How You've Changed Me

Chapter 1

My breath was heavy, sweat was beading on my forehead as I ran through the woods. He was following me, chasing me. He would never leave me alone until I was in a casket, 6 feet under the ground, since I would never be with him again. My foot got caught under a root that was hidden under the golden leaves that have already fallen from the trees, causing me to fall to the ground, twisting my ankle in the process. I screech in pain as I lay face down, trying to set it free. Heavy foot steps behind me were starting to get closer than before, he was able to catch me. Salty tears began to swell in my eyes as I glance over my shoulder, a dark, tall figure stood over me. This was going to be the end of me and no one was going to miss me. Not even my parents. My light brown hair laid around me, leaves and dirt tangling in the soft waves. He came closer to me, leaning down so I could see his familiar bright blue eyes, shaggy blond hair swiping across his face. The way he smirked at me would forever be burned into my mind, we both know what he was going to do. The boy grabbed me and turned my body to face upward, causing my ankle to twist and create a crunching noise. I scream out in pain, more tears falling from my eyes. As the tears somewhat cleared, I saw he had a knife in his hands. This was going to be the end of me, I wasn't even going to be missed by anybody and he was going to get away with murder. He held the knife above his head and I closed my eyes, waiting to embrace the pain that was going to come.

I sat up in bed, breathing heavily, my heart beating out of my chest as my alarm went off to wake me for the day. My hair stuck to my flushed cheeks that were covered in a cold sweat, my shirt stuck to my body. It was just a dream, it wasn't real... I turned off my alarm and removed my covers to get out of bed. Today was the day that I leave for a couple months with my friends, that were taking me on a road trip across the country to check out the place we were going to stay at when we're going to school. I was finally going to be free from my parents, from my awful past here. I had already picked out my outfit for the day so I wouldn't have to rummage through what clothes that weren't packed, which wasn't much. I slip into my own personal bathroom, and peel off my clothes that were damp from the sweat that coated my body. It made me feel incredibly dirty, even though I just took a shower last night. I turn on the water, and step in the shower, washing my body as my thoughts traveled to the dream. Was it a sign?

Finally done with my shower, I stood in front of the mirror, naked as I look at my scars that are clearly noticeable. I felt tears swell as I turn away, not wanting to have those memories flood back into my mind either. I dress in a band shirt, A Day To Remember and dark jean shorts, before heading to the bathroom and doing my make up. I do winged eyeliner and a little under my eyes, along with foundation to cover up the bags underneath my eyes from lack of sleep lately. Touching up, I pack my makeup in a small back and put it in my suit case. I check the time, it was 7:25 they should be here soon to pick me up, more or less in 5 minutes. I took one last look around my room, other than my phone, charger and CDs I had everything that I needed. Softly I sighed and packed my left over things into my purse before carrying my bag downstairs. The entire house was silent. My father was already at work, while my mother was probably going to be getting up soon to go to work as well. Honestly, I felt like I never belonged in this family. My parents made a lot of money, so yeah I was rich. But they expected a lot from me. They wanted me to go to one of the schools they graduated from, which required me to have a high GPA and high ACT score, which I didn't. I was good in school, but I wasn't getting perfect grades.

There was a honk outside my house, Sage and Kendra were here. I quickly take my bag and go out the front door, if I was caught standing there my mother would be furious. Sage was already out of the van and was ready to greet me.

"Oh my god! We're finally leaving this shit hole of a town." Sage exclaimed as she held her arms out for me to embrace her.

"I know. It's time to have fun for a little while before school. Where are we stopping for Warped Tour?" I asked as we both go to the trunk and put my suitcase in a tightly packed space.

She was silent for a moment, but I could tell she was smiling. "Well the first one is in Pittsburgh. Then we're going to the one in San Diego. I thought if we like one band then we would like to see them again. But we'll be passing through Albuquerque at the time when Warped is there." Sage finally said as a smile forms on my lips.

"Really? You guys bought the tickets already?" I asked a little confused, shutting the trunk door.

"Haha yeah, we planned this a while ago but we thought we would surprise you to make the trip more worth while." She answered, "We want this trip to be a lot of fun for you, we know you've had a lot of shit go down but, this is a new fresh start for you." Sage said, her voice soft as she placed her hand on my arm.

I smiled as I hug her, if it weren't for her and Kendra, then more than likely I wouldn't have made it through high school. They were there for me when everyone turned there back on me. Especially my parents. They were the ones who sent me to the privet school full of stuck up snobs who couldn't accept anyone who didn't have interest in money. Well except for Kendra and Sage.

"Well, lets get the show on the road, we have places to be, things to see, people to meet." I said almost laughing as I get in on one side of the van and she gets in the passenger seat. This was going to be one hell of a trip, I can tell.