Running On Empty.

Chapter One. 11 Years Later.

11 years later:

"Come on! Rianne, we are leaving in five milliseconds. With or without you!" Paige groaned from downstairs. The gang were waiting on me. We were going out for the last time this summer. School was starting in three days and this was our last hoorah before essays, exams, and everything in-between overwhelmed our lives.

But, on the bright side... we were finally juniors!

Only two years before we could run out of SkyView High for the last time.

"Paige, oh Paige. Blondie, you do realize that five milliseconds passed before you finished even half that sentence, right?" I shouted as I unsteadily walked down the wooden stairs of my house. I gripped the banister, firmly. I never did adjust to heels, anyway.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get your ass in the car. You're driving for torturing us all while you try on every article of clothing in your closet," she argued.

As I rounded the corner, I saw the rest of our entourage. Levi, Dylan and Nate were entirely captivated by the new gaming system my parents had bought 'me'. Only, I hated it.

The gaming system wasn't even publicly released yet. Mr parents who were practically absent from my life dished out the big bucks whenever possible on materialistic things such as the Wii+ that sat in my den. They buy me things to pay me back for missing out on actually having a family.

Yeah, I have more than I need. We're well off. But, what's the point of having money for spending if nothing you buy fills up that hole?

Having them around to sing Happy Birthday would be nice. I mean, it beats waking up to a post-it note that reads 'Happy Birthday, hun! Cake is in the fridge. It's your favorite!" I cried for hours when I looked in the fridge and saw a chocolate cake. I hate chocolate. Everyone knows that. Just not my mom.

I snapped outta my thoughts when I realized the room had gone quiet. The boys had paused the game and were watching me with worried expressions.

"Big red, you okay?" Nate asked. Although he had endless jokes about my hair color, he seemed genuinely concerned.

"Shut up, Nathaniel!" I rolled my eyes and called him by his birth name.

"Hey, hey! Watch yourself, girlie. My name's Nate. Who's this Nathaniel you speak of?"

"If you lovers are done bickering, how about we head over to the party? You know, the last one before our lives are over and we have to go back to school? Yeah, that's always an option," Paige grumbled as she herded everyone out of my house and into my driveway.

"First, guys.. can I ask you a question?" I hesitated.

"Is my favorite flavor chocolate or vanilla?" I paused.

"Well, you always wear your vanilla cupcake perfume.." Paige said.

"And you never ever eat chocolate around me." Nate said.

"You say that chocolate taste like dragonflies and dust.." Dylan added.

"Your mom bought you a chocolate cake and you gave it to me. I'ma go with vanilla," Levi guessed.

Figures. They knew better than my mom.

"Why?" They all questioned with confused faces.

"No reason." I chirped. I tried to sound indifferent, but how happy could I be? My mom has no idea who I am.

No one replied. They could tell that something bigger was going on.

We all piled into my dad's suburban and I backed out of the drive way.

"Hey! Levi and Dylan. Why so quiet?" I asked, while switching from reverse and pulling off.

"Well. Since Paige is a lunatic and forced us to come out tonight, I just figured that y'all owe me a little something," Levi grinned while the gears turned in his head.

"Spit it out, doofus." I replied, uncertain. Levi was always up to something. Always plotting some cruel, perverted joke. You could never be too sure with him.

I looked around. Paige just shook her head, while Dylan and Nate grinned.

Oh, boy... here goes.

"Well, me and Megan are taking a little break. I need some variety in my life, you know? I noticed how snazzy you were looking tonight, Ry. How about when we get to Sam's, you can escort me to a room and we can-"

"STOP! Oh my god, Levi! This car is a no perv zone."

All of the boys cackled with laughter. My cheeks burned a fiery red, almost outdoing my fiery hair. My blush is so vivid. They love making me feel awkward.

"Rianne, I took karate for seven years. You ever need help with them, I'm here." Paige struggled in-between giggles.

"Levi, you're a jerk," I mumbled, turning up the radio. I immediately turned it off when a very explicit Rihanna song blasted through the speakers.

"Rihanna's my kinda girl," Levi said, with a sick grin on his face.

"Anything with legs and capable of stroking your ego is your kinda girl," I said, pretty confident with my comeback... until I realized that my choice of wording left free roam to his joking. I mentally slapped myself.

"Stroke my ego?! I didn't know you rolled like that! Whew, Rianne!"

I pulled up to Sam's house. Music could be heard from a block away and there were cars parked everywhere. I settled on the side of the road and turned off the car.

"Get out of my car, Levi," I hissed.