The Silence Between Names

Chapter Five: Annie Sharpe And Shawn Davidson

September of 2019, Freshman Year:

I tied a silky white ribbon into my hair, and smoothed my cheerleading skirt. The slit rose from the ride up my thigh to my hip, and I quickly tied my shoelaces, before heading out of the locker room. Annie met me outside the gym doors, her bleach-blonde hair tied up in a ponytail.

"I'm so excited we both made the team!" Annie squealed, wrapping me in her arms. 

I nodded in excitement. It would be nice to be a part of something for once. OakDale was the only school in town, and was the most expensive private school in the area. We had a strict dress-code consisting of school uniforms and high white socks. Annie was old for our grade; She had already turned sixteen. Annie was the most confident, perky girl I'd ever met. Between her diamond blue eyes, and her long skinny legs, everyone wanted to look like her. The boys wanted to date her, the girls wanted to be her. I couldn't blame them.

When I first met Annie we were in the seventh grade. It was my first day of school after moving to town for my parent's work. She stopped me in the hallway and helped me find my classes. We were inseparable ever since that day. 

I tagged behind Annie as we walked to her car on the other side of the school parking lot. Suddenly, a loud screech of tours sounded through the lot, startling both Annie and I. A black Jeep came rolling through the spaces, nearly hitting Annie and I. Once it parked, a tall boy hopped outside of the driver's side, the blaring music silencing. The boy had light brown hair and dark eyes, and freckles that spread across his nose and cheeks. He had a charming smile, and a large scar over his left forehead. 

Annie pouted, placing her hands on her hips and storming over to the jeep. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You could have hit us." She snapped.

Surprised, the boy stepped over to her, his eyes trailing down her short uniform. Realizing what he was doing, she blushed, and crossed her arms over her chest. He turned back to his car, pulling out a baseball mitt and bat. 

"Sorry. I'm Shawn Davidson. Nice to meet you." A playful smirk crossed his face.

Annie of course, fell for it, and shook his hand aggressively. They laughed and talked for a while. Shawn Davidson was a sophomore baseball player. He was also the wealthiest student at Oak Dale. Everyone knew who he was. The bonfire parties were on his land, and his family owned most of the town itself. He hosted parties every weekend, and spent his families' money on cars, drugs, and parties. It was a miracle he hadn't been kicked off of baseball, considering he came to practice drunk or hungover every day. Shawn's parents, much like mine, were rarely around. He was on his own most of the time, and was especially alone when his brother moved out to live with their aunt in the city. His brother, Walker Davidson, was a year older than him, and just starting his junior year. I had personally never met him, but Annie always talked about how handsome he was. She told me how different he was from Shawn. How he was much more withdrawn and mysterious than our playboy best friend. Before we knew it, Annie and I were regularly partying with Shawn in his large estate. We were living the dream.