The Story

Chapter 1

SECTION 1

Everyone's looking for an escape somehow. She finds it in sex, so everyone has deemed her a whore. He finds it in exercise, so everyone has deemed him athletic. The guy whose always in a hoodie finds it in cocaine, so everyone's deemed him a druggie. I find, or at least I did, in him. He was my ecstasy. Being around him gave me a high and it felt good.

Flashback to 6 months ago:

" So the electrons surround the nucleus of the ..."

I felt something hit the side of my left arm. I looked down to find a crumpled paper. Picking it up I looked around suspiciously for the culprit. And then I saw him glaring straight at me with this ridiculous grin on his face. I flashed him a face of annoyance for disrupting my serious concentration on Chemistry class. But truth is I think I blushed a little, uh whom am I kidding, I blushed a lot! He was the like only the cutest boy in our class, only the pretty girls even got to hang with him. Wonder why he threw this piece of paper? Anyway, back to the structure of atoms.

"So during Chem he threw a piece of paper at me and he winked." I exaggeratedly told my friends at lunch.

" Dude, are you for real? Why would he even look at you?" joked Sheena.

"Because your big ass zit wasn't there to block his view of me." I replied.

She gently shoved me and we had a laugh.

SECTION 2

Her heart was a beautiful rose garden only the walls were very high and unknown to her, the roses were about to turn black and never show the promise of color ever again.

**Back to that day after Advanced Chemistry.

I had done a lot of stupid things in her life but this would prove to be the most fatal:

Hey.

Hey Sheena. But I highly doubt that this is the time.

What better time than when Mrs. X goes on and on about the Battle of Gettysburg?

I lifted my head to look around and see if Mrs. X had noticed me using my phone.

Okay, true.

So what was on that piece of paper anyway?

What piece of paper?

Girl don't act like you don't know what am talking about. You have been obsessing over him all week.

Okay, yes. The crumpled up piece of paper that HE threw at me. And no I have not been obsessing over it, it is simply a matter that intrigues me very much.I just realized that I actually didn't bother to check what was on the paper.

Where is it?

Oh shoot. I must have thrown it in the trashcan along with the other trash that was in my pocket that day.

Putting my phone away I looked up at the clock. 20 minutes to go . Could this day go any slower? I needed to get home to dig through my trash to find the note that my crush since forever threw at me. Oh gosh. I just realized how pathetic I sounded. I seriously don't have a life. But then again its better than the shallow life those "pretty" girls live. Who cares about being popular and what color M.A.C lipstick you just got on sale yesterday? What's so alluring about malls anyway? I would rather curl up at home with a good chemistry book any day. Okay now I was ranting.

**Ring

Finally! I packed up my bag nearly forgetting my glasses case- I would be distraught without that.

"Vanessa, could you please stay back I would like to speak to you ?" Mrs. X said just before I zoomed out of the class.

Oh great! Just what I needed.

"Yes, Mrs. X." I replied in the friendliest tone I could gather and kindest face I could master.

" I just to commend you on the extra credit paper you wrote last on 'A Rich Man's War, The Poor Man's Fight.' That was some excellent work. I really think that you should..."

"Thank you Mrs. X, but I really I have to go." I interrupted impatiently as I looked at the clock and watched the second-hand travel dangerously fast around the circle. I rushed out the door pushing past adolescent I thought too immature for my taste."Great this is the first time extra-credit didn't actually do me too much good. How ironic." I thought to myself.

I quickened my step as I neared the doors. The hallway was crowded but I managed to get past. The cafeteria was usually packed at lunch hour but since today was fries it was particularly packed. Now it was just half a day to get through now. I couldn't stop thinking about the note. Different, obviously complete fantasy, scenarios ran through my mind.

"What if the note said something like meet me at the bridge at 8:00 p.m tomorrow night. Just like something out of the movies- romantic."

"Yeah and unlikely to happen as is typical with movies. Back to earth Vanessa. Tyler would never be interested in you like that. " Dylan, one of my friends, sharply remarked bringing me crashing down into reality.

I threw dagger eyes at him and he lifted his hands in retreat.

"I'm just saying that you shouldn't expect a lion to become vegetarian after a lifelong diet of meat."