I Dare You *On Hold*

1| The Call

"Come on, come on," I groaned, frustratedly tapping my pencil against my head.

Securing it behind my ear, I grabbed my guitar that was resting beside me and leaned back against the headboard of my bed, already strumming the new melody I was working on. Too bad I was fumbling for lyrics to go with it.

Lately, I'd been having a hard time writing. It's happened before, but I usually got past it in a day or two. This creative block, however, had been going on for over two weeks now, and I was starting to get concerned. Considering I was a twenty year old college-dropout busy pursuing my dream of becoming a proffesional songwriter, having no motivation was like a death sentence.

"Think, Riley! Think!" I encouraged myself, even though it sounded more like I was angry.

Fifteen minutes had passed, and the only progress I made was when I put the date on my blank journal page. I was honestly starting to feel depressed, but then my phone rang, and I knew immediately who it was based on the ringtone.

"Hey, Drew," I greeted, holding the cell up to my ear.

A distraction is exactly what I need.

"I messed up, man!" The cries of my best friend caused my mouth to go dry, making me worry instantly. "I ruined everything!"

"Woah, woah, dude, tell me what happened? What did you do? Why are you so upset?"

The questions just rolled off my tongue, but I made no efforts to stop them.

"It's Natalie, man!" he explained, his voice shaking. "She broke up with me!"

That was literally the last thing I expected to hear. Natalie and Drew were two of my closest friends. Drew, I had known since were were kids, and we were brothers in ways blood couldn't rival. Natalie, I had met our senior year of highschool, and we became friends easily. Their relationship was something I imagined was pulled right out of a teen romance book, which was why hearing they broke up made me feel like the rug had been pulled out from under me.

"What?!" I exclaimed, standing up and off my bed. Running a hand through my curly blonde locks. "What do you mean she broke up with you?!"

The sound of something breaking on the other end startled me, making me almost drop my phone. "Drew! What the hell was that?"

It took a few seconds for him to respond, his breathing heavy as he spoke. "Nothing, nothing, just- God! What do I do, Riley?!"

"I-I, I don't know, man. I mean, what happened? What, why would she..." It was hard for me to even formulate my words when I knew he was panicking.

"It's all my fault," Drew sighed. "I really need your help. Please, I can't lose her."

"What do you need me to do?"

It didn't take long for us to come up with a plan. The moment we ended our phone call, I started packing a suitcase with as much clothes as I could possibly need. Tossing in my toothbrush and songwriting materials, I zipped it closed and pushed it to the door of my apartment. After that, I placed my beautiful darkwood Taylor 524CE acoustic guitar in its case and slung that onto my back, securing the strap diagonally across my chest.

Double-checking to make sure I had everything, I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and headed out the door. Once I was in my dark blue 2015 Chevy Tahoe, I pulled up directions to Sierra Nevada College and started on my way.

It was barely past one in the afternoon, and just an hour ago I was stuck in a rut, trying to write a song...but now I was in my car, cruising down the highway, driving to Nevada. When I passed a sign informing that I was crossing over the Texas state lines, I drummed my thumbs against the steering wheel, knowing it wouldn't be too long until I got to my destination.