In the dark: Darkness between us series (WIP rewrite)

Prologue

Aspen

Tossing the tennis ball I held in my hand as I started up at my ceiling from my bed was about the only thing keeping my endless thoughts from swirling. Tomorrow I start at a new college, though it feels like I wasted an entire full ride scholarship to UCLA by dropping out and moving across the country my sophomore year. Nope, that was exactly what it was. It was not something I was particularly happy about. Unfortunately, I had no say in the matter. My mom said the move was for 'business' and she just couldn't go without me, but truly, I think it was her way of getting me out of the hell hole that was my life in LA. It wasn't all bad, especially not in the beginning.

I ran in many different crowds up until the past year. Everyone knew me, loved me even, but when my piece of shit ex started swirling rumors about me, my admirers just happened to love me so much they had to give me a 'stage name' everyone else could remember. 'Skank' happened to be my favorite one I heard. I told my mother I was fine more times than I can count, though she was never actually around to care enough about what was going on with me until it was too late. Then suddenly, we are up and moving and starting over again.

Maybe it was the way she saw me change. Not just in my personality, but my appearance too. I had always been such a happy girl, smiling and laughing always. Dressed as if everyday was a fashion show and now everything about me had turned dull and angry. Then there were the multiple fights, drunken nights, and few arrests. All because of the night that he ruined everything. Ruined me.

I sat up from my bed, leaning against my elbows as I observed the open closet in front of me. There is no way I was going to let my past continue to haunt me, to take over every part of my life. I was twenty two now, I had nothing stopping me from the person I wanted to be.

I rose from the bed heading towards the closet walking in as I dragged my fingers against the length of the hanging clothes. I reached for a few items and laid it out over the bed as I observed it once more. I ended up choosing a deep red shirt that was sheer and also a size bigger than I needed it to be. I paired it with a black bralette underneath, ripped and distressed jeans that were also black and grabbed my oversized leather jacket. I figured pairing it with the chunky combat boots I wore on a regular basis would do just fine. My fingers fidgeted with the gold locket necklace around my neck as I looked over my choices. My father had given the locket to me before passing away when I was seventeen. I looked down at it and waves of grief and the longing for him started to build knots in my stomach.

"This is fucking stupid." I spoke to no one in particular as I let go of the necklace and I gathered my clothes, tossing them over on top of the nearby dresser.

I walked to the door of my bedroom and slipped into my running shoes that lay beside it. I bent down to tighten my laces before slipping my headphones into my ears and selecting the loudest song I could possibly find. I took a few steading breaths and I stepped out of the door slamming it behind me and darted down the stairs of our overpriced New York City top floor apartment. I pushed my head phones in glaring out the windows that spread across the massive living room, making it seem way bigger than it already was. Way too much space for a girl in her twenties, living with her mom, who's never home. I stretched my neck side to side and headed towards the elevator that would take me to the ground floor.

I made my way around the block for what felt like hours. I decided to push myself more and I even took my run down towards central park. I sang to the music that was reverberating through my ears. Whether I was in key or not was to be determined. The fire burning in my lungs made my blood pump even faster as I pushed through the pain, letting it consume and dissipate the rage that constantly seemed to fuel every bit of my being.