Abandoned

Chapter Five

Zach's pov.

After I had changed into my camouflage pajama pants with no shirt on, I lay in bed that night, thinking about Clarissa, again. I really like her but I don't think she likes me. She likes me as a friend, at least I think so. She's fun and pretty and easy going and quite selfless. But I know she's hiding her past from me. I know nothing about her childhood, and I'm assuming it wasn't all that great. I don't know her parents, if she has siblings. She should be in school but she works at the coffee shop all day. I've been thinking about her and her past almost every night since last week and she hadn't told me anything. So I fall asleep, again, thinking of Clarissa.

The next morning I wake up with both my pillows on the floor along with half my blanket. I don't know what I dreamed about but from the looks it, it wasn't good.

I got up and looked in the mirror. Bags had formed under my eyes, my hair looked like a rat's nest, but worst of all, I had a bruise the size of my fist on my chest.

I gently touched my bruise as cursed myself for doing that. I didn't even have to press down and it killed me.

My alarm click started beeping, 6:00 a. m. I sighed and turned it off then pulled on a running shirt and some running shorts, grabbed my iPod as I ran out out the door and ran down the stairs of my apartment. I put my headphones in then started running towards the park.

Thirty minutes later I was at the park drinking fountain getting a drink when a black lab came and pounced on me. I about fell to the ground but the drinking fountain saved me.

"Rocky get back here," a man yelled.

The dog licked my arm then took off to it's owner.

"Sorry," the guy yelled.

I waved to let him know it was fine then turned my music up a little and headed back to my apartment.

Thirty-five minutes later I was staring in my fridge and nothing was staring back at me. I needed to go shopping to get food. I worked with what I had and ended up with a piece of toast and some fried eggs. I ate my sad, little breakfast and went to take a shower.

"HOLY!" I screamed. The warm/hot water was running over my bruise and it was killing me. I moved back a little and let the water run on my stomach instead of my chest. Slowly I managed to take a shower without dying.

At 7:55 I looked at my phone and I had ten missed calls from my aunt, Jessica. I started calling her back when she called again.

I answered,"Aunt J. Are you okay?"

"Oh, Zach, I think you might need to get down here as fast as you can," she said.

I started running outside, gabbing my keys as I ran out of my apartment. I was still on the phone with my aunt,"Jessica, are you okay?! What's wrong?" questions were flying through my mind.

"I'm fine. It's someone else. Please hurry, I've got to go." And with that she hung up.

I don't remember how I got there but next thing I know I'm at Lou's Coffee.

From the outside everything looked normal. I ran inside. Everything was looked fine. Jessica was serving a costumer at the bar. I went behind the counter.

"Aunt J, what's wrong?" I whispered. Then I realized something. "Where's Clarissa?!"

"Zach, calm down. Let's talk out back," she said and we went into the back by the dumpsters.

"Is Clarissa okay?" I asked, worried.

"I'm going to start from the top. You know my friend, Thelma, the nurse that works at the hospital?"

I nodded.

"Well this morning she stopped by for her usual coffee as soon as we opened and we got talking and she said that last night this girl got shot in the left calf. The neighbors called the police and the ambulance came and picked up the girl. They didn't know who it was, she didn't have any ID. An hour later, Clarissa still wasn't here so I got a strange feeling that the girl that got shot was her. So I went to the hospital-" 'please' I was begging in my mind,'don't say it was Clarissa.' "Zach,it was Clarissa," my aunt said in a soft voice,"and she's in a coma."

I shook my head. It was all my fault. If I had taken her home, this wouldn't have happened.

"Zach, are you okay, honey?" Jessica whispered.

I shook my head,"I'll be back. I'm going to go see her." And with that I was back on my motorcycle flying down the rode to the hospital.

Sorry that was another short chapter but I felt bad for leaving you guys hanging like that so I hurried and made another chapter. Thanks for reading!!! Please comment and vote!! And please read my other book, The Hunter Within Me.