High Enough

Prologue/Chapter One

Prologue

                                                                                                                                                                                           “What’s your biggest fear?”

 I heard a soft, melodic voice inquire. I stared thoughtfully up at the night sky for a few minutes.

 “Not being high enough when I jump.”

I heard the quick intake of surprise as soon as those words left my mouth. I rolled over and faced the small figure that was my best friend. She was so tiny. I was only 2 months older than her but I towered over her 5’3”, stick thin frame. And when I looked into her glassy eyes, her beautiful green eyes that were the color of bright, summer-fresh grass, the tears threatening to spill over she looked ten times smaller, ten times weaker. We weren’t always such emotional wrecks. Everything sort of snowballed up until now. Everything wasn’t always so messed up. Everything wasn’t always as hopeless as piecing a broken mirror back together.

Chapter One

6 Months Earlier…

“Arabella Gwyneth Chapman!” I heard my mother shout up the stairs. “A very handsome young boy is here to see you!”

I rolled my eyes. Every time my boyfriend, Jason, came over she overreacted. She would act like it was our first date all over again. I looked at myself in my full length mirror once more. I wasn’t too tall but at 5’8” I was taller than most of the girls in my small town senior class. I wasn’t very curvy but I had a smooth, slim build. I knew I had a pretty face mostly because everyone told me so. My angular cheek bones were highlighted with color that accentuated their sharp structure. My hair was in a fancy up do that brought out my striking facial features and made my blonde hair shine and sparkle. My lips were deep red with lipstick and as usual my bottom lip stuck out in a permanent pout. My ever-changing eyes that differed between blue, green, and grey were framed with thick, black lashes. At the moment they were bluish grey in accordance to my midnight-blue dress that contrasted in such a way with my alabaster skin that I looked ethereal. Pleased with how I looked I flashed a quick perfectly-white smile at myself and pranced out the door and down the hall. From the top of the stairs I could see him talking with my mom. He looked up at me and as soon as my eyes met his soulful chocolate brown ones my heart melted. He was breathtakingly handsome. He had the classic good looks-the strong jaw, angular nose, perfect cheekbones, muscular tall build, sun-kissed tan skin, and soft, supple lips. There he was wearing a stylish black tux in all his glory. He sent me a smile as he turned to face the stairs. That’s when my mom noticed me and started squealing like a little girl.

“Arabella! You look absolutely gorgeous!” My mom exclaimed. Jason looked dumbstruck, so I started to laugh. That seemed to shake him out of his reverie and he mouthed the words “You are so beautiful” to me. Naturally that sent a flaming blush to my pale face.  From the first time I saw him I knew there would never be anyone else. As cliché as it sounds, it was love at first sight. We had been dating for almost 2 years; we got together the middle of sophomore year.

“Ready to go sweetheart?” the words snapped me out of my reminiscing and I glanced Jason’s way.

“Yes! Go! Go! You can’t be late to your last Winter Formal!!” My mom said as she ushered us out the door. She quickly kissed my cheek and whispered “Enjoy yourself” In my ear before she shut the door; Leaving Jason and me on my porch. I turned towards him and smiled.

“I missed you.” He spoke as he gently cupped my cheek with his strong warm hand.

“I saw you at school today! It was less than five hours ago!”

“It was five hours without you”  

“You are too charming for your own good” I accused

As soon as I said that he was quick to grab my face and press his lips to mine. The smoldering fire I felt whenever he kissed me quickly flamed up and soon we were deeply kissing on my front porch. It didn’t last long though, because my mom stuck her head out the door.

“Get going! You are going to be late!”

“Mom!”  I grumbled, Irritated that she had ruined the moment. Jason just chuckled as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to his truck. Once we were in the car and driving towards school I reached over and placed my hand in his on the center console.

“I love you.” I stated.  He squeezed my hand in reply. It was our secret way of saying we loved each other. Something as simple as that to explain the deep love we felt for one another.