The one in the picture is Liz.
++++++
"Ugh, I just bombed that test," I groaned as I put my books in my locker.
"Well, since we're best friends, I failed with you!" She smiled.
"Haha, we both know you're a math genius Liz," I rolled my eyes.
"I tried Carrie. I really, really did. But when I tried to write the wrong answer, my hand just wrote the correct answer," she told me, shaking her head in shame.
"It's fine, really. I had a lot going on my mind during the test anyway."
"You mean that fine specimen Andrew Parker," she said while fanning herself.
I closed my locker.
She was right. I had been staring at the test the whole entire time. I wasn't nervous for the test, just nervous to see if Parker showed up.
Mrs. Jane was so evil for giving us a test on Monday. When the bell had rung for us to go to our next class, all I had written was half my name. I was so screwed.
Mrs Jane gave me a disapproving look as she took my blank test.
"Oh shut up," I said, turning my head so she couldn't see me blush.
"You know I'm right. I can't believe the Carolina James, the one that is prohibited from being near the opposite sex, saved Andrew Parker," Liz continued.
"You make me regret ever telling you," I told her.
"I would've found out anyway. You, my friend, can't keep a secret from me," Liz bragged.
"Whatever. I'm not ever seeing him again so, don't get your hopes up," I told her, closing my locker.
"Oh come on! I was totally shipping you two. I hate it that I can't give you a name," Liz said, annoyed.
I smiled. "I still can't believe you can't come up with a ship name."
Liz is totally obsessed with ship names. Her and Elliot's is Elliz and Hunter and Cara's name is Carter. I was so glad when Liz said she couldn't with me and Parker.
"Ugh, don't brag about it Carrie. Your ship name is on the way. There is just some malfunctions and technical difficulties at the moment."
"Sure," I replied. "Take as long as you need."
"Believe me I will. Now what's this I hear about the romantic date Elliot took you to?"
Liz had told me two days ago at 2am in the morning, that her date with Elliot was amazing. She called and rambled, talking about candles and Beethoven. I couldn't comprehend a word she was saying since I was half asleep.
"Oh it was nothing," she blushed.
"No, no. I want to no know exactly what is going on with Elliz," I teased. "Last I heard it was amazing."
"Well, it kind of was-"
"Kind of?! You told me-"
"Carrie-"
"-it was amazing! That-"
"Carrie-"
"-everything was perfect and-"
"Carolina. May I speak to you. Alone," a voice interrupted me.
I froze.
It can't be. He has to be in a hospital bed injured and not willing to get up.
I looked at Liz. She gave me a sympathetic look and mouthed the words "You should've listened to me".
I turned around and there he was. Parker had a bruise on his jaw and he was clutching his stomach. Parker decided to put the same clothes he had when he was stabbed at the arcade, and covered his bloody shirt with his leather jacket.
"Parker," I said, in a surprised voice
Not really, you knew he was going to come, the voice in my head said.
Parker looked at Liz. "Can you excuse us for a moment?"
Liz nodded her head.
Parker grabbed my arm and tugged me away. His grip was really starting to hurt as he walked away. I noticed that he was pulling me towards the parking lot, where his motorcycle stood.
Once we were in the parking lot and no one was in sight, I started to try to pull away. The grip on my arm was starting to really hurt.
"Parker," I started.
He ignored me as we got closer.
"Parker,"I tried with a bit more desperation.
He ignored me once again.
But this time, I said it with a pained voice.
"Parker. You're hurting my arm," I said, to him.
Parker stopped. He turned around and glanced at my pained expression and at my arm. Parker instantly let go as if my arm was fire.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
My hand instantly went to the red mark on my arm, rubbing it soothingly to release some pain.
"Why did you bring me out here?" I asked him after a moment of silence passed.
Parker suddenly remembered what he was doing and anger filled his face.
"You know," he growled. "How could you go against my word? There was a reason I didn't want to go to the hospital or get the police involved."
"I'm sorry but you had to understand-"
"Understand what?! That it was to save me? You could've done something else than to go against my word."
"I was trying to save you Parker," I whispered. "I didn't know what else to do."
My eyes welled up with tears as I remembered Parker lying on the ground unconscious.
"You could've used your brain-"
"For what!" I yelled at him, making him jump. "While you were laying on the floor unconscious, I was being harassed by Bruce. Or did you forget, I wasn't the only on there. They were about to kill you if it weren't for me, so stop being a selfish jerk who only thinks about himself."
