Chasing Happiness (Rewritten Under My Other Story "It's Just Pretend")

Chapter 3

       AN: Jarod above! XD

 Anne came to school the next day extremely paranoid and wearing a loose, long-sleeved sweatshirt. She flicked the hood onto her head and tugged again and again on her sleeves to cover the 4 ½ inch long bruises and scrapes. Her grey orbs flicked to and fro. God help me, don't let him find me, she silently prayed. The people at the police station told her it would take 48 hours to process the paperwork. Two days. Two days until Caleb would be transferred to another school and hopefully stay out of her life. She ducked her head down, hurrying to her first hour classroom. BAM! Anne's body connected with that of Jarod's and they both fell to the floor. Jarod quickly stood and held out his hand to help Anne.

        "Wow," he chuckled, "I feel a sense of deja-vu." Anne nervously accepted his outstretched hand. In doing so, her sleeve slid across her arm and revealed the ghastly injuries. Jarod stared wide-eyed and shocked.

        "Anne," he whispered quietly. With tears prickling in her eyes, she turned to run, but he grabbed her hand.

        "Anne, what happened and who. Did. This?" His voice was dark and dangerous. Anger, fury, and worry filled up within his body, swirling and churning in his gut and chest. He wanted nothing more than to beat the living daylights out of whomever inflicted these wounds upon his.....friend. Friend? Is she just my friend, he thought for a moment but the question was shoved away by a shaky voice.

        "I-it's fine."

        "NO! It's not fine Anne. I-I care about you and now I'm worried. Please," he begged, "please tell me. Do you not trust me?"

        "I do trust you, but I'm afraid. Afraid he'll hurt you." The second part with spoken in a soft whisper and was mostly for herself.

        "Who?" The pleading in his tone almost broke her as more tears threatened to spill.

        "Please Jay, I need to leave. And so do you," she managed to choke out. Yanking away her hand, she left.

        "Anne!" As he started to walk after her, he felt a tug at his arm. Dina.

        "Who is that?"

        "She's just a friend Dina." Jarod was starting to get annoyed.

        "Well duh. She's trash. She's nothing and I'm something. Plus if you dumped me for her, I would make her life hell. Now we better get going... Unless you wanna ditch and do something fun." Dina wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Disgusted, Jarod tore away his arm and headed for his class.

*break*

        Anne curled in a ball beneath the warmth of her duvet. Salty discharge fell from her eyes and seeped into the soft fabric of her pillow. Images of Jarod's face replayed in her mind. He looked so angry at first. Why? Could it be...... No. I don't deserve him. But he even looked hurt when I left... Maybe? No. He only thinks of me as a friend. Maybe even a sister. Why? Why couldn't I be something more. Someone other than me. ANYONE! New tears formed and dribbled down. How could her life come crumbling down so quickly? She was finally making progress with Jarod when he started dating Dina; she seemed nice enough and Anne decided he would be happier with Dina. Her head pounded and pulsed as she screamed into her pillow. No one was home with her and nobody heard her pained cries for help and comfort that echoed uselessly down the hall.

        Once her bawling had subsided, she felt so numb inside as if she were a hollow replacement of who she used to be. What now? Where would she go from here? Suddenly, she felt angry. Why should she suffer when she had done nothing wrong? No more. Never again would she cower in fear. Never again will she run away. She was done hiding.

*break*

        Jarod sat upon his bed and, frustrated, ran his hands through his hair. He was fed up with Dina and thought about Anne instead. He felt a sharp stab of affliction in his heart as he remembered her tears and face.  Her face. Her beautiful face, twisted in torment and grief. It isn't supposed to be like that. She should be happy and carefree. What had happened? I should be there for her, but how? She most likely wouldn't even open the door if I came. He wanted nothing more than to run over, hold her in his arms, and....... And kiss away her tears. But why? What was this feeling? Flopping his back down, he covered his face with a pillow and groaned in irritation.