Guardian Angel (Revision)

Chapter One

          I sigh as I scuff off the mud from my Doc Martens, licking my thumb, feeling my tongue piercing graze my skin, and wiping the smear on the top of my shoe. I continue to walk to the bus stop, the sound of the dead leaves crunching under my boots, the wind whipping my hair in and around my face, the cold making my eyes prickle with tears. The walk to the bus stop isn't far, I could always drive my adoptive parents BMW, but I like walking, it gives me peace and quiet, and I like the scenery. The walk is ten minutes, right in the middle of downtown Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The large buildings holding office cubicles, banks, and court rooms reach towards the sky, the mansions on both sides of the street reaching farther into the sky than the red bricked buildings. The house I live in is well known as the house for misfits, a couple who takes on troubled kids and teens into their luxurious home in hopes to better the children, while making a good impression as mayor of the town. What people don't realize is it's all a fucking lie. If they knew the secrets that we keep behind closed doors, I'm sure they would be appalled for voting Tim Cleeve for Mayor, along with his wife Stephanie Cleeve.

I remember the first night in their house like it was yesterday, the smell of bleach as if the room was just cleaned, the look of love to disdain as they closed the big iron front doors behind them, trapping me into a whole different world of pain and torture. I've never been able to escape, having no where and no one to turn to, but I make by, working two jobs and saving money under the table, stashed in my bedroom for the day I run off. They forced me to make a bank account to put my money into, just to use it for themselves and as they please, which is why I put half in the account and save half, and cash tips, for myself. I have a plan, but patience is what it takes to happen.

As I shake my head, as if that would get rid of all the horrid memories of the house, I step up the concrete steps into the only private school in town: Blue Sky Ridge. The scratchy blue skirt and itchy blue knee high socks is what I hate most about the dress code, rubbing my skin practically raw on most days. The white shirt is too tight for me, but my adoptive mother insists on showing my figure, to "find a man who can get past your attitude." She may have a point, but this school is far from perfect. The parents think sending their children here is better than public school, but it's worse. Kids fuck in the bathroom stalls and stairwells like rabbits, drugs are tossed around like its candy, and the cliques are worse than public schools. If you aren't rich enough to buy Louis Vuitton weekly, then you're shunned. If you don't fit the standard of blonde or brunette long hair, clean girl makeup, and pick me girl attitude, you're shunned. My blue pixie cut hair that's spiked on the daily, along with my facial piercings and being covered in tattoos hasn't helped me make a good impression in this school. It has helped me make friends in the outside world, though, being able to be spotted at dive bars and concerts, eventually leading me to make friends with my three closest friends.

When I met Jimin, Yoongi, and Tae, it was simply because I was their server, and they liked my neon green hair at the time. Yoongi asked how I did it, how long it took me, what products I used, and if I could teach him, while Tae was curious what other colors I died my hair. Jimin simple stared, a gleam in his eyes while he watched me talk about a passion of mine, never taking his eyes off me. It made my heart flutter and my stomach filled with unwanted butterflies, but as time passed and they showed up more, I became relaxed around them.

We hung out more outside of my work, and eventually after three years of knowing one another, we became best friends, creating havoc in this small town and making memories as wild teens. The only problem is, they don't go to my school, they go to River Rock High, the public school on the opposite side of town. This year, our last year of high school, is a year I wanted to spend the most time with them, unsure if when I leave or run away that I'd see them or hear from them again, but that hasn't turned out how I wanted to. It's the second week of school and I haven't seen them in a month, too focused on getting straight A's, putting in essays to faraway colleges in hopes to be accepted, and searching for apartments in an affordable range close enough to still come to my two jobs. I haven't had time to see them, go to the abandoned hospital or hotel, and I sure as hell haven't had time to watch the videos Jimin sends of his crazy nights out drinking and fucking.