"Then maybe you should leave me alone,"he growled.
"That was what I was going to do! Who was the one who approached me in the first place, huh?"
"If you were going to leave me then what are oh still doing here? It was a mistake ever talking to you. I should of left you to be the caged up person your brothers made you be."
His words hit me hard. He did not just bring up my miserable life with my brothers.
"You know nothing," I sneered.
"Oh really? I could tell by how willing you were to come with me that you would do anything to get a guys attention. You'd probably even stoop so low to even become a whore like Alice."
My heart stopped. It couldn't take anymore insults. Had I been so naive to allow this cruel person near me?
"Don't," I told him. "Don't ever get close to me again. If I ever see you near me I will-"
"What? Get your brothers on me? For all you know I could be capable of killing someone, just like those guys were capable of killing me and you."
I couldn't take it anymore. I guess I never knew Parker at all.
"You're a monster," I spat at him.
"No sweetheart, I'm the devil."
All it took for me to run, was to see his face once he said that's. I ran like the coward I was.
I couldn't face life anymore. Life has thrown me many things that I could take, but when life is throwing things that I can't take. That makes it even worse.
I stopped and looked at where at was. The familiar place engulfed me and made me cry even more. I sat down and cried.
I cried for the life I was given.
I cried over the fact that I would probably only be loved by my family and friends.
I cried over not being able to be brave and courageous.
I cried over the fact that my brothers were so overprotective.
I cried over Parker and the cruel person he turned out to be.
And I cried over the fact that I was enjoying his company.
How can life be so cruel to me? How and why? But more importantly, how was Parker able to break me so easily?
I took out my phone in my pocket and called Liz.
"L-Liz," I sobbed.
"Carolina?"
"Yeah, i-it's me."
"Wait a minute, don't hang up."
I heard some distant talking and then a door being closed.
"Carolina what happened?" She asked, concern laced in her voice.
"P-Parker, he-"
"Of course it had to be him," she sneered. "Where are you Carolina?"
"I'm at my mothers grave."
++++++
"Andrew Parker will die in so many ways he has never ever heard of," Liz growled as she paced back and forth in her room.
Liz had taken me to her house so I could rest and 'bawl my eyes out'. I looked unconscious, Liz had stated, as I lay silently in her bed, occasionally blinking and sniffling.
The tears on my cheeks were dried up and my hair was all over the place. I really didn't care at this point. I didn't want to move at all or even talk about what happened.
I heard a knock at the door and Liz instantly got up from her seat.
"Elliot, thank God you're here," I heard her say once she opened the door.
Liz closed the door so that she could talk to Elliot. It was no use, since I could here everything they said.
"Who did this to her?"
"It's that new guy Andrew Parker."
"How did he even get near her without Hunter at his throat?"
"I don't know, but I hope it stops. I haven't seen her like this since...him. It's not as bad as before, but it's almost the same."
Him.
I knew exactly who they were talking about. I made them all swear to never say his name ever again. The one guy that I thought I could trust. The one I gave my everything to, except my virginity of course.
Ryder Hall.
He was everything a girl could ask for. Handsome, popular, rich. He was my dream boyfriend. It was all that I have ever wanted. But then again, life's not fair. Fair isn't a trait that I would want to describe life.
Ryder broke my heart in a million pieces that no one could heal for a while. I was heartbroken for 6 months.
6 months!
I didn't want to sit down at the table and look my brothers and dad in the eye and eat. The food had to be taken to my room so I could eat. Liz was the only one I would allow to come in and comfort me.
I sometimes heard my brothers talking and planning. Saying that they wanted to corner Ryder and leave him in the hospital. It would give me comfort to know that they loved me that much. It also sometimes gave me comfort when they talked about beating up Ryder, but I didn't want to give him pain, although he was giving me pain.
I couldn't sleep without bawling my eyes out. The first 3 months were the worst. I would sometimes scream in my sleep or just cry for hours. I sometimes could feel someone stroking me and sing to me so I could sleep. I always thought it was my mother, but I knew it wasn't her since she was dead.
I would occasionally open my eyes and see that it was Hunter or my dad. The stroking would just be Hunter, but who really sang to me was my dad. I knew he could feel the pain because it was almost what he had to go through when my mom died.
