Sinking Ships

Chapter One

Song: Cute Is What We Aim For-Newport Living

I never anticipated to fall in love.

No, I never even thought about. That being said, the thought of falling out of love never crossed my mind either.

All I can hear are my feet hitting the ground as I head towards the school. I don’t even attend it anymore, and yet I’m here almost every day. Not for myself though. I go for the person who I love the most in the entire world to see the person I completely hate.

I’ve never had a good life. After the death of my parents four years ago, their small fortune was left to me. No, I’m not allowed to go on a shopping spree. Instead, it covers the rent for the small apartment I live in and other necessities as decided by the court.

The smell is all too familiar. It brings back many memories of two troubled years of my life. Now eighteen, I’ve cleaned up, but not for myself.

“Fallon,” Kelsey stretches out my name as I approach her small group of friends. Her bleach blonde hair hangs in waves over her black bomber jacket that barely covers any skin, just like the mini-skirt she’s wearing. “What brings you here?”

I grind my teeth together as she smiles, taking a hit from the pipe that’s passed to her. Instantly, I want to leave, just like every other given day, but I have to push my own feelings aside. I glare into her over-done makeup eyes.

“Back to that again?” I question, shoving my hands in my pockets as I stop in the small circle of kids. They barely take notice of me, as I’m an unofficial member of their group. Smoking Meth behind a school is extremely risky, even for me, who’s not involved; at least not anymore.

“What are you even doing here, Fallon?” She snaps angrily, passing the pipe to another girl. I watch curiously, as she takes a step back from Kelsey, objecting. I’ve never seen her here before.

The first thing I notice are her eyes. They’re gorgeous, brown doe eyes that you can’t say no to, no matter what she’s asking. Her hair is a mix between brown and red, creating a new colour entirely. Like Kelsey, it hangs down in long, flowing waves over her white shirt that doesn’t cover her shoulders.

“Hello?” Kelsey calls, giving me a look. I blink a few times and then turn back to her, feeling the bitterness overwhelm me once again.

“The same reason I’m here every day, Kelsey,” I snap, focusing completely on her. How many brain cells has she killed?

“And what reason is that?” She drops her right hand to her hip and waits impatiently for my response.

“To see if you want to see your son,” I say calmly through clenched teeth. “Or have you forgotten all about Tyson since the time I asked you yesterday?”

Kelsey rolls her eyes and looks to her friends, who could care less about the conversation we’re having. Well, except for that girl with the doe eyes. She pretends not to notice, but I know she’s listening and watching when I’m not watching her.

“Oh just shut up,” she says angrily as I pull a cigarette out of my pocket. I wanted to kick the habit when I stopped partying, but there’s only so much you can stop at one time. Kelsey eyes the package and then meets my eyes. “Give me one?”

“You have to be kidding me,” I mutter, pulling out one and throwing it to her so I don’t have to go any closer. Of course her drug-infused reflexes don’t allow her to catch it in time, so it falls onto the dirty pavement and rolls a few feet away. Kelsey turns around and scurries to get it while I question how I could have ever been in love with her.