Just the Beginning

14

ANA

Since I've told her about everything she's been kinda quiet. We left to go shopping, we're about ten minutes away from Walmart. The air is tight between us, I can feel the tension. I don't want to though. I don't want her to be upset with me or anything. I mean she's my best friend, I can't lose her. I won't.

"I'm sorry," I shake my head in the passenger seat, "I know it's a lot. I know it's probably very stupid but I don't know what to do. I don't want to lose Matt."

"You basically just told me his dad wanted him to 'take care of you'" she looks over at me, "and I know that you know what that means!! I know you know that! I mean- why? Why do you want him? He's going to hurt you, Ana."

"He isn't though," I shake my head, "he's not because if he was, it would have happened already. It would have happened in those woods."

"Yeah right," she scoffed, "we saved him from whoever the hell the other guys were. Of course he was going to be nice. He's lying to you, Ana. Seriously, you should stay away."

"Will you stop being my friend if I don't?"

"What? No. Of course not," she shakes her head.

"Good because I'm not staying away from him. I'm not. I can't."

"You barely know him," she explains, "it can't be that hard to forget."

"Jada please," I sigh, "he- I feel something with him. I feel happy, content, safe-"
"Safe?" she cuts me off, "that seems a bit off given the fact that he's incredibly dangerous."

"He's not dangerous," I shake my head more, "He's not. He's kind, sweet. He's everything but dangerous. Please, just give him a chance."

She stares at me as we sit parked in the car waiting to go inside walmart. She gets out first without saying a word, I follow.

"Okay fine," she starts to head inside, "fine but Ana, he gets ONE chance. ONE! That's it. He messes up, there isn't any going back."

I can't help the smile on my face. We head inside together and go straight to the clothing section. I started to go through their clearance shirts and pants, finding a few different ones I like. I picked up a red shirt, a black and white striped shirt, a black shirt, two grays and a few pairs of jeans and leggings. We check out and only have a few dollars left.

"Hungry?" Jada asks.

"A little," I sigh as I sit in the car, "I didn't eat much this morning."

"What do you want? And where are we going after this?"

"I'm not sure, I was honestly thinking of going to the house in the woods," I explain, "but I don't care, we can do whatever."

"What do you want to do there?"

"Clean it up maybe," I shrug, "make it my own. Maybe I can just stay there then. I hate being like an unwelcome guest."

"You're not unwelcome and you're not even a guest, Ana," she starts her car, "you're always welcome and you're family."

"Yeah well when I don't have anywhere else to go it sorta feels that way. Don't know why, but it does."

"Well then push that feeling aside," she says more sternly, "because you're nothing close to that. But I'm down to go over there and hangout."

We drive over there and I can't help but let Matt know where I'm going. I hope he shows up. Jada might not be too fond but I am and that's all that really matters.

"Okay so that kid at school, Matt said he's going to take care of it?" she asks as we park the car and head inside. Cobwebs and debris cover the entirety of the space.

"Yeah," I sigh once more, "yeah that's what he says. I don't know what that really means though."

My phone suddenly vibrates and it's a message from him.

Matt: Hey love... I'm sorry but I don't think I'm gonna be able to hangout this weekend. I have stuff to do with my dad. I'll see you at school tho on Monday

My heart sinks a bit and I feel upset.

Me: It's okay. I hope everything goes okay... call me if you need anything

I slide my phone in my back pocket and continue to look around the house. Before long we start to clean the place up. We don't have much and there really isn't anything in the house but it's a start.