Chained To Your Heart (IN EDITING)

Chapter 1 - Kelly Parker

"Kelly?" Jessica asks, her fist rapping on the door three times.

"Be right out!" I call back, opening the dressing room door to reveal my outfit.

"Cute!" Jessica gushes.

"You look pretty hot yourself." We both laugh and change back into our real clothes. I can't help but look at my stomach. Do I look fat?

When we're both in our normal clothes, we go to look at more clothes. Jessica snorts and I follow her gaze to Rainy Montero.

"Wow, who knew she shopped here," Jessica says trying to hold back laughter. Rainy was the type of girl who doesn't think looks matter. Her black hair is slicked back, middle part, into a greasy low pony. The high-water jeans she's wearing probably go above her belly button. She's wearing a shirt that I'm pretty sure my ten-year-old cousin has. Not to be mean or anything.

"Ew." Jessica says loud enough for Rainy to hear. "Cough, cough, nasty. Cough, cough."

I snort as I hold back laughter. Rainy heard and is pissed. She angrily slammed the hanger back on the rack and stormed away.

After another two hours at the mall, I drive Jessica home then go to my own house. Sadly, tomorrow is the first day of school. I lug my shopping bags into my house and turn on some lights. My father is still at work and my mother is probably in the hot tub outside, relishing the empty house. So I go up to my room and put my new clothes in my closet. Then I climb into bed and switch the light off. I sigh and gaze at the starch white ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

The next morning, the blaring of my alarm clock wakes me up. I roll out of bed and examine my bed head in the mirror. My thick blonde hair gets tangled so easy. I draw a brush through it and it falls just past my chest, strait as usual. Then I get dressed and brush my teeth. After a long shower, I dry my hair and head downstairs. I grab an apple for my breakfast and head out the door. Since it's still a little crisp out, I keep the top up as I drive. I text Jessica a few minutes before I get to her house, telling her that I'm there so she'll be ready. She's always "fashionably late" as she calls it.

When I pull into her driveway, she's just barely ready, as she fast-walks to the car. Then we're speeding down the street to school. I put the windows down a crack so we can smoke a cigarette.

"You want one?” She holds the pack out to me. I grab one and she lights the end for me. “So how's Chase been lately?" Jessica asks suggestively. My stomach knots up at the mention of my boyfriend's name.

"Um, fine. How's Lyle?" I ask back about her boyfriend. My fingers find my hair and I begin anxiously twirling a lock of it.

"Just fine?" She presses, ignoring my question. She knows something’s up. She’s been my friend so long she knows exactly when I’m lying; Like how I twirl my hair when I'm nervous.

"Um, yeah. Just fine..." I keep my eyes locked on the road. Green light. Turn here. Don’t change lanes yet. Change lanes now.

"What, did you guys get in a fight?" She sounds more serious now. Still, I avoid eye contact, knowing that if I did look to her, I wouldn’t be able to keep lying.

"No, we're fine." We pull into the school parking lot. My heart's racing because I don't want to see Chase. We got in a fight last week. I can still feel his hands on my shoulders, shoving me.

"You sure?" Jessica urges. I nod and muster up a ‘yup’. But I'm not sure. I’ve been ignoring his constant calls and I'm worried he's mad at me. I park and walk with Jessica into Baytown Highschool.

Just then, a car alarm starts blaring. I whip around. Five feet away, some idiot had bumped my car with their door, making the alarm go off. I sigh in annoyance.