lost • h.s

Chapter 2

Yes, I ran

I ran like hell, my feet slapping the pavement, my heart pumping and my hot breath staining the cool air. Slipping on icy patches of the sidewalk I slammed into my door causing my shoulder to ache as I fumbled for my key. But it wasn't in my front pocket. Or my back pocket.

Or any other fucking pocket.

I banged my fist against the door in frustration and swore under my breath. I gave up and slid my back down the door until I reached the frigid ground. I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my head into my coat.

I didn't want this town to be like the last. I didn't want to keep moving. I didn't want to be afraid.

I didn't want to get attached.

And I didn't want to get attacked.

He just wouldn't leave me alone. No matter how far I ran or drove or flew. He never gave up.

It's been two years and I don't think I can do this anymore. I don't like lying, and I don't like faking. I've been smiling for two years and it's hurting me. He will never stop looking for me, not even if I move to the middle of the ocean, he can't let me go.

In high school, I had it all. The parties, the friends, the boyfriend. I was the popular girl and nothing could eve bring me down. I was the happiest girl on earth.

Until I met him.

It was junior year and I was in a bathroom, crying. Don't get me wrong, I was still very much a happy person, but my boyfriend, Logan, had just dumped me for my best friend, Rachael. Rachael and I had been friends since kindergarten, we did everything together from getting our hair done to going on road trips. She was the best friend in the world. With her gorgeous smile and thick auburn hair, the boys melted at the sight of her.

One night when we were at one of Logan's parties, he went to go and get drinks for us, leaving me awkwardly holding my hands together and staring at the floor as the music assaulted my ears. After 45 minutes of waiting, I grew impatient and went to look for him. I sought through the crowd and found one of his friends, Eric. I tapped him on the shoulder and he drunkenly whirled around.

"Hey ggurrll wassup?!,"

he barely managed to get out.

I stood my ground and asked him where Logan was. He laughed and said,

"Ooo he's gettin' some, if ya know what I mean!" and he wiggled his eyebrows at me, spilling his drink on the floor.

I shook my head and refused to believe him. I searched around some more but still couldn't find him. I maneuvered my way up the stairs, avoiding couples eating each other's faces, and started to knock on the bedrooms in the hall. I soon realized that all were empty except for one.

His.

I lightly knocked on the door, "Logan?" I yelled, "are you in there?"

I heard muffled noises from inside and I assumed that was an invitation to come in. I lightly pushed the light blue oak door open and froze. There was my boyfriend and my best friend...in a very compromising position. The sheets were tangled around them, thank god, but it didn't leave much to the imagination. His brown eyes stared at me in horror and he started to stutter, but when he looked down at Rachael a smirk grew on his face.

"You didn't think that I actually loved you, right?" he snorted, the smirk growing larger on his face,

"Bye Verity, I should've gotten rid of you a long time ago babe." And with that I ran to his bathroom, locked the door, and cried. That's where I was when 'he' found me.

I curled into a ball on the cold gray tile and sobbed for a long, long time. Logan was my first love and he betrayed me. I now had no boyfriend and no best friend. After I wallowed in self pity for a while I gathered myself together and stood up, looking in the mirror I fixed my hair and makeup as best as I could and took a shaky breath. My pale hand reached for the doorknob when the door opened. A tall boy whom I had never seen before stared at me inquisitively. He had light blond hair with a lilac tint the shined under the low lights and his blue eyes popped against his skin tone. His pink lips wilted to a frown when he took in my appearance. He opened his mouth to speak but soon clenched his jaw. He lifted his tattooed arms in an agressive matter that made me think he was going to hit me. But as I cowered away from the boy he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed, surrounding me with his scent of cigarettes and roses. It felt like he was never going to let me go.

He never was.