walking by. Her dirty blonde hair is pulled into a purposely messy ponytail, gently swinging back and forth as she walks. The dark blue of her eyes reflects the California sun, matching the shine of her smile. Her toned frame is the envy of many women who glance her way, accented by her lightly tanned skin.
 
Despite her seemingly perfect appearance, she is dressed surprisingly modestly. She wears hip-hugging flare jeans, and a baby blue v-neck t-shirt. Plain diamond studs sparkle in her pierced ears, and a silver cross on a delicate chain dangles from her neck. But her beauty makes the simple outfit appear as if it belongs on the runway.
 
The girl’s name is Danielle Ella Holloway. She walks to her car, unlocking the black Chevy Impala and sliding into the driver’s seat. She pulls into California traffic, driving carefully (unlike other teenagers her age). As she pulls up to a stop light, a battered black van pulls up next to her, blasting rap music. The bass shakes her car, and she glances out her window to see a young man around her age hanging out of the window, driving the van.
 
The boy’s name is Vic Fuentes, and she recognizes him from school. Although she’s barely been at Clairemont High for a week, she knows who he is. He is known as the “bad boy” of her school, him and his band. They are rebels, punk kids she’s been warned about her entire life. They curse, drink, ditch most of their classes, and play in a rock band they have formed. She is almost afraid of them; but she is especially wary of Vic.
 
Although he doesn’t have tattoos like the other boys, he seems to be their leader; the one who calls all the shots. And Vic is set on her.
 
Vic had noticed the new girl as soon as she had walked into his study hall class. Usually, he wasn’t at study hall, but he was glad he had chosen to come that day. She was attractive, even in her plain attire. Vic had pointed her out to his brother Mike, who was in the class with him.
 
“Hey Mikey, check out the new girl.” The older brother had nudged the younger sibling, jerking his head towards the blonde girl sitting alone. 
 
“Damn.” Mike whistled lowly under his breath. A smirk played on Vic’s lips as he settled his gaze on the beauty sitting two seats behind him. The girl glanced up, meeting his gaze. She offered a quick smile before looking down, a faint pink tint rising in her cheeks.
 
“Is Miss Holloway here?” the teacher surveyed the room with her beady eyes. The girl behind Vic raised her hand hesitantly, and the teacher extended a single finger, beckoning her forward with a garishly pink painted fingernail. 
 
“Yes Miss Holloway, you will be sitting beside Mister Fuentes there.” She pointed to the desk beside Vic, and Vic’s smirk grew. Mike nudged him, bumping fists with Vic as the new girl hesitantly slid into the seat beside him. She was sitting on the edge of her seat, fidgeting uneasily. Vic leaned over, tapping her on the shoulder. She jumped a little bit, her head snapping towards the amused Fuentes brothers.
 
“Holloway huh?” Vic asked lazily. She glanced nervously at the study hall teacher, who was too engrossed in her People magazine to pay attention, before responding.
 
“Danielle Holloway,” she whispered, offering him a small, hesitant smile. 
 
“Where are you from Danielle?” 
 
“Will you please keep your voice down? I’d rather not get in trouble my first day here,” she said, sending another worried glance towards their teacher, Mrs. Kane. Vic scoffed.
 
“Oh please. Like the bitch ever pays attention.” Danielle stiffened at his choice of words, turning away and opening her book.
 
Since that moment, Danielle does her best to avoid Vic and his friends. She knows they’re a bad influence, with their tattoos and piercings. They don’t exactly help their own case; their language is vulgar at best, and they seem to have a permanent spot in detention saved for them. Not to mention their rock band. Danielle is so lost in her thoughts that she doesn’t notice the boy shouting her name from the black van beside her.
 
“Holloway!” She hesitantly turns her head to her right, meeting the eyes of Vic Fuentes. He is wearing the same signature smirk from when they first met. She smiles slightly, before turning her eyes back to the road.
 
“Holloway, you coming to our show tonight?” he asks, still shouting and laughing to his friends in the back. The light changes from red to green, and Danielle uses the opportunity to speed ahead, away from the boys in the van. She exhales in relief as she slows to the speed limit.
 
She doesn’t understand the boy’s obsession with her. Ever since she moved to California, this Vic Fuentes boy wouldn’t leave her alone. He constantly tried to talk to her in their study hall, and when she was walking in the hallway, he’d call her name and wave, laughing with his friends. Her friends didn’t understand it either.
 
