Fragile

Chapter 1

I trudged down the dark street after a horrid night. The rain that had just started was almost mocking me as it created a poetically dreary scene to which I was able to romanticize my utter misery. In an annoying way of course.

I had just been at the movies with my sort of friends Paton and Kim when I had spotted Ethan Richards, my biggest crush since like 7th grade making out with Lily Wheatley. Rather than being a grown adult I chose to excuse myself to the restroom and then escape the stupid theater and even more stupid movie to roam the dangerous streets of Philadelphia at 11:30 at night. While this may not have been my smartest move I wasn't in any mood to return to the scene of the crime, so I instead found myself out here.

I didn't feel particularly bad for abandoning Kim and Paton, I wasn't fairly certain they didn't even like me so I doubted my presence would be missed. Why they hung out with me was a mystery, what was even more lost on me was why I hung out with them. The two girl I had befriended in freshman year of high school were shallow and mean. They weren't the evil stereotypical mean girls I'm any way, but nonetheless they weren't nice, especially to me. I suppose I just wanted to fit in in high school, they'd approached me and I just went along with it, I think they enjoyed having someone to rag on all the time. After we'd graduated high school I kind of stopped keeping touch but now it was summer break after our sophomore year and the two of them were home and when I ran into them they'd coaxed me into this stupid movie date, which was now turning out to be a lot worse than I had anticipated. I went to a local college and lived at home, I couldn't afford anything else since my parents weren't helping me but I was just grateful I got to go at all.

I sighed, stomping a puddle with my dirty reeboks and not even caring when it splashed onto my worn out jeans. I wiped the tears from my freckled cheeks, feeling stupid and hurt. I sort of thought Ethan liked me, we worked together at a bakery nearby and he always smiled and talked with me. I was stupid.

I wandered the streets for a while longer, not caring that the rain drenched my dark curls and grey hoodie. Sure it was certainly unsafe for a 20 year old girl to be alone on the streets of Philly so late, the area was not exactly safe, but I didn't really care. I grew up here, I knew where to go and where to avoid, besides I had pepper spray.

My eyes drifted up to a crappy looking convenient store and I decided to grab a snack, besides it was beginning to rain harder and I was starting to shake from the cold, I'd probably end up sick tomorrow.

I walked into the rundown store and kept my face down, not wanting the cashier to spot my red eyes or tear stained cheeks. I made my way over to the back to grab some chips when I heard the little bell on the door jingle and three men in black walked in. At first I thought nothing of it besides the fact that all these men were twinning, until I saw one of them pointing a gun at the cashier.

It all moved in slow motion, I heard the man yelling at the cashier to empty the register and I ducked down where I stood hoping to go unnoticed. I squeezed my eyes shut feeling a panic attack coming on as I sat there curled up in the isle struggling to breathe. Through the ringing in my ears I heard one of the men shout,

"check the place I don't want fucking witnesses" his voice was harsh and cold

I panicked even more but there was nothing I could do, if I moved I'd surely be spotted, I just had to sit and wait and pray they didn't notice me curled up behind a shelf of chips

Footsteps approached. I held my breath, squeezing my eyes shut as I just imagined I was somewhere else, somewhere safe like back at the theater. I wished more than anything I hadn't left that stupid theater or that I hadn't seen stupid Ethan kissing stupid Lily. Or better yet that I never ran into the stupid Kim and Paton and then they never would've invited me to go see this stupid movie. It was odd how much I thought back to every decision that led me here, wishing that I had just done something differently.