Every rose has its thorn.

Chapter Six: I wish it was you.

And the second note read:

"Send my emotions into hell

And they'll drag you with them

Set my mind ablaze

And you'll burn along with it."

January 28th

"What the fuck do you mean, she's gone?!" I roared down the phone. My voice was tinted with panic, and I was sweating uncontrollably.

"Calm down Alex. She was just afraid, so she ran, and we don't know where to. Meet me at the park gates, i'll help you find her." Came Ryan's somewhat reassuring voice from the other end of the line.

"Okay, i'll be there soon." I said, my voice cracking slightly.

I bolted out the house to the park. People called out to speak to me, school friends, but I ignored them. I sprinted as quickly as I could, desperate to find her. I reached the park ahead of Ryan, and chose to slump myself against the wall. Millions of terrifying thoughts crossed my mind, and I found myself wishing I could just curl up and die. Ryan arrived within minutes, dragging me onto my feet and out of my stupor.

"Come on, last I saw her she was running off into the park." He said, turning. Despite how calm he seemed, I could see the fear in his eyes; Anna wasn't tough by any means, and if they found her, she was in a lot of trouble.

"Why are they after her? I thought I got them to back off?" I asked as we broke into a sprint. We were getting ever closer to the park, but as of yet, no Anna.

"She pissed off Damien, the big one. He must have sent someone to jump her, but i'm not sure. She ran off in tears before I could ask her anything." He finished as we finally reached the long, untamed grass. It was three o'clock, and the park was filled with young children running rampant and enjoying themselves. I wished I could be like them, young and free, not a care in the world.

We searched every inch of the park, but to no avail. Tears rolled down my cheek, and I fell to the floor, limp and lifeless.

"Alex, get a fucking grip!" Ryan bellowed, grabbing me by the scruff of the neck and lifting me up. His arms were bulky and muscular, and the sheer volume in which he spoke drew the attention of many a parent.

"You really think the best idea in this situation is to lie down and give up?! " He asked. I mumbled, and he backhanded me firmly across the face.

"Alright, I fucking get it, stop choking me!" I yelled, pushing him off. "Sorry." I added in an apologetic tone.

"It's fine, you're stressed." He said, patting my shoulder. Suddenly, my phone rang, causing me to jump slightly. I looked down to check the caller ID.

It was Anna.

"Anna, where the fuck are you? Are you okay? Why didn't you come to me first?" I asked, answering the call without giving her the time to so much as say hello.

"I'm fine, and i'm over by the little hut. I can see you from here." She said. I looked around and noticed the shadow of a small girl being cast against the ground.

"Why are you calling me, why don't you just come over?" I questioned, confused.

"Because they're just over there, the people that are looking for me." She was right'; they were no more than one hundred meters away. I opened my mouth to speak to Anna again, when I was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"I'm going to fucking have them!" Lauren shouted, jogging over from behind us. She looked slightly crazed, and was wearing a pair of shorts and a white tank top.

"You and me both." I snarled. Ryan nodded, before turning to look at them. They seemed to have noticed us in all of the fuss, and were moving closer and closer towards us. We reciprocated, until I was face to face with Damien. He was considerably more powerful looking than his cronies, with a thick build and a typically shaven head.

"Where is the little fucking whore at?" He taunted.

"Your sister? Probably getting ready to work the streets." I retorted. His face quickly turned from a mocking smile to a snarl. He pushed me back and swung a punch, but I ducked out of the way with ease. This seemed to act as a signal for his friends, who also launched their separate attacks.

One of the females attempted to stamp on Lauren's foot, only to hit the floor. In reply, Lauren drove a knee into her stomach, before flipping the girl and leaving her paralysed on the floor.

Ryan's assailant was no luckier, not even having the opportunity to move as Ryan swept him off his feet and slammed him directly into another Chav. A few effortless punches later, and the entire group of seven were either out cold or too crippled to run.

"Thank you." Came a gentle, broken sounding voice from my right. It was Anna, who was looking worse for wear. Her cherry red lips had lost all colour, and her hair was tattered. She looked tired, likely from the running she had done.

"No problem." I replied, smiling.

It was late, about eleven o'clock before we called it a day and all headed back to my house. Anna had went home only ten minutes after the fight, exhausted and distressed. I had walked her home, with very little speech between us. I left her as she approached the door, kissing her lightly on the lips and telling her to get some rest. She nodded, disappearing into the doorway. After that, we had met up with the rest of the group and spent the day just relaxing at the park. We had already decided on staying at mine for the night by five.

Ushering everyone into the living room, I pardoned myself and made my way upstairs to the bathroom. I turned on the cold tap, allowing it to become freezing before splashing it across my face. I dried my hands and stared blankly into the mirror. My hair was slightly wet and was, as ever, a complete mess. My skin was in better condition than usual, although it still wasn't particularly good. I heard a light creak on the bathroom floor, and a pair of long, smooth arms wrapped around my neck. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply before opening them again. Lauren's misty blue eyes stared back at me, and I couldn't help but place my hands on hers. I had expected her to remove them, but she didn't. Instead, she linked her fingers between mine, turning her head so that our lips were almost touching. I felt breathless, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She had always made me feel breathless, the way she looked, the way she spoke in that sweet, innocent voice.

We stood like that for the best part of five minutes, just staring at each other. I didn't want to cheat on Anna, but my mind screamed out for me just to kiss her. I leaned in to the point where her breath was heavy against me, and I turned fully, placing my hands on her perfectly formed hips. My mind whirred, but I pushed past the thoughts, captivated by her beauty.

"Remember when I told you we should just be friends?" She whispered sweetly into my ear.

"Yes?" I replied.

"I was wrong."