Good Girl Gone Bad

Chapter 3

The next morning I woke up to the sun's bright rays shining in through my window and the sound of birds tweeting outside. I sat up in bed and stretched out my arms which were stiff from my nights sleep. I yawned and slowly crawled out of bed, making my way to the bathroom for a much needed shower.

Once I stepped out of the bathroom an hour later, I glanced at the clock on my bedside table and saw it was still early, only half-past nine, so I decided it wouldn't hurt anyone if I went out for a quick jog around the neighborhood. I grabbed my jogging pants from my old drawers which appeared to be untouched, took a sweatshirt from my closet, threw on some shoes, grabbed my ipod and ear buds, and I was out the door in less than ten minutes.

As I jogged down the road I placed my headphones in my ears and turned the volume up, blasting "Tomorrow Never Dies" by 5 Seconds of Summer. I ran to the beat of the music and soon I was halfway around the block.

I ran until I came across a quaint park on the corner of two streets. I spotted a bench nearby and jogged over to it to take a break. I pulled out my headphones and listened to the sound of kids screeching as they jumped off swings, and mothers' exhausted sighs as they followed their young children back and forth. I smiled as I recalled being around five or six, and loving the park just as much as these kids. I looked around, still trying to catch my breath, deciding to sit here for just a few more minutes before I'd be on my way. Off in the distance I heard the faint honks of the ducks down by the pond, and I chose to walk over to the small area if water that laid in the far corner of the park, isolated from the kids' area. As I came closer, the water became clearer and the ducks' honks grew louder. I approached the sapphire blue water and picked up a small pebble, tossing it softly into the water, watching as it bounced off the water a few times before sinking completely. I stood there for a few minutes admiring the view and thinking back to the many times I'd been here as a child. Before I got distracted again, I turned and jogged back to the sidewalk to continue my run.

-

I'd been running for about ten minutes when I heard shouting coming from a house down the street. Naturally, i was curious. However, i wasn't a person who believed in the whole, "curiousity killed the cat" saying, so i decided to take my chances and see what was going on.

I stepped up to the tall gate that surrounded the home where the noise was coming from and stood on the tips of my toes so i could peek over. I watched silently as a boy who looked a few years younger than me, no older than fifteen, waved his arms around angrily, shouting at what i assumed to be his father. The presumed father soon seemed to grow tired of the boys yelling as he rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, walking back inside. The young boy sighed and sat down on a nearby lawn chair. I decided it'd be a good time to speak now, rather than stand there watching him. 

I stepped a bit closer to the gate and called out, "Hey! You aright?" 

The boy looked up and stared at me in shock for a few seconds, but he quickly recovered and spoke softly, "Yea, i'm fine." 

He looked down once again and then, as if coming to the realization that a complete stranger was standing before him, his head shot up and he asked curiously, "Who are you?" 

I gave him a small smile and reached over the gate, extending my hand to offer a friendly handshake, "I'm Avery Jennings, pleasure to meet you."