Jason McCann

CHAPTER ONE

My eyes read over the name on my paper over and over again, studying each and every letter that spelt out the name, Jordan Elizabeth Martinez. The semester grades were listed below from every class. I squealed with excitement when I saw that every class had an A. All the hard work had finally paid off and my parents were now the losers of our bet.

The bet was that if I got all As at the end of semester, I could go on vacation this summer to any place I wanted. Unfortunately, my parents are low on the money because my mother is out of a job, so only I would be going with a friend. I'm 17. What could possibly go wrong?

The final bell of the day rang and I literally ran as fast as I possibly could to Kylie's locker, my best friend. She looked somewhat disappointed as she stared down at her own paper full of grades.

"I can go!" I chirped with excitement while jumping up and down.

Without saying a word, she held the paper in front of my face and pointed to the last class. A big F crushed my excitement.

"Kylie, I'm sorry. Maybe your parents could let u-"

"No. They wouldn't. Besides, I need to get a job this summer. I wouldn't have time to vacation anyway. Take Tristan. It's about time you two finally do something as a couple." She cut me off and turned to grab her stuff from her locker.

"Yeah, I'll ask him. Good luck with getting a job this summer." I said, showing a sympathetic smile even though she wasn't even looking at me.

I decided to let her sulk while I looked down the halls for Tristan. Tristan is my boyfriend. Well, that's what everyone else calls him. He's more like a friend with benefits. I never actually viewed him as my own boyfriend.

Before I new it, I saw him leaning against the lockers with his phone in his hands. He's texting someone.

I interrupted by leaning against him with my arms around his neck. His hands snaked around my waist and a smile spread across his face.

"Kylie can't make it this summer. You wanna go with me instead? I'm sure we could find something to do in a hotel room." I smirked and winked, making him chuckle.

"Where are you planning to go anyway? But yes, I would love to spend a few nights in a hotel room with you." He said as he placed a thumb under my shirt and rubbed small circles on the small of my back.

"Florida. Somewhere near the beach. My parents can't afford to go." My eyes wandered to the floor when I mentioned my parents.

I was kind of bummed that they would be missing on all the fun. They did everything they possibly could for me. They don't deserve to stay at home and work while I make out with Tristan on the beach. It just isn't fair.

"When do you plan on leaving?" He asked, breaking the embrace and slumping his backpack over one of his shoulders.

"Next week. We'll be flying. I'll tell you more details later, okay?" I pecked him on the cheek.

"Okay. See you, babe." He waved and started making his way down the empty hallway.

I leaned against the lockers, imagining what this summer would be like. It would be the best summer of my life.

I snapped out of my daze and took one more glance at my empty locker which sat beside Tristan's. This was the last moment I would have with this metal box. When school returned, I would have a different one on the next level of the school as a senior.

My hands touched the cold metal and closed it. My body was nothing but excitement as I walked down the hall and to the front doors of the school. Everybody was already gone, so it was pretty quiet except for the bus loads of children passing by.

Before long, I was at my house. My parents weren't home because they were too busy caught up in their jobs. I laid my backpack full of junior year junk and ran upstairs to my bedroom.

As soon as I walked through the door, I stopped dead in my tracks. Everything was scattered, the drawers to my bedside tables were open, my closet was open and trashed as well. My diary laid open on my bed, along with money I kept stashed in my drawer and condoms that I kept here in case Tristan ever wanted to... Y'know.

The breeze coming from my opened window caught my attention and I ran over to look out. Nothing unfamiliar was outside. I backed away and franticly searched for my phone in my jacket pockets.

My fingers were shaking as I dialed the numbers to my dad's workplace.

"Hello? Jordan what do you want now? I'm busy with work." He sighed and sounded really stressed out.

"I think someone broke into our house. Everything in my room is scattered an-" I was gasping for air when he cut me off.

"Call the police. I'll be home in a minute, okay? I'll call your mother, too." He sounded panicked and quickly hung up.

Within an hour, two police squad cars were parked in front of my house with flashing red and blue lights. The two officers were searching my room for any signs. I had already told them every moment and now I was standing outside of my bedroom in the hall.

"All we can do now is wait. If someone returns call us again as soon as possible. We can't do much as of now. Sorry." One of the officers walked out.

Soon, the other one left and I was left to clean up my room. Who could've done this?

I was pretty sure I had locked my window, but now that I think of it, I can't really remember. To clear my head, I flopped down onto my bed and sighed loudly.

Something was digging into my back, so I sat up and moved the blankets around. A shiny object caught my eye. My hand reached for it and held it up in front of my eyes. It was a silver chain with a J on it. Whoever broke in must have lost this, because it sure as hell wasn't mine.