Dirty Little Secret (A One Way Or Another Series)

Chapter 7: These Dreams Before Me Pt. 1

"Love, they say it heals all wounds, 

Love removes the hurt in you, 

Love, I know that this is true."  

~*~ 

"Okay, try this." He said passing me a cigarette. I looked at him innocently as I flinched. "Come on, I thought you weren't scared of anything?" He asked while smirking. "I'm not." I replied, I could tell he didn't believe me. "I'm not." I repeated. "Then prove it." He replied. "Doesn't this type of thing kill you?" I asked. "Not really, mostly because its your first time. It's not like your gonna do this again." He replied. I stayed quiet for a moment, "Pass me the lighter." I replied as he passed me his lighter as I lit the cigarette and placed it in my mouth and they released the smoke from my mouth and into the air. He started clapping, "I didn't think you had the guts, Samuels." He replied as he took a sip of beer. It's been more than a week, two even and Jason still hasn't come back. At least not for me anyway. He sent Jesse his money, but he never bothered to show his face back here. "Your thinking about Jason, aren't you?" He asked. "No, I'm not." I said placing the cigarette back in my mouth and released smoke again. "I'm just-" I said and then sighed. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Avery." Jesse responded as he placed his hand on my thigh. "It's not you I'm worried about, it's me." I responded. "People change, I've changed." I responded. "People change for a reason Avery, we just have to accept that reason even if it kills us inside and out." He replied and took another sip of his beer. I threw the cigarette on the floor and crushed it until the fire went out and then I stood up. "Let's do something." I suggested. "Okay? What do you wanna do?" He asked standing up with a can in his hand that was clearly written out, Heineken. "Something..dangerous." I replied. "Doing something dangerous can lead to a even more dangerous outlook." He replied reluctantly. "Fine, be that way." I replied as I took my iPhone out my pocket.  6:41 AM;   "Shit." I said cursing under my breath. "I gotta go, I'll call you later." I said as I began running away. The past few nights I haven't been at home. I've been out with Jesse, either hanging out in his car, or kissing. I've been a slacker. My grades were slipping and I didn't really care anymore. I've been a mess, I hardly ate. Spent most of my time listening to music and watching re-runs of Adventure Time. Other than that, I was a wreck. I slowly opened the front door to my house and took the keys out and stepped inside as I slightly shut the door trying to sneak up the stairs without my parents catching me. "Out late again?" My father said as I slightly turned to face him. "Sorry, I get held up at-" I said trying to come up with an excuse when he just sighed and walked away. "Dad." I said placing my keys on the counter. "Just get ready for school." He replied and went into the kitchen. I turned around and went up the stairs into my room to take a shower and get ready for school when I got a missed call. [MISSED CALL FROM JASON] I slid my phone open and unlocked it and deleted the call history and went into the bathroom. I placed my phone in my iHome dock as I slowly took my clothes off one by one and slipped myself into the shower as 'Ignorance' by Paramore started to play. I started to sing along to the first few lyrics as I took a shower.   'If I'm a bad person, you don't like me  Well, I guess I'll make my own way  It's a circle, a mean cycle  I can't excite you anymore'  ~*~  As I sang along, the water gently fell onto my back as I let my hair down and went underneath the shower head. I scrubbed my back and the rest of my body and then rinsed as I turned the pipe and grabbed my towel. I dried myself off and grabbed my phone from the dock and walked into my room as I dried my hair off. [1 New Text Message from Luke]:  I wanna talk to you, sit with me at lunch?   ~*~  I pressed the box button about to reply as I tried to figure out how to reply to him.   'Okay.' I replied and placed my phone on my bed and grabbed this old sweatshirt my dad gave me with the letter 'R' on it, some jeans, and my old timberland boots. I grabbed my bag and my headphones followed by my phone and went down the stairs. By that time it was already 7:57 and I grabbed a 'Starbucks Frappuccino Coffee Drink' out the fridge and grabbed my keys off the counter. "Need a ride?" My father asked as I placed my hand on the door handle. "No, it's fine, I'll walk." I replied. "Avery-" he said as I opened the door about to walk out. "I'm worried about you. Are you okay?" He asked concerningly. What does he want me to say? I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine. Deep down inside I don't even know who I am anymore, I don't know who Avery is at all. I look in the mirror wondering if this is the same girl, but I just brush those emotions aside. I fake a smile, "I'm fine dad. I love you." I replied walking out the door and slammed it. I'm waking along the sidewalk taking the route I take every morning when I go to school, but this morning they decided to do construction and block off the streets. The only other way I could get to school in time by this rate is through the woods. I haven't been through the woods in long time, actually I haven't been there since Skylar and I were kids. We consisted it our hideout, a place we would meet to share our secrets and other personal things. I slowly move a branch away from my face and started walking into the woods. I sigh heavily as I grasp onto tree trucks as I try to keep balance from falling down onto broken twigs. My legs started get tired when I finally stopped at one point to take a break. I looked at my phone which said 8:15. "Aw, Shit." I muttered. Of course I was late. I tried calling Jesse to see if he could meet up with me but of course I had no signal. But that wasn't the only problem, I forgot my way out the woods. And I wasn't alone, "Missed me?" Someone said as I felt a warm chill on my neck. I gulped and slightly turned my head breathing heavily. Could you guess who it was?