**Corinne's POV**
I walked to my locker as fast as I could. School was done for the day and I couldn't wait to go home and curl up on the couch with popcorn and a movie. I hated school. I never got good grades, and the days just seemed to drag on endlessly.
I sighed and opened my locker door. I was greeted by books tumbling off the shelf and old tests that I had failed fluttering to the floor and scattering themselves in the hallway. Great. I groaned and slowly bent down to pick them all up. My once neat ponytail was now a mess, and my sweater was falling off my shoulder as I gathered together the books and papers one by one.
I was glad when my friends, Jennifer and Harley, came to help me.
"Damn Corinne! you weren't lying when you said your locker was a mess!", Harley said as she grabbed a handful of papers.
I laughed slightly. "Yeah."
"What do you want me to do with these?" Jennifer asked.
"Oh, those? Just throw them out. They're probably all old tests anyway."
"You sure?", Harley asked. "This looks like a note."
I gave Harley a confused look. "Let me see it!"
She handed me a perfectly creased sheet of paper. I could see that there was writing on it. When I turned it over, I discovered that my name had been written on the other side in tight, but neat, cursive.
Slowly, I opened the sheet of paper. No one ever gave me notes! I mean, sure, my friends and I passed notes in class and gave each other cards and stuff, but no one outside of my friends circle had bothered to talk to me. Much less put a note in my locker. Now, here I was, standing amid the piles of papers and now bent books that had spilled out of my locker, with a note from a stranger in my hands.
"Well...read it!", Jennifer demanded. She always had open ears for gossip and notes from secret admirers and such. Though I must say, I highly doubt this was from a secret admirer. Either way, I opened the letter and read it.
Dear Corinne, it said.
I have been watching you lately. I know that that sounds incredibly creepy, but I only watch you because I like you. I want to get to know you. I go to your school, but you wouldn't know who I am. Nobody knows who I am. I prefer to remain invisible and anonymous. It's best for my health. I know that I am probably scaring you, but this is not meant to scare you, it is meant to flatter you. Well, I guess it's time for me to get to the point of my letter to you. Meet me behind Jerry's Ice Cream parlor after school is out. I'm trusting that you'll come. I'll be there waiting. You will recognize me by my appearance. I will be dressed in black. All black. Probably with a leather jacket. Again, please don't be afraid. I trust that I will see you soon Corinne.
Sincerely,
Anonymous
I stood there staring at the letter. I had no idea what to make of it. I was incredibly creeped out by the thought of some unknown person, probably a guy, who wanted to know me. The fact that he wanted to meet me behind a building was, in my mind, not a good sign.
I looked up at my friends. Their faces were full of anticipation, but when they saw my face, their faces began to look more concerned.
"What did it say?", Jennifer asked quietly.
"Oh, nothing. Just this guy wants me to meet him behind Jerry's Ice Cream Parlor after school. Probably just a lame prank.", I tried to airbrush the note as best as I could to convince my friends,as well as myself, that I had nothing to be worried about.
"So, are you going?", Harley asked. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she thought I shouldn't.
"Yeah. I guess.", I said softly.
I watched my friend's eyes widen as I told them my decision.
"Well, alright. Just be careful. And keep your phone with you so you can call or text for help.", Harley said. She could be such a caring friend sometimes.
"Okay.", I promised her before she and Jennifer left.
I left a minute later after I closed my locker door and got my backpack.
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A few minutes later, I was walking down main street to Jerry's Ice Cream Parlor. As I walked, I tried to convince myself that I had made the right decision by coming here.
After all, this probably was just a prank, I thought as I crossed the street to Jerry's. People were always joking about this stuff at school. No one would probably be there!
I slowly made my way to the back of Jerry's Ice Cream Parlor. Right before I looked around the corner of the building, I stopped. I pulled the note out of my pocket to make sure I was at the right place. Sure enough, I was.
I walked around the corner, and sure enough. There was a boy who looked to me about my age. He was tall and dressed in all black, with a leather jacket. Exactly how he had described himself in the letter. I must say though, he was a lot better looking than I had imagined. His brown hair was slightly sticking up and he had muscles that looked like they could hold up a car.
He must have noticed me, even though I don't believe I saw him look up, because he said, "Hello. Corinne?"
"Um..that would be me."
"How old are you?"
"Um....seventeen."
"Senior? At Marlow High?"
I nodded 'yes'.
"Then you're the right girl."
"Okay.", I awkwardly responded.
"You know you're much prettier than I expected."
"Uh....thank's I guess.", either this guy sucked with words, or I was just making this situaton a hell of a lot more awkward than it should be. I was pretty sure it was because he sucked with words.
"My name's Brad.", he said after a brief pause, and held out his hand, which I somewhat reluctantly shook.
"Alright....Brad....so why, exactly did you want to see me?"
"Because, Corinne, I want you. No, I need you. Right here. Right now."
"Okay. Well, that's nice and all, but unfortunately for you, I don't just come with random guys I meet behind ice cream stores."
"I'm not like any other guy you'll meet Corinne."
"That's what they all say.", I said dryly.
"But I mean it when I say it."
"That's very nice and all, but I'm still not going anywhere with you."
"Corinne, please, come with me."
I laughed and said," Why do you want me? What's so special about me?" Honestly, why did he want me so much? You could find millions of girl prettier than me, smarter than me, way more talented than me, why in the world did he want me?
"I would tell you now, but then you would be afraid. You would say 'no' for sure, then", Brad, or whoever he was, said.
"And that's supposed to convince me to come with you?", I said sarcastically.
"Yes."
"Well, that's nice and all, but I'm going to have to say no."
The next thing I knew, Brad had me pushed up against the wall. Both his arms wrapped around me.
I stuggeled to break free from his clutch. "W-what...the...hell....are...you..doing?", I stammered between kicks and shoves.
"You're coming with me, Corinne.", he said. His voice sounding deeper than ever.
"No!", I screamed, frantically reaching for my phone to try and call for help.
"Too bad you don't have a choice.", Brad said.
Then I felt something cold stab me. Something cold and sharp. It felt like a needle, but I had no time to see. The next thing I knew I was falling to the ground and surrounded by darkness.
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Author's Note:
Hey guys! Thanks if you took the time to read my story! It means so much. If you actually did read this, please consider giving me some feedback. I love hearing from my readers and hearing how I'm doing with my writing.
I apologize for any mistakes. This is not edited, and although I read it over for spelling and such, I may have missed something. Please forgive me! I'll try to update soon!
This chapter is dedicated to destroying_ for the amazing new cover!
~CrystalClearAngel