Jade

Chapter 1

My story starts off boring. Of course, it does, all stories do. It's not like I could predict what was going to happen, but it all happened quickly. 

I was celebrating my sixteenth birthday that day. My Quinceañera was last year, so my party that year wasn't too big. 

I want to walk to the mini plaza down the block that's when I first spotted the white van. The urge to run had rushed through me. So that is exactly what I did. I ran. The rushing of footsteps behind me, made me push myself faster. Whether it was luck or plain fear, I made it to the entrance of party city unharmed. Feeling paranoid I looked behind me, but there was no one in sight. I thought it was all in my head, so I shrugged it off.

I made my way around the store looking for more decorations to add to my party. Nothing, in particular, had caught my eye at the time, so I left. On my way out, I spotted the van again and with no hesitation, I called my dad. I remember telling him that I was being followed by a white van and asked him to pick me up. I wasn't that smart so I started walking home, hoping that my dad would get to me first, and he did. That night he asked if I wanted to talk about it, but I told him no. "It's not every night I get to celebrate my sixteenth birthday," Were my exact words. I just didn't know that we wouldn't get to talk about it. 

But this isn't the most important part of my story. No the important part to remember is what happened before everything went downhill. 

See I was getting ready for my party. I put on my red dress, the only dress I own, and the matching red heels that belonged to my mom. I'm not too keen on makeup, so I only put on mascara. The last thing I did to get ready was straightened my naturally curly brown hair. 

I had gone downstairs and started greeting my guest while waiting for my best friends-the twins- Lila and Kalila. When they arrived I had given up on greeting people and started to dance. I remember Lila telling me that the party was awesome and laughing at that. Of course, the party was awesome they had helped me come up with the theme and get the supplies. We started swaying to the music and our swaying turned into small jumps by the time the hottest guy in school walked up to me. 

Caleb O'Dell: cheating ex-boyfriend and constant make out buddy. 

My friends left the moment he showed up, but that was okay because he wanted to talk to me outside. Obviously, I followed him. I was young, dumb, and in love. If I were older, smart, and heartbroken I probably would have ignored him, but I wasn't and I did not. 

As soon as we were out of sight he leaned down and started kissing me. His mouth was hard on mine, firm as if he were saying goodbye. I reached up and tangled my hands in his soft golden hair and his lips softened. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling our bodies closer together as if by sheer force we would become one person. I should have felt guilty kissing someone who was already in a relationship, but I didn't. His current girlfriend Gina Navarro was the person he cheated on me with, so why not repay the debt. 

I thought things were going well then, but I was wrong. Caleb abruptly stopped kissing me -leaving me wanting more- just to look me in the eyes. He was searching for something, but I didn't know what it was. I didn't care either, I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks, a blush my tan skin wouldn't show. He had told me happy birthday, but I dismissed it, reminding him that my actual birthday is tomorrow. 

Not wanting to talk anymore, I got on my tippy toes to kiss him again. He had stepped back and I realized that he didn't want me to kiss him. At the moment the only thing that came to mind was that he didn't want me anymore and desperate for that not to be true, I tried to kiss him again. He dodged that kiss too. 

He told me that he couldn't be with me anymore. That we had promised each other that there were no strings attached, but that he was falling in love with me and he didn't want that. "I need to stay with Gina," Were his exact words and he walked away too. As if him breaking my heart wasn't enough emphasis. 

That's when it happened. I felt my heart shatter and blow away like dust, taking with it all the feelings I had for Caleb. So I walked in the other direction. Away from home. I was making my way down the street and of course, the white van showed up again. I wasn't fast enough at that time. I felt arms wrap around me and seconds later everything went black. 

If only I had walked into my house that night.