He stared ahead at the ocean and the sky, watching the clouds float across the orange tinted background and the water moving slowly in the breeze. Ryder sighed and wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his chin on his knees, where the fabric was torn where blood was soaking through them. He hadn't really minded though, he'd had worse injuries.

Ryder was worn out; his day had been rougher on him than usual and all he wanted to do was get some sleep but being home wouldn't allow that; it'd be loud and scary and he'd never end up actually getting any sleep. And Ryder really wanted some peace and quiet. He also wanted to never see or speak to anyone ever again—life would have been so much better if he was alone. People wouldn't hurt him anymore… and maybe then life would be as great as everyone says.

He buried his face in between his legs and let out a sigh, shuddering at the cold air. He pulled at his jacket sleeves and curled into his ball tighter. He brought his head out his knees again and stared ahead of him at the bright orange sky.

It was so calming, watching the sun go down. None of the world existed when Ryder stared at the sun, slowly moving down. The sun was going down quicker by the second though and Ryder knew that eventually the beauty would go away. He wondered how much time he had left before it went dark and he had to go back home.

Ryder let out another sigh, touching his face lightly to test if the cut along his cheek was still bleeding. It was, and heavier than before. He had really gotten beat up today, but other days had been worse… so, so much worse. One time there were broken bones, and bruises and swelling that he wasn't able to cover. People didn't question it; because who cares about Ryder Lynn?

He scooted himself a little bit more towards the edge of the cliff he was sitting on, looking below him. The sea was so far down and it kind of scared Ryder that he would easily fall to his death if he tilted forward even the slightest bit… but it was also completely comforting, because he knew he could end it any time he wanted. He could end the pain and enjoy the peacefulness of death. It was so simple.

All around him was deathly silent, but his peace was over when he heard a loud dog bark in the distance. He flinched at the sound. "Truman!" A young girl shouted over the dog's barks. She laughed before yelling at the dog again, "Stop it, Truman! Slow down!"

Ryder turned his head slightly and stared down the small hill, watching a brunette and her small bulldog jump through the trees, both with smiles.

The dog barked again and spun in a circle, chewing on the red leash. "Truman," The girl giggled, pulling at the lead. The dog growled at her before taking a seat in a pile of leaves. The girl shook her head and bent next to the white bulldog, patting its head lightly.

Ryder couldn't help but notice how content the girl looked. She looked so happy to just be there, with her dog and all alone—even though Ryder wanted to be alone, he still couldn't manage to feel happy at the silence around him. He wasn't really sure what he wanted, actually.

Looking at the girl as she sat down next to the excited dog, Ryder began to wish that he could be happy… and maybe there had to be some way in the world that he could be happy. But how?

"Truman!" The girl shouted, knocking Ryder out of his daze. The dog was now attacking the girl's face with his tongue viciously, licking her cheeks excitedly. The girl laughed and pushed the big dog off her, rubbing its ears. Ryder managed to smile slightly as she fell backwards, the dog now standing on her chest.

He wiped his eyes lightly, his hand wiping the heavily bleeding cut on his face. He winced at the pressure and stared at his now bloody hand with a sigh. He really needed to clean that up.

He looked back over at the girl and found her sitting up, the dog still trying to catch her attention… but she was focused on something else. And that was Ryder. Her eyes had flitted up to the top of the hill where he sat and she was staring intently at him, a smile drawn across her beautiful face that was directed at him. "Shit." Ryder muttered, turning away, pretending he didn't see her.

"Hey!" The girl shouted from the bottom of the hill, Ryder winced and bowed his head, refusing to look at her. "Bieber Boy!"

He pulled at his fingers anxiously, praying not to have to talk to the girl… but she ran up the hill and sat herself down right next to him, the large bulldog in her lap. She grinned at Ryder, but he looked away, too afraid to look the girl in the eye. He picked up a stick and started drawing lines in the ground. "Hey, Bieber Boy. I'm Marley." The girl laughed and scooted a little bit closer to Ryder, holding the dog tighter in her arms.

When Ryder didn't respond, she sighed and tried again. "I don't bite, y'know! The dog's the only one who does that. Just in case you didn't hear me: I'm Marley, nice to meet you, Bieber." Marley chuckled and watched the boy carefully, staring at his vacant eyes. Marley frowned and watched his sad face, noticing how good looking he was. If only he would speak to her…

"Bieber?" She whispered, reaching over and stroking his shoulder lightly. He flinched and moved further away from her, bowing his head in embarrassment. Marley frowned and pushed Truman out of her arms, letting the dog run away from her. She stared at Ryder and his hidden face, wondering why the shy boy wouldn't talk to her.

He looked sad, though, and she wanted to know why. She didn't want to be nosy, but she didn't want the poor Bieber haired boy to be upset – everyone deserved to be happy.

"My name's Ryder." He snapped, barley even glancing over at Marley. He dropped the stick next to him and began picking at some dirt on his jacket sleeve, sighing angrily.

