𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 | derek hale [ON HOLD]

1 | a r g e n t

I'm sitting in the passenger seat beside my dad, humming to the radio. My dog and best friend, Ricochet, is sleeping in the back row. Dad and I are driving a day before my mom and sister, hoping that some peace will help Ricochet and I adjust to the house and town.

My sister, Allison, is a year older than me, but we're in the same grade. Everyone else calls her Allison, but I call her Cel.

She and I both have dark hair, hers reaching below her shoulders while mine reaches my mid-lower back. She has a very fair complexion like my mom, while my skin is more tan like my dad. We both have dark brown eyes, but hers are chocolate while mine are more the color of black coffee. She stands at a height of 5'8" while I'm only 5'2" and a half.

Cel has always been more athletically skilled than I, competing in national archery tournaments. I don't mind, though. Guns and weapons scare me a little. Allison has always been the braver of us two. She has no problem with confrontation and isn't afraid to speak her mind. I'm the opposite. I would rather eat something I'm allergic to than tell the waiter that the order is wrong.

Despite our different personalities, Cel and I are the best of friends. We both are daddy's girls. Cel and him bond over their love of archery and hunting, while my dad and I bond over the soft parts of our personalities. He likes to act all tough, but he will totally cry when watching a movie about a dog.

I don't know much about my dad's job, but it's the reason why we're moving. All I know is that he sells firearms to important people. We have a bunch of different guns and weapons in the trunk, and my dad plans to turn our new garage into a storage area for all his products.

Cel doesn't like that we're leaving San Francisco to move to a "nowhere town." Personally, I'm thrilled. Beacon Hills seems like a great place to start fresh.

I can forget all about Cameron, and maybe begin to move on and heal. I shudder at the thought of him.

"Sweetie, are you ok?" I face my dad and give him a small smile.

"I'm ok dad. I was just thinking about how ready I am for a fresh start." Dad smiles back at me.

"I am, as well. I'm excited to see the house. You and Cel have separate bedrooms now, you know? They each have their own bathrooms."

"Yes!" My dad and I laugh. "How much farther?"

"Only about 15 minutes, sweetie." I nod and go back to humming. Before I know, thoughts of Cameron pop up again.

Cameron. My first boyfriend- ex boyfriend now. He hurt me, used me, destroyed me.

I feel a small tear fall down my cheek. I wipe it away and realize we're pulling into a driveway.

"We're here." As I'm unbuckling my seatbelt, my dad touches my shoulder. "Were you crying?" I look up at my dad's concerned face.

"I'm fine dad." I get out of the car and open the back door, Ricochet jumping out to stretch and relieve herself. I walk through the front door, following my girl.

She's always been protective of me. She never wears a leash because she's always glued to my side. An American foxhound, she has a very good sense of smell. She always walks in front of me to check the surroundings. I walk beside her and crouch down to her level. I scratch her ears and give her a kiss on the top of her head.

☾

I met Ricochet on the streets of San Francisco when I was 12 years old- 4 years ago. It was a chilly evening in mid-November.

I was walking home from a friend's house when a man approached me. He asked for my name and said I was pretty. He tried to get me to follow him, but I told him "no." He got angry when I tried to run past him, and he grabbed the back of the jacket I was wearing. He tried to pick me up, but had difficulty because I was kicking and flailing my arms. I screamed as loud as I could, causing him to bring a dirty hand to cover my mouth, and start running. Before I knew what was happening, I was dropped on the concrete sidewalk.