Rick

One

Two years ago.

I remembered walking home on a warm day after school, hands in my pockets as I kicked the stones in my path. It had been a lousy day, as usual, where my friends crowded around me and tried to set me up with whoever they thought was the hottest girl of the day. I never understood why they would do that. It was fun at first, but it grew boring. Everything that they did with me revolved around my dating life, and I started to wonder if there was more to high school, more to life than just this.

All my friends wanted to do with me was to use my popularity to benefit themselves, and it wasn't like I minded, but more because I never understood why I was even popular. Yes, I was considered good-looking and athletic, but I didn't know why that was enough to make me popular. Many of the kids at my school were smarter, wittier, and even more athletic than I was. So why me?

Turning a corner, I grappled with my thoughts as I asked myself, what even is the purpose of life?  I was bored and always tired. I felt useless.

As my head swam with frustration at myself, I never heard the person behind me as he pressed a cloth to my face behind my back, covering my nose and mouth. Yelping in surprise, I tried to turn around but he was much stronger than I had anticipated. I sent my foot back, hard, and heard a grunt of pain before the arm jerked away from me. But the man recovered quickly, grabbing my shirt before I could run away, swiftly hooking his elbow around my neck, and trapping me against him. I opened my mouth to cry for help, but the cloth covered my mouth once again, muffling my desperate pleas. 

I thrashed in his grasp as I realized what was happening, but my head began swarming as my eyes slowly drooped and the bright blue sky faded away.