SASHA

Chapter 2

Jonathan's POV

I texted Hannah to ask her if her mom has left for work yet and wait for her reply. We have to go to that vacant house today to try and figure out what happened to Sasha. Sasha and I have been friends since elementary school so I can't believe she was in trouble and didn't come to me for help. We used to be so close that I knew everything that was going on in her life. I noticed that Sasha had become secretive and distant once she started hanging out with this new guy she met online. She told me that she had been sneaking out at night to meet him which wasn't a good thing because her mom is super strict. Sasha confided in me about a lot of things that her mom did to her that she did not want Hannah to know about. Sasha and Hannah were close but Sasha felt embarrassed to tell Hannah about the things her mother made her endure. Sasha told me that her mom beat her with a belt once because she smiled at a boy when she was twelve years old. Sasha was painfully shy and awkward because of the way her mother and her peers berated her. She really is a pretty girl underneath the frumpy clothes her mother forced her to wear. She would always wear her long brown hair back in what I called her "signature" ponytail and she never wore any makeup. She really didn't need to because her brown skin was naturally flawless. There were several occasions that I had to stop people from bullying her. She was just like my little sister and I was like her big brother, so no one would mess with her in my presence.
    By the time we made it to high school, I ran track and played football so my social life flourished. I became very popular whereas Sasha became more withdrawn and the bullying got worse. One particular morning, I was walking to class and I saw Sasha standing at her locker wearing jeans and a red sweater that complimented her skin tone perfectly. She was twirling the ends of her long brown ponytail around her fingers as she looked up shyly  at a tall boy that I recognized from the basketball team. I think his name is Matt. As I walked closer,   I could hear their conversation more clearly.
" Can I walk you to class the tall boy with the curly Mohawk offered? 'l'll carry your books for you," he said with a small smirk on his face.
Sasha agreed to let him walk her to class and handed over her books reluctantly. She looked happy and hesitant at the same time. For a split second, I thought that someone was actually showing a genuine interest in her. I saw the tall boy named Matt turn around and look toward a group of girls and guys and then back at Sasha. He reached for Sasha's books and held them as if he was going to carry them for her. He turned and looked at his group of friends once more then slammed Sasha's books to the floor. Almost everyone in the hallway was laughing and pointing at Sasha. Matt, the tall boy with the Mohawk, was laughing and high fiving his friends. Sasha looked humiliated and mortified as she bent down to pick up her books from the floor. It made me so angry to see Sasha so upset that without thinking, I sprinted towards the tall boy and grabbed him by his jacket and slammed him into the lockers. " What the fuck is wrong with you?" I ought to fuckin kill you! I yelled. I glance around and see Sasha running down the hallway crying which makes me even angrier.
"It was just a joke man" he laughed. " She should have known that I would never talk to her nerdy ass for real."
Just as I am about to punch him in his face,  I see the principal walking towards us. " Is there a problem? He asks me and Matt."
"No" we both answer in unison as I let go of his jacket and walk away towards my class. When I enter the class, I don't see Sasha sitting in her usual seat. I immediately begin to worry because there have been times when she has been really upset that she has cut herself. I take my seat in biology class and pray that Sasha is ok. The teacher begins calling roll and I begin to search my backpack for a pen and paper something I rarely have. Sasha usually just hands it to me without even asking if I need it. There is a knock on the classroom door and I hope it's Sasha. I hope she was just late getting to class considering what just happened. Mr. Erickson, the art teacher, opens the door and introduces the prettiest girl I've ever seen. Her thick curly black hair complements her toffee colored skin. She is wearing tight fitted jeans that accentuate her every curve. Her black glasses make her look studious and sexy at the same time.
"Class, This is Hannah Thomas" Ms. Nathan says in her nasally Bayou drawl. " "Hannah, you can sit next to Jonathan. Looks like he doesn't have a lab partner today"
Hannah looked completely lost so I motioned for her to sit in Sasha's empty seat next to me.
"You new here?" I asked. Then immediately regretted asking something so stupid. Of course she's new here I think to myself feeling like an idiot.
