This Song Saved My Life (Amy Lee)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1                                                                                                                                           *Amy's POV*

        After school, I watched everyone else streaming into, through, and out of the hallways. Everyone there seemed so happy and alive. So many different kinds of people, smiling, laughing, swearing, spreading gossip, complaining, flirting, kissing, making plans for the weekend. All of them had somewhere to go when they left this place; home, work, the library, or out with friends. Now, at 18 years old, I had almost forgotten what that felt like.

        As usual, I didn't really know what to do with myself. The afternoon hung before me in my mind, like a big black cloud filled with nothing but empty. Just like I usually did, in my mind, I crossed out going home as an option for how to spend the rest of what was only just another bleak day out of thousands for me. I was better off not subjecting myself to the pure uneventfulness and the permeating sense of quiet that filled my house, with or without my dad in it. I used to sometimes go home after school, while he was still at work, or wherever else it was that he spent his time, and wander into his bedroom, where all the pictures were. Pictures of him and "mom." And me, in some of them. After all this time, he still had them. There were way too many, in my book. Pictures that were taken way bakc, during my grade school days, the happy days. The days before that bitch left us, and me and my dad actually had real conversations. Nowadays, there's hardly and "us" at all. I didn't have a family. Not really.

        I didn't know who I was even kidding. I was worthless anyway. I was reminded of that every time I looked down at my arms. The scars that covered them was a constant reminder of all those afternoons spent staring the scraps that were left over from my past, stuffing that crippled anger deep inside of me and drowning it in blood, as those same stale tears ran down my face. And those same tears I cried then still dripped sore now, when I lay there in my bed, unable to sleep, and there was nowhere for me to go to hide from my own mind.

        I put on a baggy black sweatshirt, threw my bag over my shoulder, stuffed my earbuds into my ears, and followed the crowd out of the building. Once I was out of the building, I just aimlessly, listlessly wandered downtown. There was nowhere to go, and I had already finished all my homework at school, so I went into Doylie's, which was a cross between a coffee shop and a bookstore. I picked up a book and a copy of an Alternative Press magazine, and sat back in a cushy chair by the window. I sat my bag with Jack Skellington's head on it down on the ledge, and flipped through the articles on all the bands I loved while I sipped on the new grasshopper frappachino, but it wasn't long until I lost interest. Honestly, nothing was ever really able to hold my interest anymore, at least not for any decent amount of time. Even my favorite bands hardly had the power to make me feel alive anymore.

        I went to the counter to pay for the book(for me to use for my English project) and the magazine (so I could cut out the posters and put them in my room). As I stood there, waiting for the perky-looking blond there to give me my stuff, the "Now Hiring" sign nearby caught my eye.

        I felt a niggling hesitation at the thought of having to interact with...other people, but I knew that I really had nothing to lose. I had no friends, no life, hardly even had a real family. I go out of school every single day and never had anything to do with the time. Although Dad did leave money around that was obviously intended for me to take, sometimes even with a note I knew I couldn't afford to just let it stay that way. I was 18, and I was never going to make it unless I did it on my own. Getting a job would help me do that, and it would also help me avoid being home anymore than I had to, which was what I really wanted. I was going to have to do this.

        "Is there anything else you'll be needing today?" the girl asked as she handed me my bag. Here was my opportunity.

        "Um...is there any way I could...get an interview here?" I didn't know if that was how this kind of thing worked or not, but either way, I guess I was about to find out.

        "Uh, actually there is. You'll just need to fill out this sheet," she said, handing me a piece of paper, "And then you just wait for us to call you, okay?"

        I nodded, and gave her the paper back with all my information on it. "Have a great afternoon. Hope to be seeing a lot more of you around here pretty soon!" I heard her saying behind me as I left the store, tossing away my unfinished drink as I walked out. Right.