The Backstory

A/N Hey guys, my name is Cleo and this is my first story ever uploading onto a public site. For a long time I've been scared of uploading this because this story is my baby and it's really mean when someone else tries to take credit for it. If you see someone trying to steal it, could you please inbox me to let me know? Thanks! So here's my first story ever on WP. Please like and comment to tell me what you think of it! 

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Prologue

It was nearing twilight and the rain was pouring heavily down in Santa Barbara. Cassidy was walking along Cliff Drive beside Hendry’s Beach, her surfing shorts and jacket sticking to her clammy skin, and her brown hair was a tangled mess plastered to her forehead. Leave it to her to get stuck out here on a night like this.

Her face was pinched into a sour expression and her hands were going numb by how tightly she was gripping her surf board. Her so-called friends Koda, Jamie, Chris, and Aliyah had said they were going to get the car while Cass caught the last few waves, but they had ditched her right before the storm rolled in. Jerks.

She had no idea how she was supposed to get back home, so she resulted in walking. It had been 20 minutes and she wasn’t even half way back to her home in Hope Ranch.. How could she have been so oblivious to their plan? Of course Koda and Chris would take this opportunity to prank her, they knew she loved the water; the waves were just right before a storm. They had all gone to get the car, I should have noticed then, she thought, mentally kicking herself in the ass.

Suddenly, a pair of headlights flashed through the rain and a deep blue car pulled up beside her. Tentatively, she walked up to the driver’s tinted window as it rolled down, revealing a boy who looked about 17, Cass’s age. He had messy, dark brown hair and hazel eyes that were full of curiosity as they regarded Cass. She looked back at him warily, hugging her board close to her side. She must have looked like a drowned dog in this weather. He smiled and raised his eyebrows. “You surfing in this weather?”

“Haha,” she laughed sarcastically and placed a hand on her hip. “No, my friends ditched me and I’m walking home.”

“What? No way,” he said, incredulous. “Hey, if you want, I can give you a ride home.”

Cass bit her lip and looked up and down at the empty street before meeting the warm smile of the boy and she nodded. “That would be great, thanks.”

“No problem,” he said, unlocking the doors. “Just stick your board in the back there.” Cass laughed and shoved her board in before opening the door to the passenger seat, which had a pile of graphic novels on it. The boy smiled sheepishly and quickly tossed them in the back.

“Comic books?” she asked, raising a brow as she got into the car and slammed the door shut. He blushed, his tan cheeks holding a reddish hue, and shook his head. “Nah, not comic books. Mangas.”

“Oh,” she said simply, having no clue what a manga was. He seemed to notice this but made no remark. “So, where to?”

“I live up in Hope Ranch, off Las Palmas Drive,” she mumbled, looking at the window as the rain pelted against the glass. She heard him say, “Ah, from that side of town,” as he started the car and began to drive. Cass simply nodded and rolled her eyes; she hated when people would make a big deal about her living in one of the richest neighborhoods in Santa Barbara. What she hated even more was the wide-eyed look they gave her when she told them that her father was Antonio Monroe, a famous movie director and producer.

Sometimes she wished she had a normal, middle class life away from all of the fakes and paparazzi. But, unfortunately, you don’t get to choose who your parents are.

“Um, hey,” he said, snapping Cass out of her reverie. “I didn’t catch your name. I’m Jace, by the way, Jace Goliath.” Cass turned to look at him and nearly choked on laughter. Goliath? What kind of a name was that?

“I’m, uh, Cassidy Monroe, but I go by Cass,” she mumbled, and waited for the huge reaction, but it never came. Jace just said, “Cool,” and continued driving.

Okay, he’s different, she thought.

They drove quietly for a few minutes with nothing but the sound of the rain hitting the windows and the windshield wipers squeaking back and forth. She was about to ask if he could turn the radio on when he spoke up.

“Hey Cass, can I ask you a favor?”

“You want to meet my dad like everyone else?” She snapped, balling her hands into tight little fists; turned out he wasn’t so different after all. “Want  me to pay you back for the lift? You know what, just stop the car, I can walk from here,” she spat, looking out the window as the past the street sign for Marina Drive. It was just a few miles walk to Hope Ranch.

“Wait, what?” He seemed to be surprised that Cass would ever ask such a question and shook his head, laughing. “No, I was actually going to ask if I could use your phone,” he said, which surprised Cass. “Have to tell my mom I’ll be home a little late.”

“Oh…” She felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment as she unlocked her touch screen and handed him her phone. It was nearly dead, as she had been trying to call somebody to pick her up since she was abandoned but to no avail; no one seemed to be near their phones at the time. She quickly looked down at her lap after handing it over and mentally scolded herself for jumping to conclusions. Jace seemed pretty nice, not to mention attractive. In fact, his whole dark hair and light eyes ensemble reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t place her mind on who. Looking back up to sneak another look at him, she found herself face to face with the muzzle of a gun. Her eyes widened and her heart began to race as she shakily laughed.

“Th-this is a joke, right?” she asked uneasily, glancing away from the gun momentarily to meet his hazel eyes. Jace simply smiled at her and shook his head, causing her stomach to drop immediately.

“Thanks for the phone, I don’t think you’ll be needing it any longer,” he chuckled, pocketing it and then making a sharp U-turn that threw Cass against the side of her door. Shaking, she sat up and clenched her fists to try and calm down.

It’s going to be okay, Cass, she told herself, scooting away from Jace and closer to the door. Maybe you can make sense of this situation…

Cass took a deep, calming breath and then said in her strongest voice, “Look, if it’s money or-”

“I don’t want just money,” Jace interrupted calmly. “Just sit tight and enjoy the ride.” He moved his hand and Cass flinched, but was relieved to find that he was only turning on the radio. He laughed at her silly reaction and put the gun into his coat pocket.

“Don’t worry, Cassidy Monroe,” he said darkly. “I won’t hurt you… yet.” Cass said nothing as she slid down slightly in her seat, resting her head back as tears began to run lightly down her tan cheeks.

I am going to die…

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A/N So welcome to The Backstory. I'll be updating this story weekly, but if we can meet goals, I'll update sooner! So here are my goals

10 reads

10 votes

10 comments

Hopefully that's not too much to ask for my first story! But thank you anyway!

*~Cleo