"Yeah, It's my first day." she responds as she puts her books on the table and sits down in her assigned seat for the day.
"Let me see your schedule"  I ask her.  " Then I can show you how to get to your classes."
Hannah hands me her schedule. "We have all the same classes so we can walk together. If you want to" I add hoping she won't say no.
"Sure." She replies back. I try to play it cool and not smile but I can't help it. After our last class, Hannah and I walked towards the bus ramp and I see Sasha coming out of the girls bathroom with her head down. Her hands tightly gripping the straps of her backpack. "Sasha! I yell over the sea of crowded teenagers. I grab Hannah's hand and pull her through the crowd. I finally catch up to Sasha and tap her shoulder. "Sasha!" I call her name again almost yelling. "Don't you hear me calling you?" Sasha turns around and looks up at me. Her eyes are puffy and her face swollen. She looks as if she's been crying for hours. "Where have you been all day? You missed all of your classes?
"I was-uh- in the bathroom" she stammers. Her voice still shaky. "Who's this?" She asks looking towards Hannah.
"I'm Hannah." Hannah explains before I can introduce her. "It's my first day here" she says nervously.
We all walked home from school together that day. Hannah and Sasha really hit it off and became friends immediately. I kind of lingered behind them, happy that Sasha had someone other than me to talk to. 
"See you in class tomorrow" Sasha chirped happily to Hannah. Then she looked towards me with a little bit of embarrassment on her face.
"See ya later." I say, saving her from having to say anything about what happened at school in front of Hannah. Sasha looked relieved and walked towards her house disappearing inside leaving me and Hannah alone.
"She seems really nice" Sasha finally speaks breaking the awkward silence between us. "Is she okay? She looked really sad when we were at school"
"Yeah she's cool. She's just dealing with a lot right now." I say while starting to walk past Sasha's house averting my eyes away from Hannah's.
     I am snapped back into reality and from my reminiscing about the past by the vibration of my cell phone. Hannah finally responds back telling me her mom is at work and  I can come over.
I arrive at Hannah's two story brick house and ring the doorbell several times before she answers. When she finally opens the door, she looks breathtaking in her black yoga pants. I try to shift my eyes away from her lower body but I think she sees me anyway. "Why are you wearing those?" I try to act nonchalant as  if I don't notice her curvy figure.
"Cause they are comfortable" she says in an annoyed voice. "Why?"
"I don't know" I scoff stumbling over my words. "Let's just go." I say motioning with my hand for her to walk out the door. I take a step back so that she doesn't accidentally rub against me when she walks by. I'm trying to keep my composure but I get flustered around her sometimes especially when she is dressed like this. I can't believe she actually thinks that I blew her off last night to be with some other girl. If only she knew how I felt about her. I wanted to come over last night and finally tell her that I want to be more than friends, but of course, I chickened out. I sure hope she doesn't think that I've been avoiding her lately.
     Hannah strolls by me putting on her black gloves as she walks out the door. I suggested we wear them so we don't leave any fingerprints behind. I pull the door closed behind us and quickly put on my gloves. We walk across the street and towards the empty house where Sasha was taken away by the police. The house is sealed off by yellow tape that reads POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS. We sneak around to the back of the house, making sure no one sees us. I lift the yellow tape up so that Hannah can go under it first. Then I go under careful to not break the tape.
"I'm kinda scared Jonathan. What if we get caught?"  Hannah says with doubt in her voice.
"I am to." I respond "But think of Sasha we have to help her. I know she needs our help. You said she was bleeding right? I ask determined to find the truth.
" You're right. We have to do this. We have to help Sasha. No one else cares about her but us."
I push up on the windows and I am finally able to get one open. I climb inside first  to make sure everything is safe before Hannah comes in. I am immediately shocked by what I see. I stand there for a moment unable to move or speak. I am even more afraid for Sasha than before.
"What is it Jonathan?" Hannah asks sensing that something is wrong. "Do you see anything?
"Yeah" I say slowly in disbelief. There's a trail of blood leading down the hallway.

Thank you for reading this chapter. Please vote and give me feedback. I will post a new chapter every week!