Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

Standing in the kitchen with my red plastic cup full of cheap beer, I hear my name being yelled through the throng of people. Instinctively, I hold up my index finger to signal ‘one minute’ to the girl from my Spanish class I’m talking to and turn around to search through the crowd for my friends. A blond little head pops up above the others and waves when she spots me across the room.

“Elena!” she shrieks, holding her hand up in the air so I can see her get closer to me.

Soon, Camilla is pushing through the couple making out in front of me with her boyfriend Jensen right behind her. She nicely waves at our classmate behind me before giving me her full attention. “Where have you guys been?” I ask, taking a sip from my drink. I hadn’t seen my friends all night long until now.

“Jensen has an early flight tomorrow and he needs to go. I was wondering if you still needed a ride, but I’m going to sleep over at his.” Her small fingers curl affectively around her boyfriend’s wrist and she pulls him closer to her side.

I turn to Andrea to excuse myself and she simply nods in comprehension. “Clearly I haven’t found anyone worth the night so yes, I will need a ride.”

My friend giggles at my desperate attempt to hide my jealousy of her perfect relationship, even though I honestly didn’t come to this end-of-semester party to find a man, but only to spend some time with the people I’ve never talked to in the past two semesters. I drink the remaining of my drink and drop it in the pool of red cups. Jensen pushes his way first through the crowd with Camilla and I following close behind, and we find the exit easily as the door is wide open.

Once we’ve safely walked out of the house without getting crushed, I reach for my face to push back the few strands of hair that managed to get tangled with the heat and the sweat from moving all night. It’s only March and the weather is already showing its first signs of global warming.

A couple of drunken girls are gathered around someone on the porch, all of them throwing their hair back and pushing out their breasts. We walk mindlessly past them, but the source of the gathering catches my attention as I stand in a different angle from before. It’s him. The mop of curls on top of his head, the piercing green orbs that haven’t been stalking me for months now; it’s him.

The first time I saw him was two weeks after my first semester of school. He was attending a frat party like I was and everywhere I’d be, he’d stand close by. He never talked to me, he never even tried, but he’d always stay close and look at me with dark, demanding eyes. Then, I saw him again right after the midterms. I was at work, the local book store where most students would come study before pulling all-nighters, but it was a slow afternoon and there were only a couple of people in the store until he walked in, looking good as always, and he spotted me. His expression hardened and he walked around the store almost blindly, as his eyes were glued on mine. The last time I saw him was just a few days after starting the new semester. I had just been back for a couple of days and I was walking to my dormitory when I spotted him across the street, staring right at me. He was wearing a black leather jacket and his hair was slightly shorter, but still in a curly state. His eyes followed me until I disappeared in the building.

And now he’s back after nearly three months, and he’s smiling and showing off his white pearls to the ladies around him. Until his eyes fall on me, and his smile fades. I force myself not to frown at the sudden change of attitude, but his eyes don’t leave my blue ones. I look away, a little bit disturbed from the staring contest, and I follow my friends to the navy Honda down the street. The drunken giggles are still hearable through the music and I figure that the man probably stopped paying attention to my existence, but once I’m comfortably sat in the backseat of the Honda, I notice that the group of girls has dispersed in every direction. The man, however, is nowhere in sight.

The drive home is silent. Camilla seems to be drifting off in the passenger seat while Jensen is focused on the dark road, the radio playing at a random channel in the background. The dormitory Camilla and I have lived in for the year is completely on the other side of campus, so we have to drive around the many university buildings to reach the Arts and Humanities dorm.

This is how Camilla and I met last semester. I arrived to the dorm two days before the first day of school, and she was already settled in. Her older brothers had gone to USC and her family was from Southern California, so as two freshmen in arts, she offered to show me around campus and helped me find my classes. The more we hung out, the more we bonded, and now I consider her one of my best friends.

She and Jensen met during the same semester, when her optional calculus class was the same as his mandatory one for his engineering program. Being in his sophomore year, he managed to get us to go attend the frat parties reserved for sophomores and seniors.

The vehicle comes to a stop in front of our building, and I unbuckle my seatbelt. “Thanks Jens. Tell Camilla I’ll see her in the morning.”

Jensen turns on his seat and offers me an apologetic smile when he sees his girlfriend passed out against the window. “Have a good night.”

I step out of the car and wave goodbye as I close the door. Jensen doesn’t drive away until I’ve safely reached the dormitory entrance, which he does every time I have to walk to the building alone in the middle of the night, and I hold it open for him to see. He simply nods through the darkness and drives off down the avenue.

Walking down the main corridor to the staircase, I suddenly realize that I didn’t hear the heavy entrance door close behind me. I stop my pace and turn around slowly, and am startled by the presence of a dark figure standing in the doorframe. I take a quick step backwards, but the man walks forward and the door shuts loudly once he’s out of the way.

“Can I help you?” I ask in a trembling voice, taking another large step backwards. The dormitory is coed, but each floor is reserved for one gender. Since the first and second floors are for girls, guys tend to take the elevator, which is down the other corridor. Reaching the stairwell door, I fumble with the knob until it opens behind me, and the man has still not replied. Instead, he starts walking towards me in quick steps, and I recognize the curls. “Stay away from me!”

I turn around and quickly go for the stairs, but an arm catches me around the waist and pulls me back, forcing me down against the wall. My cheek is crushed against the white painted bricks, but after a moment I’m forced to turn around. When I’m facing him, I notice the man’s soft features. He’s a lot younger than I thought, maybe my age or just a little older, and his green eyes are staring right into mine.

“Hi, beautiful.” His voice is rough and husky. He smirks when he realizes that I’m inspecting his face, and leans in to press his red lips against my forehead. “Don’t worry,” he whispers. “I won’t hurt you.” His hand cups my face and his thumb draws circle on the sensitive skin right below my right eye. I flinch and throw my head back to resist his touch, but I hit my head hard on the wall and shut my eyes tight at the pain. His quiet laugh vibrates against my chest as he stands so close, but when I open my eyes my view is blurred by the tears.

“Please don’t kill me,” I beg desperately, sobbing under his tall stature. His thumb catches the falling tears, almost soothingly, but I can’t help to think that this is the last minute of my life. “Please.”

When his hand pulls away, I turn my head to the side to scream but his hand covers my mouth instantly with a tissue. “Breathe. It’ll help you sleep tonight.”

I hold my breath for as long as I can, but at some point, I start feeling lightheaded. I try fighting but both my wrists are held tight by one large hand, and eventually, my lungs start begging for oxygen. My legs give in first, and I slide down against the wall. Then my eyes are heavy, and they shut on their own, even with my resistance. And it’s a complete blackout.

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I hope you like the first chapter so far!! Comment + Vote !!

-Katexx

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