please don't leave me behind. {Sally Face POV}

one - prologue

October 7th, 1992
Molly had more secrets than anyone else in town of Nockfell. Not a single soul truly knew anything about her, not even her family- If you can even call them that, nor her so-called "friends." She was the biggest outcast, yet she fit in ever so perfectly due to the face she put on to fool everyone with.

She had woken up on a regular Thursday in the middle of October. She dreaded the days more and more because it was getting closer to the winter time, and winter meant cold. Cold meant snow. Snow meant she was going to be freezing her ass off. Most would resolve the issue by putting on layers of warm clothing, but Molly didn't have access to that. She was actually quite poor; or she just was never allowed to spend money on clothes.

She rummaged through her closet to try and find something suitable to wear. All she had were three turtle necks, one thin flannel, two pairs of blue jeans, and one worn pair of black converse. She tried her best to make the clothes look different each time she wears them, so that no one notices that she's recycling outfits. But, that was pretty inevitable.

The reason why she had so little to wear is because of the heartless people she lived with. She lived with her father and grandmother, who were terrible. She believed that her father was once a good man, but he went downhill after her mother passed away. Her mother died during her birth; which led her father to sort of despise her. He was so petty, that he went against her mothers wishes of naming her something beautiful and meaningful. Instead he named her after something he loved. Which was; drugs. Mollys full name on her birth certificate is "Molly Maryjane Gibson." If you're wondering, yes, that does make her grandmother the grumpy old woman named Mrs. Gibson. They all lived in the infamous Addison Apartments, in room 101.

No one ever knew that Molly and her father lived there. The main reasons are because her grandmother is the only one who answers the door whenever someone knocks, her dad only left the house to go fishing at Wendigo lake, and she was also much too embarrassed to tell anyone where she lived. In fact, she was so incredibly embarrassed that she left her apartment extra early every morning before school. She did this so no one would see her come out of the apartment, and to also walk over to a richer neighborhood. At the richer neighborhood (that was located in northern Nockfell), she would stand in front of a large home. She knew the specific home had an old woman living inside alone, so she knew no one would come outside the house to confront her. At this house, she would have her "friends" come and pick her up from school. She couldn't bear the thought of them knowing that she was poor. All of her friends were selfish judgmental assholes. What would they do if they ever found out about her true lifestyle? She doesn't even want to find out...

As Molly got ready for school, she brushed through her long brown hair and thought many things to herself. She thought about how she hated the way she had to dress, the way she had to do her makeup, the way she had to damage her hair by straightening it to a crisp everyday, and the way she had to present herself all together. She put on act everyday. Her friends were the most popular kids in school, and if you didn't know, people like that are very high maintenance. The only reason she stuck around that crowd is because of their connections. Their parents owned large franchises, had friends that worked at fancy colleges, went to country clubs, etc. So, these people were her only chance of getting away from her miserable life in Nockfell. She believed that if she befriended them and fit in with them until after high school, they would lend a hand to help her set free. Whether that was one of their rich fathers lending her a college recommendation letter. Or perhaps she could get some sort of internship from someone they had connections with. She was willing to take whatever she could get... But some days were very hard to deal with. She hated the dull music they listened to, she hated the boring things they always talked about, she hated the movies and books they loved (if they ever read any), and most of all she hated who they all were. She constantly contemplated if it was even worth it. But of course when she would think a bit harder about how it would be... living in that town and staying with her dreadful grandmother and father... that was even more insufferable.

Every single person in her friend group was a terrible human being. They often poked fun at everyone around them as a source of entertainment. They especially liked to pick on the kids at school who looked different and/or were poor. Molly never joined in on the harassment though, nor did she ever laugh. She always sat in the background and observed. There were countless times where she would want to yell and scream at them all for doing what they did, but she just couldn't.

Another person in her life had been there since birth, and his name was Travis Phelps. The only reason why they were "friends" is because their dads were friends. Their dads spent a lot of time together over the years, and often went fishing together. Plus, Molly had no choice but to join them all every Sunday morning for the church service, since Kenneth (Travis' father) was the preacher. Travis and Molly didn't really like each other though. Travis was constantly angry and had a bad attitude (for whatever damn reason), so Molly never attempted to be his close friend. He also bullied people relentlessly, which Molly hated. She daydreamed constantly of standing up to him. But, she never did. Mainly because he was the only person who knows most of her secrets, and she couldn't risk him exposing her. Especially since she knows he would rat her out in a heartbeat for his own personal entertainment.

Once she was finished getting ready, she took one last glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her brunette hair was straightened and brushed through very nicely. She wore a baby pink turtle neck underneath her thin faded grey and black flannel. Her blue jeans and black converse were a size too small on her, and rather uncomfortable. She's probably had them since she was twelve years old, and was desperately in need of a trip to the thrift store. She sighed as she looked at herself. The person looking back at her wasn't someone she liked at all. When will the day come where I don't feel so negative about everything around me? She thought.

She walked out of her room at 6:45 am, and passed by her grandmother who was sitting at the dining table drinking Addison Tea. She assumed that her father was still asleep in his room. It didn't matter anyway, none of them ever said hello or goodbye to each other. She peaked her head out of the front door to make sure no one was in the hallway. Once the coast was clear, she exited the apartment and made her way out of the building. The cold fall air punched her in the face, and caused her to have goosebumps as she walked to the rich neighborhoods on the north side of town.