DAY 1
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CHAPTER 1
HUNTER
"Hunter, I need you to drive down to my house, now!" a frantic voice yells through my phone.
"Sam, relax," I calmly say to my best friend. She's probably making a mountain out of a molehill, not unlike her.
"I don't think you realize the circumstances-" Sam starts talking faster than usual, making it impossible for me to understand. She talks fast enough as it is.
"Deep breath." I instruct. I hear Sam begin to hyperventilate over the line. "What could upset you this bad?"
Sam's voice is small and pitiful, "Uhm, I'll explain when you get over here, if you don't figure it out by then. Bring Pepper." She clicks off the line. I can tell she is stabbing her fingernails into the side of her neck, a nervous habit of hers.
I sigh. I put my phone in the pocket of my blue jean shorts, and throw on a pair of black sneakers. Pepper runs circles around me as my fingers fumble with the laces. Pepper is my pig, named after the soda. I pick up the small pig, and she squeals happily as we walk through the house. It has been empty all day, but being sixteen, I think it's perfectly fine for me to be home alone once in a while. I set Pepper down in the passenger seat and bring the seat belt over her. I reach my seat belt over my green shirt and click it into place.
The drive to Sam's house was rather quiet. It doesn't help that it took half an hour to get there; she lives in the middle of the city, by city hall. I heard that the mayor was having a big gathering today.
When I park in the driveway, the house looks completely empty. When I walk to her front door, I consider just walking back to my car, and driving away. This is stupid. Sam made me drive thirty minutes to her house? I bet it's not even anything important.
My thoughts are abruptly cut off when the door flies open long enough for a hand to grab my arm and drag me inside. The door slams behind me and I hear the locks churn.
"Samantha Jean!" I yell angrily, using her full name like a parent.
"Hunter Cinnabar," Sam sassily replies.
"What is your problem?" I ask.
"Uhm, well. Have you seen anything... unusual? Driving up here?" She jabs her nails into her neck. She looks as if she committed a murder and is having a hard time confessing.
"No...?"
"Drive me to Billy's house."
"You're making me drive back, past my house, to Billy's?"
"Yes." Sam says with full seriousness. There is a long pause. I truly don't know what to say for a while.
"Why didn't you just get Billy to drive down here and pick me up on the way?"
"He doesn't answer his phone as fr- frequently as you do." Another pause. The silence hangs in the air like a thick smoke, chokin everyone with its presence.
"I must be out of my mind..." I say, pulling my car keys out of my pocket. She reaches for them, but I pull them above her head. Not like it's that hard, Sam is rather short, not much taller than 5'3".
She jumps and grabs them, much to my annoyance.
"Relax, I'm only fifteen, I won't drive away." Sam says. When she sees my doubtful glare, she speaks again. "The law has been there for quite some time, and it certainly won't be changing anytime soon." She sounds rather nervous when she says this, but I don't question it.
She runs into the hall and grabs a small light-brown leather backpack, only large enough for a few small things, and possibly a medium-sized item. She looks at me strangely.
"Didn't you bring anything?" she asks.
"You never told me to." I reply hesitantly. Why would she be asking if I brought a bag? We're only going to Billy's house.
SAM
I am a terrible person. I'm not sure how I managed to be such a large failure, but I can't reverse it now. And my not telling Hunter is very conflicting for me, something awful. On the one hand, if I tell her, she will never forgive me. On the other hand, if I don't tell her, the guilt will eat away at me until there is no more of me left.
I look at Hunter. She is so kind, driving me in such a time of need. But if she knew what horrible deed I have committed, she would not even consider driving for me, no matter the circumstances. I can imagine her pale green eyes widening when I tell her, her dark blonde hair falling out of place. She would then yell at me in a tone I cannot bear to hear, and I would never be able to talk to my best friend again.
Speaking of best friends, how would Billy react to the news? I can imagine his light brown eyebrows furrowing, his eyelashes being almost able to touch them. His pale blue eyes filled with pure hatred, his permanent smile being wiped away, leaving only an expression of pure disgust. I wouldn't doubt that he would point away from Hunter and himself, and angrily yell "Get out", leaving me to walk away from the pair as I attempt to hide my tears. Either that, or he would punch my lights out.
I look up at Hunter, her eyes focused on the road. The car would have been entirely silent, were it not for Pepper, squealing away. I liked the pig, but I wasn't necessarily fond of it. But it happened to be Hunter's favorite thing in the world, so to spare her the heartbreak, I asked her to take the pig with us. We probably won't make it back home for a while. And I, well, I can never go back. Not after what I've done.
