The Hunt

Chapter 1: Pee Pranks

THE HUNT

CHAPTER 1: PEE PRANKS

_______________________

Angel O'Brian. I watch her across the classroom as she flips her beautiful brown hair and it falls gracefully down her back. She is gorgeous; even more stunning than the stars in the night sky. I wonder if she notices me. Does she know I exist? Of course she does. Does she care that I'm alive? Probably not. She's the in-crowd. I'm the outcast. She's beautiful. I'm...me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ugly or anything...at least I don't think I am. I just intimidate people. I guess it's the vibe I give off.

Angel has plenty of friends. Probably more than she can even count. Everyone likes her, everyone knows her. I like her. Actually, I do more than just like her. Its a lust that I can't describe. Suddenly, I'm shaken out of my thoughts.

"Dude, your starring again," Ryan says to me. All I say is "oh" because I'm still trying to come back to reality. He snaps a finger in front of my face, causing me to jump. "She's going to think you're stalking her or something," my best friend laughs.

"Whatever, man," I reply. "She doesn't realize that I'm even here."

"That, my friend, is very true." It's the last period of the day, and I am so ready to get out of here, even though it's only Tuesday. Not that I'm excited for work or anything. I have a job at the most popular hangout in Rowland. It's a burger joint and a teen club rolled up into one. Angel goes there all the time.

"David, man, you have got to stop thinking out-loud," Ryan comments. I stare at him for half a second and then mentally face-palm myself.

"Again? I seriously need to get rid of that habit," I respond numbly as I am glancing back over to Angel. It's not the first time that I've spoken my thoughts. I've done it plenty of times, and the thoughts always include Angel. I'm not obsessed; I'm just in love. She's all I ever think about. But she's kind of out of my league.

Finally, the bell rings, and my classmates hurry out. Students overflow the hall as they grab items out of their lockers. Ryan and I move at a steady pace, not in much of a hurry to get anywhere exciting. Most kids go to the mall after school or to Up Beat, the hangout that I work at with Ryan. We talk animatedly as we leave the school. In the middle of a conversation about hot girls, my dumb-founded best friend decides to blast metal music from the speakers of my car.

"Dude, turn it down!" I scream at him as he sits there laughing to his hearts content. "What is wrong with you?" I ask him, pulling out into the busy after-school traffic.

"A lot of things," Ryan says simply. "Com'on let's be honest, though. What would you do without me?" he gestures as if to say "what can I say?". I chuckle and shake my head at him as we approach a red traffic light. I'm adjusting the beanie on my head when a blue convertible pulls up to my left at the light. "Hey, look who it is," Ryan nudges me playfully.

I look out the window of my Camero to see Angel sitting in the passenger seat of the car next to us. I marvel at her smile as she laughs with her friends. She and her plastic friends, Laura, Reagan, and Melissa, turn to look at us. They smile at us, and Ryan waves arrogantly at them. I don't pay attention to the other girls though. Angel smiles at me, and I smile back weakly and give her a little wave. Suddenly, the light turns green and Laura turns the corner quickly, leaving me slightly dazed.

"Dude, go!" Ryan shakes me back to reality once again today.

In the back of Up Beat, I begin to prepare for my shift. After shrugging off my leather jacket, I throw on my black Up Beat t-shirt and waiting apron. I check myself in the mirror, straightening out my shirt and beanie. Ryan slings an arm around my shoulder and meets my eyes in the mirror.

"You are the most self-conscious guy I have ever met," he teases with a smug smile. He pats my shoulder and then heads towards the door. "Hope you're not turning into a pussy!" he calls just before exiting the locker room.

The guy is such a dumb ass.

I follow him out into the restaurant. Washing my hands, I look around to see who has arrived. I catch Angel and her friends sitting in their normal spot, the circular booth in one corner of the restaurant. There are a few other groups of teens, some middle schoolers, and an old couple sitting scattered around the restaurant.

My boss, Danielle, comes out of her office and heads over to me. "David, Holly is home sick with the flu. I need you to cover her tables until she gets back,"she says with her British accent. "I hope that's not too much for you."

"Oh, no, Ms. Sawyer. Not at all," I reply cooly.

"Oh, good. I know that's a lot of work. Remind me to give you a bonus at the end of the week," she smiles and saunters back into her office.

Sweet! A bonus! I cheer inwardly.

But my happiness is short lived. Now I'm excited but also disgusted. I inwardly groan as I realize that Holly's tables include the corner table that has been claimed by Angel and her groupie. I don't exactly love the people Angel hangs out with.

The only other waiter today, besides Ryan and I, is this nerdy kid, Eugene, who is currently busy mopping the floor near Angel's table. He clumsily slips and falls, and I watch as Laura tips her drink over on him so that it looks like he's pissed himself.

"Aww man! My pants!" he wines in his nasally voice . I rush over to help him up.

"Dude, you okay?" I ask him as I grab his hand and help him off the wet floor. He nods at me.

"I think so. My pants...." he looks down at his khaki-colored trousers distastefully.

"Hey, look. I've got another pair in the back. You can go take those. Hopefully, they'll fit okay," I tell him as I start to send him off that way.

"Really? You sure?" he asks incredously.

"Yeah, it's no biggie," I pat him on the back before he thanks me and hurries off to the employee locker room. Turning my attention back to the group of girls, I pull out my pad of paper and pen.

"And it's bus boy. Nice beanie. Oh, and I love your earring. Where'd you get it? Claire's?" Laura scoffs. The other girls laugh obnoxiously. I roll my eyes, ignoring her and glance at Angel, who is looking at me with her big green eyes.

"What can I get you guys?" I ask them. Once I have their orders written down, I pocket my pen.

"Go fetch our food," Laura shoos as I turn around. I start to walk away in disgust, but I stop in my tracks. Turning back to her, I look her straight in the eyes.

"And really? Pee pranks? What are we, in third grade? Grow up, Laura."

She gapes at me in shock, and the other girls gasp. I walk away from her, satisfied and feeling as if I had done Eugene some justice.

_______________________

PLEASE READ! VERY IMPORTANT!!!

Hey guys,

How'd you like the first chapter? I hope you all enjoyed it. And I'm just going to let you all know now that I didn't mean to seem homophobic when I wrote Ryan's character. I'm not homophobic in the slightest bit. A lot of my friends are gay so I'm not a homophobe.

When I started writing Ryan's character, I did not intend for him to be against gays or even seem like he is. The part where he talks about turning into a pussy was not meant to offend anyone. I'm sorry if it has. I was simply trying to capture the mind of a guy, and all I did was write the kind of things I hear average guys say. So I'm sorry if I have offended anyone.

Also, THIS IS IMPORTANT. I'm going to go ahead and give you a WARNING! This book will contain very graphic scenes. Depending on how exactly I decide to write the beginning, there may be some scenes that might turn you on a bit. HOWEVER, the majority of the graphic scenes in the book will be disturbing to some. When I write, I don't like to hold anything back, for my sake. I feel like if I don't show exactly what my vision was, I have failed as an author. SO, that being said, if you completely dislike graphic content, THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR YOU. Sorry.

Anyway, thank you to those that have actually gotten to the bottom of this Author's Note. Vote, comment, follow, all that good stuff!

-Simone