diamond //sweet pea//

//one//

It all began when a mysterious car appeared in the parking lot of Southside High. Not just any car, but a black 1969 Mustang Boss 429. It didn't belong in the sea of beat up pickups and scratched Harleys. Beyond the misplaced car, was the misplaced girl leaning against it. The smoke from her cigarette mixed with the fog that covered the town. A limp wrist brought the stick to her wine-stained lips. Her tangled white blonde hair whipped in the wind, sticking to her face.Stormy blue eyes were almost hidden behind the heavy smudged eyeliner. A whisper of a bruise kissed her neck gently, though it was not a kiss that gave it to her. Dallas Wiley was a force to be reckoned with, no one knew it, and that was a shame.

The parking lot was void of people, exactly how she had wanted it. It was supposed to be her first day of school, but she couldn't bring herself to walk through the doors. She wasn't nervous, indifferent perhaps. Whatever it was, she liked the quiet and the solitude. She took one last drag from the cigarette before flicking it to the asphalt, a heeled boot stomping on top of it. The wind picked up again sending the ashes flying and a shiver up her spine. Her leather jacket didn't do much to harbor her from the impending storm that lurked just over the horizon. She forego any warmth when she put on the black ripped jeans that ran tight up against the length of her legs. She reached into the bag that hung lazily over her torso and grabbed the keys to the car that had held her upright for the past hour. Dallas wanted a quick getaway before the bell rang in exactly ten minutes and forty-five seconds.

Either her car's clock was wrong (likely), or the bell system was wrong (highly likely) because the sharp tone of a school bell echoed through the deserted lot. She cursed under her breath and jammed the keys into the lock. Her car would surely garner attention from the motorheads that went to this school. You didn't come across a beauty like this every day.

The key jammed. "Fuck", she breathed turning to press her back against the door once again. She surveyed the land and the vehicles surrounding her self-dubbed Black Beauty. Old but well cared for Harleys were lined up on both sides. She didn't know much about Riverdale and the ongoings in the Southside, but she was intrigued by their choice of transportation. A voice in her head told her to wait it out and see who owned the bikes for herself. Another voice screamed for her to get the door open and get out of there because nothing good happened in parking lots, especially those hidden in a gray haze.

The first voice beat the other down and she remained, her curiosity too overpowering. Finally, Dallas got what she had been waiting for. A gang of leather clad teenagers exited the building and were headed straight for her. Or rather the bikes. She held her breath, not knowing what to expect. A sigh of relief left her mouth when they didn't give her a second glance, or so she assumed when the first few rode away. She fiercely rattled the stuck key, becoming more impatient by the second.

"You need help with that?" Dallas froze and stood up straight. Her mind tried to place the deep voice but she knew there was nothing familiar about the southside, not much anyways. Slowly she turned to meet the speaker. He was the living definition of tall, dark and handsome. Her voice was gone, and she knew she was starring. Like a swift kick to the stomach, she felt herself lurch back into reality.

"No I've got it", she stopped, "actually yeah. I do," she said in defeat, letting go of the keychain. It didn't take him long to reach her. As she watched him mess with the keys she couldn't help but feel like the most pathetic damsel in distress.

"There, all done," he said shoving the set of keys into her small but calloused palm. He began to walk away, back to his group of friends but turned back. "Nice car by the way." A few of the guys behind him nodded and he shot Dallas a quick smirk. She hung her head to hide the smile that crept across her face. She got in the car and watched him drive away. If only she had known his name.