He is attractive, there was no denying it. But she knows that he’s bad for her. He stands for everything that she is against, he is her complete opposite. Yet Vic seems set on becoming part of her life, and that’s something she doesn’t want.
 
She parks in the driveway of her house, locking the car and walking up the driveway. She turns the key in the lock, and steps inside. Her home is a light, airy, modern space that takes advantage of the natural sunlight that so often makes an appearance in California.
 
“Hey sweetie, how was your day?” A slightly overweight man walks from the living room to greet his daughter, kissing the top of her head. She smiles and tosses her bag on the table, giving her father a one-armed hug.
 
“Same old, same old,” she says, sighing. She grabs an apple and a water bottle from the fridge.
 
“You’re all caught up with grades with everything?” he asks sternly, and she nods. His face relaxes and he smiles at her once more. “Well good. Make sure you’re downstairs in time for dinner okay?”
 
“Alright Daddy.” Danielle makes her way upstairs, walking into her bedroom. She gets started on her homework, but quickly gets distracted by the contents of her white Macbook Air. As she logs onto Facebook, she notices two new friend requests. One from Vic Fuentes, and the other from Mike Fuentes. She hesitates before clicking “accept.” Right as she does, her inbox lights up, and she sees a message from Vic.
 
Vic Fuentes: Hey Danielle(:
 
She sighs, contemplating whether or not she should answer him. On one hand, she doesn’t want to be rude; on the other hand, she just wants him to leave her alone. Not wanting to seem standoffish, she decides to reply.
 
Danielle Holloway: Hi Vic
Vic Fuentes: You’re so beautiful, you made me forget my pickup line(;
 
Danielle giggles despite herself, quickly typing a response.
 
Danielle Holloway: Good, because pickup lines are stupid… but thanks(:          
Vic Fuentes: Well since you made me forget my pickup line, wanna make it up to me by letting me take you to dinner?
Danielle Holloway: Nice try, but no thank you.
Vic Fuentes: I won’t take no for an answer(; I’m kidnapping you tomorrow.
Danielle Holloway: No, you are definitely not.  Goodnight Vic.
Vic Fuentes: We’ll see about that(;  Goodnight Danielle. 
 
Danielle logs out of her Facebook page, shaking her head at Vic’s nonsense. Does he really think he can “kidnap” her? Her thoughts are interrupted by her father calling her downstairs for dinner.
 
“Coming!” she says, shouting. She runs downstairs, the smell of fish hitting her nose. She grabs plates and silverware, setting the table for two. Her father dishes out the fish and chips he has made, and they start eating in silence.
 
“How was work today, Daddy?” she asks, breaking the silence.
 
“It was uneventful. Lots of checkups, a few broken bones. Nothing too great,” he says, waving his fork in the air dismissively. Danielle’s father is a doctor in the San Diego hospital, and tonight is one of the rare nights he’s home at a decent hour.
 
“Are you happy we moved here?” he asks, and Danielle waits a moment before answering.
 
“I miss Colorado, but I’m happy here too. I mostly just miss Jess. I miss Mom too,” she adds quietly, not daring to look up from her plate. Her father is silent for a while, and she is afraid she has crossed a line. He speaks up right as she was about to apologize.
 
“Me too sweetheart, me too.” His voice is quiet and broken, and she wants nothing more than to hug her dad and tell him that’s it’s not his fault that she left. But before she can act, he gets up from his seat, placing his plate in the sink. He isn’t angry with her, rather at the subject itself; but she doesn’t realize this.
 
“I’m sorry,” she whispers to his retreating back, but he doesn’t hear her. She too, has suddenly lost her appetite, and she scrapes her plate, placing it in the sink and cleaning up the kitchen. When she makes her way upstairs to finish her homework, her mind wanders. Her mom floats around in her thoughts, and surprisingly, so does Vic. She doesn’t know why Vic of all people is occupying her thoughts, but she can’t push him out. His carefree demeanor and signature smirk are working some kind of sorcery on her, and she isn’t sure whether or not she likes it.
 
It comes time for her to try and go to sleep, so she turns out her light and snuggles into her covers, closing her eyes. Soon, she falls into a deep and dreamless sleep.