VIOLET

INTRODUCTION

    As I rush down the cracked sidewalks, I feel relief as I see my house in view. My eyes drift down onto the textured cement, paying attention to every detail of it instead of my surroundings. I feel a trickle of rain fall, but ignore it. Before I am able to get to my house, it started to pour.

I pull up the hood on my poncho and watch the rain fall onto the sidewalks in asymmetrical patterns. As I finally reach my house, I sigh in relief.

When I open the door, I see Emma at the table, dark circles under her eyes as she has her face in her computer. " Violet! Where were you? Mom is at work so she told me to make sure you get home on time. And guess what? You're over an hour late! ", she exclaims in a disappointed tone. " Sorry, " I say, trying to explain myself, but then she cuts me off. " I don't want a dumb apology. Just don't do it again. Understand? "

I nod my head sarcastically and make my way upstairs. I slide off my backpack and raincoat, and lay in my bed for a while, letting my thoughts simmer for a while. I eventually get too bored of it and get off. I look out my window and see a beautiful sunset of an amethyst color. The stars shone brightly, almost blindingly, but in a beautiful way. I wouldn't mind if I went blind just by watching.

I put my poncho back on and rush down the stairs. " I'm gonna be in the yard if you need me, " I say to Emma, then I hurry out of the door. I sit on the crappy old Ford, paint peeling off and windows shattered. I stargaze and think to myself, " Is Emma really that bad? Is mom worse? Should I stay or live with Joshua? ". There are way too many things going on in my mind and not enough time to decide. Mom will be home in an hour and then I'll have to deal with her and mom all at once.

I run back in and up the stairs. When I go in my room, I stare in the mirror and think about whether or not I'm gonna do this. I finally make up my mind and grab my torn up suitcase out of my closet. I pack a few things and sneak out. " What was that, " I hear Emma whisper, I assume she heard my footsteps. I was unimaginably quiet, but somehow she heard. I walked out of the back door and got in my truck.

I grab my phone and dial up Joshua, and he luckily answers me. " Hey, babe. There's a lot happening right now so can I stay with you for a while? " I ask nervously over the phone. He happily agrees, and I let out a soft sigh.

I get on the road and head to his house, speeding yet trying to be careful. When I get there, I groan and get out immediately. When I knock on the door, he opens it quickly and gives me a huge hug.

" I was really worried about you, " he says, then walks in with me. I walk to the guest bedroom and get unpacked.

" You could just use mine, " he says, blushing a bit. I giggle and continue unpacking.

After a bit, I head to the kitchen and his mom makes us some food. She looks a bit worried but tries not to question it so I'm not uncomfortable. I know she's always there for me though, and it's nice.

After dinner I head back to the bedroom, and I lay in the bed and overthink my decision.

" Was this the right thing to do? " and " Was it even that big of a deal? " were some of the questions running through my head. I head to the bathroom and take a hot shower for a bit, hoping it will help me relax.

I hear Josh knock on the door and I jump. " One second! " I shout, hurrying up. I sigh and hop out, already cold again. I put on a towel and get ready for bed. I rush to the bedroom and put on my pajamas, then lay down. He walks in and sees me, and looks around awkwardly.

" Violet, there's something I need to tell you. " he says, giving me a stern look. I look at him confused, unsure of what he would say. He isn't breaking up with me, right? I'm sure he isn't, I don't know why I'm worrying. I need to stop being so pessimistic.

He lets out a long sigh, and looks down. " I think we should break up, " he says. My eyes widen in disbelief, he really is. I start to cry and he looks away in embarrassment. I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't care or if he maybe, just maybe, still cared about my feelings a little bit.

He looks down at my suitcase, then back at me. " I'll pack... " I say, knowing what he's thinking.

I leave that night, walking down the cold alleyways of the town. I'm holding on tight to my hoodie, pretending it's Josh.

This isn't real. This can't be. It's just a bad dream.

I get a call from Emma, and roll my eyes. I don't answer it, but I pay attention to my phone. I keep walking with my head down, and when I look up, I see someone. I jump in fear, unsure of who it is and what their intentions are.

I can hardly see anything due to the darkness, but I do see a tall figure through the fog with eyes glowing red. My eyes widen and I stand there, so scared that I can't move. The figure stares at me for a couple of seconds, which makes me uncomfortable. And it was for a while, without blinking once. Eventually the figure went away, it seemed to run faster than the speed of light.

When the figure leaves, I still stand there for a bit though, trying to catch my breath and process what just happened. So many questions are running through my mind, and all of them are ones I can't answer.

As I walk back home, I see Mom and Emma on the couch, and I can tell I'm gonna be scolded. I sit down and let them yell at me. But it only comes through one ear and out the other, since I only have one thing on my mind — that figure.