I Should Have Stayed

Chapter 1

MISSING: DAKOTA GREENE; AGE 17

The poster was a year old. It was crumpled on the sides and I saw that other posters were slowly covering it up. All missing. I ripped my face down off of the wooden pole and stared at myself. My brown eyes and bright blonde hair sat right above my happy smile. It made me feel sick. How could someone look so happy?

I crumpled it up, but not after ripping it into tiny shreds, and then tossed it into the trash. They thought I was dead more than likely. I dissapeared right after my senior graduation. If only they knew what I did since I left. I sighed as I walked along the small sidewalk. I kept glancing into all of the stores as I went by.

Nothing had changed since I left. This small town was the same. The people looked the same. That was part of the reason I left. I wasn't going to stay in this kind of place forever. But maybe I should've…

"Dakota?" I heard a familiar face say to me as they walked by. I turned to acknowledge the person.

"Hi." I said. Simple. I was surprised that anyone could recognize me. I had lost so much weight and I dyed the tips of my hair black. I had a plain black hoodie on and it covered my head. Also I had jet black jeans and black converse. There was no way they could recognize me… right?

"Oh my god! Is that really you? Everyone thought you were dead."

I assumed that much.

"You look so different. What happened?" I shrugged at her. Damn this girl talked a lot. It bothered me that I didn't remember her, but I didn't care. I had somewhere to be as I checked my watch.

"I have to go. Nice seeing you." I said and sped away. I didn't want a reunion after a year with a stranger. I let out a frustrated sigh. Now that someone had spotted me the whole town would find out I was back. That was one of the other reasons I left.

I slowed my pace after a while and glanced back but didn't see anyone looking at me. My hands pulled my hoodie over my head more to cover my face. I didn't want to be the talk of the town which I already knew I would be. Again, I sighed and rounded a corner away from the shops closing in on a neighborhood ahead. I had someone I needed to talk to.