Marley looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Ryder. I-I didn't mean to make you mad…" She whispered uncertainly, cradling her knees like Ryder. Why did I say all of that, she asked herself. Why did you have to make him feel even worse?

Ryder shrugged and moved his gaze from his shirt to the sky, staring right at the sun with tears in his eyes. Marley couldn't help but notice how nicely the light reflected off of his face and how sweet and sad his eyes looked. And with a little more concentration, Marley realised the deep cut on his face that was bleeding down his cheek and onto his sleeve. She was about to speak up about it, but the look on Ryder's face made her stop.

She knew he wanted her to leave, but Marley wanted to stay with the shy boy and get to know him – maybe get him to open up and maybe make a new friend. She knew she wasn't wanted, though, so she tried to strike up conversation. "Beautiful sundown, huh?"

"Mmmhmm." Ryder nodded and leaned his head on his knees, rocking back and forth as the breeze blew by, making him shiver. The sun was going down quicker than before with the company of the pretty girl, and he just wished she would go away so he could be alone for a little while longer – before he had to face his family again.

The moment the girl saw his face, he knew that he was in trouble; the girl would want to talk to him and that she would want to have conversation. The moment he made eye contact with those bright blue and cheery eyes, he knew that she would want to say something to him or even strike up conversation. Why couldn't the beautiful girl just go away already?

Marley played with her fingers as she stared between the bright sun and Ryder's sad eyes, trying to find her words – she wanted to flirt with Ryder (he was one of the cutest guys in all of Lima) but he looked so sad and broken and she wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to even talk to him. But she wanted to talk to him.

"Ryder," She whispered, wiping at the dirt on the ground with her finger and staring at the soft dirt left on her finger. "I-I-I know I only just met you literally a minute ago but-" She cut herself off as she saw Ryder's face harden, looking sick at her talking.

He was sick of her talking. He wanted peace and quiet and just wanted to be alone with his dark thoughts. He wasn't afraid to admit he wanted to die and maybe if that brown haired beauty wasn't sitting next to him, he might have been able to make up his mind. But the more she yapped on, the less time he had and he wouldn't be able to wallow in his own pain and guilt.

"Sorry." Marley said sharply, shaking her brown hair that fell over the shoulders of her bulky green jacket. She traced her finger along the side of her skinny jeans before glancing back up at Ryder, who was still staring at the sun, which had almost gone down completely. The sky was turning dark and scary, and Marley knew she'd have to get going soon… but she didn't want to leave Ryder. She wanted to stay and talk to him and get to know him. Most likely, it would never happen.

"Shit." Ryder cursed aloud, stamping his foot angrily at the colour of the sky. Why couldn't time go slower?

He began to ignore the girl next to him as he watched and waited for the sun to go down, wishing it never had to. He could stay there forever, never having to go home again…

"What's wrong, Ryder?" Marley asked timidly, too afraid to speak up.

Ryder turned on his side and faced her, staring deep into her eyes, his brown eyes flickering between sadness and anger. "I don't want you here." He snapped in a whisper, clenching his jaw tightly. The cut dripping down his face made him look scary and Marley scooted back a centimetre, frightened by Ryder – maybe he was a bad idea to be around.

He faced back to the ocean again, watching the last part of the sun fade away into the horizon. His stomach dropped as the sky went dark. He had to leave and he had to go home. He had to face people and he'd be yelled at and chastised and hurt. He didn't want any of those things.

Ryder was also completely pissed off that his alone time was interrupted by the brunette. Why did they have to make eye contact? Why did she have to be so damn nosy and interested in him?

He stood up and stared at where the sun was, running his hand through his hair, blood streaking his hair from where he'd touched the cut. He stared out at the sea as he backed away before he ran down the hill, his stomach filling with butterflies at what he was about to face.

Marley watched him as he walked away from her, obviously frightened and upset. She mentally cursed herself and buried her face in her legs, yelling loudly into her legs. "What the hell were you thinking?" She screamed, stamping her feet a couple of times and whining out of frustration. She was being so stupid for making Ryder feel uncomfortable. He obviously hated her for that… and now she had no chance at all with him.

She was curious, though. Why did he seem so distant and hurt? Why did he seem to vulnerable? Not to mention vacant. She wanted to know about him and she wanted to help him… but there was no way in hell he would ever talk to her again.

Marley stood up with a sigh and looked around for Truman, watching the dog bounce happily along to her. She bent over and touched the dog's ears lightly. "Why did I upset the cute boy, Truman?" The dog barked in reply and began running back down the hill. She sighed and put her hands in her pockets, thinking about her mistake. She was going to hate herself for the rest of her life for this.

{x}

Leave your opinion? Anything I could work on? If I should continue or not is the real question? What do y'all think?

Hope this was an enjoyable first chapter!

-Camryn xx