Bound By Madness

Chapter 1

We lock eyes and he motions for me to follow him, I follow him upstairs up into his room. There's a sign on his door "GRAY'S ROOM", as we walk in a strong whiff of dirty socks and Axe cologne flood my nose.

He brings me over to his bed and we lay down and he begins to slowly kiss my neck, then he takes my chin into his hand and brings my face up to his, "Are you sure about this Luna?- Luna! Luna! Luna wake up!"

I wake up to Tony standing over me. "Luna you're gonna be late for school get the hell up, Dad made breakfast we are waiting on you! What were you dreaming about anyways, you're drooling"

I wiped the drool from my mouth embarrassed. You've got to be fucking kidding me. I swear those dreams just always seem the most real, but it's not like that would ever happen anyways. I've been having this same recurring dream since I was in ninth grade. You would think that by now I would know it wasn't real.

I look up to realize that Tony is still in my room. "What are you still doing in here, are you gonna watch me change? Perv."

He looks at me with a grin on his face "Funny, I just wanna make sure you're okay, you know because of today?"

I know exactly what today is, it's hard to forget. Today is the anniversary of when my mom passed away, she had schizophrenia. It got to the point where she had to be put into mental institution because the medications just weren't cutting it anymore. She would always make up a fake reality and one day she killed herself. I'm sure she didn't mean to, she wasn't in her right mind. She thought she saw someone talking back to her in the mirror so she stabbed herself to make it go away. If only the doctors would have gotten there sooner maybe things would be different. Maybe she would still be here. Maybe my dad wouldn't have to work as many hours as he does. Maybe we could still be a family again.

"Yes Tony I'm fine, now get out of my room so I can change. Tell dad I will be down there in a second." He rolls his eyes, turns, and leaves.

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I sit down in my first period class exactly where I do everyday and look around at everyone who I usually see. On days like these I try to just keep to myself to avoid having the conversation. The typical "How are you doing?" "Are you okay?" and then me saying "Yeah I'm fine." even though I'm not. Not that it's not hard to not talk to anyone anyways, I mean I have friends but it's complicated. My friends would be considered the popular kids in school, the ones everyone knows and wants to be friends with but I'm the outsider. I never get invited anywhere, they only talk to me when they have nobody else to talk to, and they don't tell me anything. The only person I hangout with is Brittany, we have been best friends since sixth grade and she lives with me because both of her parents up and left her. Sh-

I was interrupted by Mrs. Brently, "Mr. Thompson, do you want to tell the class why you are 13 minutes late to class today?"

There he was Gray Thompson, dark hair, green eyes, swimmer body, I could stare at him all day. I guess you could say I've had a crush on him since ninth grade, nothing crazy or anything, just the normal teenage girl crush thing, but he talks to a lot of girls so I don't really have a chance. When we were in ninth grade he was in love with Brittany and he would always ask me to help him get her to notice him. Sometimes he would even send me these poems that he would write for her and ask if she would like them. "Roses are red, Violets are blue, I fell in love the moment I saw you." Barf.

He looked around the classroom and then confidently spoke "Well Mrs. Brently I was actually helping elderly people cross the street, getting in some community service you know what I mean?"

She giggled but then had a serious glare "Save it Gray, have a seat so we can start class please." She let him get away with anything, I think she likes him a little more than a teacher should but she's just like everyone else drooling over him. Who wouldn't.

I sat through the rest of my classes for the day and then found Brittany in the hallway, "Hey Luna, are you doing okay, you know because of today?"

Out of everyone in school she was the only one that I was okay with asking me that question, probably because she's the only one who meant it. She was also the only one who knows the full story, nobody in school knows that my mom had schizophrenia, only Brittany. Everybody else only knew that she committed suicide, for some time people started coming up with their own assumptions about why she did it, but nobody knew the truth.

"I'm doing okay, just smiling and nodding through the day, but hey are you working today? I am scheduled to work at 5 so I'm heading there after school, do you wanna drive together?"

When we were 16 we both got jobs at our local skating rink, my dad knew the manager so it was an easy in. Sometimes it's a little embarrassing working at the skating rink, especially when people from school come in but working with your best friend makes it a lot more tolerable.

"Actually I'm not scheduled for today, do you want me to call Yolanda and ask her if I can come in today so that you can have some company at work?" She said with hesitation, I could tell she was trying not to make me upset.

I sighed "No no it's okay don't worry about it, I'll be okay. It's only a two hour shift anyways but I'll see you at home after"

She nodded and then hugged me, tighter than usual, and then we said our goodbyes and I headed to work.

My favorite part about working at the skating rink is getting to work with the kids all day. I never really got to experience hanging around anyone younger than me growing up because my only brother is older than me by 5 years. Tony is 22 years old and he coaches the football team at my school. People always ask me if it's annoying having my brother work at my school but honestly I kinda like it, only because now the football players know who I am.

I hear the bell on the door jingle so I look up to see Gray Thompson standing with his two friends Jack and Danny along with what looked to be his little sister. "Hey, how much is it for her to skate?" He says as he points to his sister.

Trying not to freak out because for once Gray was talking to me. I calmly replied, "You pay for the skates so $5"

He took out his black fossil wallet, opened it, and took out a five dollar bill and put it on the counter, "Size 6 please" his little sister said as she stood on her tippy toes trying to be as tall as the counter. 

I grabbed her the shoes and helped her put them on and watched them walk away towards the rink. I've never seen Gray here before let alone any of the other popular kids at school. I look up to see him sitting watching his sister skate. He looked adorable, he was wearing his practice jersey alone with basketball shorts and his hair was still a little sweaty, you could tell he had just come from football practice. Dreamy.  

He looked up, so I quickly looked away, when I looked back he was still looking at me. He smiled and waved. A smile and a wave. What did that mean? Does he like me? Are we friends now? Did he see me staring at him? Should I go talk to him? No no keep your cool. Okay but maybe he likes me. Was I his new interest? Is that why he came to the skating rink? Am I gonna be his new girl?

I have to talk to him.