So, when the sixth month came, I was talking, laughing and playing. It was as if I never was heartbroken. But as the days passed during the sixth month, there would be less crying at night.
That is why Hunter was so protective of me. After my mother had died a year before and the pain I endured from her death, he became slightly protective. And once Ryder Hall came into my life, my brothers were so against it saying they could smell a player from a mile away.
Of course, like a lovesick puppy, I ignored them. I was a sophomore at that time and it was nice being able to hang out outside the house with him. I forgot about the pain of my mothers death and became focused on Ryder only. My brothers, especially Hunter, slightly left him alone and approved of my relationship with Ryder because they thought he was helping me move on.
But once he broke up with me and humiliated, my brothers became super protective.
"Good thing it isn't the same. Hopefully she'll forget about him and move on. She doesn't need another heartbreak in her life."
"True. You, better not do that to me, understood?" Liz warned Elliot.
"I know my Elizabeth. I love you too much."
Liz giggled at his words.
Sometimes, I was jealous of how real Liz and Elliot's love was.
++++++
"Carolina, why haven't you left your room?" Hunter asked after he knocked on my room door.
Liz took me home thirty minutes after Elliot had left. She didn't want Hunter to figure out what was happening. He's surely beat up Parker if he found out. But, I'm glad Liz kept it between us two. Well, and Elliot. We all know she can never keep a secret from Elliot.
"I wanted to finish my homework and go to sleep early," I lied.
"Carolina..."
"Hunter, I'm fine, really. I'm just really tired," I told him.
Hunter sighed. "Just hurry up then."
Once I heard Hunter leave, I quickly got up from my bed and went towards my closet.
Liz had encouraged me to dress up and go to a party with her. I knew Hunter and Jake weren't going to go, because they were going with Xavier to this college party. My dad had called and told us that he was going to be working late, hence all of us going to a party.
Liz was going to meet me at the front of my house with Elliot. Elliot was coming along to be our designated driver while me and Liz would get wasted. I knew for a fact that if I didn't get wasted, then I would be able to sleep tonight.
I decided to wear a strapless purple dress that stopped mid thigh with some black high heels. I went towards the mirror to curl my hair and put on some makeup to cover my puffy eyes.
I looked at myself in the mirror and stared at myself. I haven't dressed to get drunk in a while. The only times I would go to a party to get drunk or party, was with Ryder, or to just drink my sorrows away.
The honk of a horn pulled me out of thoughts. I quickly grabbed my jacket, keys, and phone, hurrying down the stairs. Once I was near the front door, I checked myself in the mirror one more one before opening the door and getting into Liz's car.
"Hey Carrie!" She greeted. "Looking hot, as always."
Liz decided to leave her curly brown hair down for be night. Like I always do, Liz only put on a bit of makeup. She used to cake her face with makeup, but j tilde the
I winked at her. "Not as hot as you, right Elliot?"
Elliot chuckled. "Of course she is. That's the only reason I'm dating her."
Liz gasped.
"Kidding I'm only kidding!" Elliot told her once she started hitting him with her purse.
I laughed. "Come on guys, we have a party to get to."
"Yeah, yeah," Liz mumbled.
The car ride was mostly awkward and silent because Elliot and Liz didn't want to speak. When we did speak, we would only respond with short answers. I was glad when I saw the house where the party was.
I fixed my dress before opening the car door and getting out.
"Make sure to not drink too much Carolina. I don't what to drag two unconscious girls into the car and then to their houses," Elliot told me.
"Yeah, yeah," I responded, walking towards the house on my own.
Once I got towards the front door, I could tell and see that a lot of people showed up. Most of them were dancing and the rest were just making out or playing games.
I looked towards the one thing that would take my mind off of this dreadful day: alcohol.
Time to get drunk.
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Thank you for reading and forgetting this book almost to 5k!
Please keep on reading, commenting, and voting.
Any questions asked in the comments might be answered by me or can be answered by other readers. I love reading your comments and hope that you keep on commenting.
-leslymm
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Sneak Peek of the Next Chapter:
"You...You hit me."
"Carolina," he tried, walking towards me.
"No! Stop where you are," I told him. "Don't get close to me."
I gave him a look of disgust.
"I can't believe it."
Parker looked at me with a look of regret on his face.
I got off the bed and looked back at him.
"Look, I'm sorry. I couldn't stop-"
"Couldn't stop? So, you didn't see my face right when you were going to release your fist?"