CHAPTER ONE:

I sat on my bed and thought about the last few months and began to cry silently. My life has been turned completley upside. Why can't I get anything right? My mom hates me... My Dad hates me... My entire family treats me as if I have the black plague. The stress was just too much and now my friends all think that I hate them. All because I've been busy with dealing with my parents and their hate towards me; Looking outside I realized that it was already dark and I still had to wake up early in the morning so I laid back in my bed and closed my eyes and hoped that when I woke up things would somehow magically be better...Not that that was even possible.

*Next Morning*

"Hayleigh wake up!", yelled my Mother from downstairs.

I rolled over in bed and looked at the clock. GREAT! only five minutes until it was time to go. Jumping out of bed I threw on the first pair of pants I laid eyes on and threw on a shirt before running down the stairs as fast as I could and out the door to catch the bus. Out of breath, I stopped at the end of the road just as the bus stopped and sprinted up the steps quickly.

"Hayleigh back here!", yelled my best friemd Brandon from the back seat. I smiled despite my bad mood and started the walk towards the back of the bus, careful of the feet waiting to trip me as I walked. Brandon's smile never faltered and his eyes stayed true as he awaited me to take my place at his side in his seat. Out of all my friends he is the only one who understands what I am going through and he's been there since I started highschool in this crappy town.

"So MISS NO TEXT... How was your weekend?", he said smiling broadly.

My cheeks flamed, he was right... I hadn't texted all weekend," OH! I'm so sorry Brandon; my weekend wasn't exactly fun though, so you didn't miss out on any good news."

I shook under his hard stare...He knew," Let me see.", he demanded.

I lifted up the sleeves to my jacket and showed him the black handprints and remembered when my Dad grabbed me and pulled me to the stairs before pushing me down. Procceeding without looking at him i pulled up my shirt and showed him my black ribs from the impact of my fall. Brandon didn't say much; he didn't seem suprised... He just simply kissed each print on my arm and then bent down to kiss the bruise on my ribs. I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine as he did that. It was the little things like this that reminded me that Brandon Michiels was the only person in this screwed up world that I could trust. Laying my head back on my seat I closed my eyes and enjoyed the ride to school. Brandon began to hum and play the Walking Dead on his phone.

The bus stopped and we all piled out and made our ways to our lockers. But Brandon grabbed my arm and stopped me, " I just wanted to let you know that no matter what happens you will always have me Hayleigh.", and then he was gone to class. I smiled lightly and started walking to the door of my class. Opening the door my smile faltered as I laid eyes on the boy in my desk. God was he sexy! NO HAYLEIGH! Boys are bad.

Striding to my desk I put on my best scowl and stopped in front of it, " Exscuse me, new boy?", he glanced up at me coyly, " yeah, umm... Your'e in my seat and you need to move."

The new boy laughed, " I didn't see a name?", he questioned.

I scoffed, " I don't care... It's mine now move."

Another laugh..." You do know that a scowl isn't very becoming to such a beautiful women as yourself. I'll move."

I watched him silently as he got up and moved to the seat across from me. Did he really just say that? ME? BEAUTIFUL...Hah! Gathering my books I sat up and doodled in my notebook as the teacher went on and on about molecules and other sciency stuff. I did the same thing throughout all of my classes until FINALLY the long awaited lunch arrived. I had three classes with the new boy so far. He watched me leave for lunch and make my way outside.

I sat in my corner and watched the highschool gossip take place. The table moved as the new boy sat across from me, " What's your name?"

" Hayleigh Wright; and yours?", I asked politely.

"Jace Daniels, Your'e beautiful.", he said staring at me.

I blushed and ducked my head down, " I'm not beautiful Jace. Thank you though; your manners are very nice."

He slid a paper across the table, " Give me your number Hayleigh Wright.", I slowly wrote down my number and rushed to my next class without another word. I felt his eyes on me as I walked away. His golden eyes that penetrated my soul. His lean, muscualar body. His tossled bronze hair. Everything about him seemed perfect; everything inside of me was screaming at me to stay away. But at the same time; I was being pulled closer by his charm and his dimples. Her classes went by in a flash and then she was on the bust to go home.

Hi Hayleigh!* Jace my phone flashed and I read the message.

HI Jace Daniels!* Hayleigh

Whatya doing tonight?* Jace

That depends on if I get off at my house tonight.* Hayleigh

Don't! get off at the bus stop by walmart* Jace

...OKay, is ik it safe?* Hayleigh

I don't bite...hard[]: * Jace

lol(: ok... * Hayleigh

The bus stopped and I slowly desended the stairs to the stairs and looked around for Jace. He was sitting on the bench looking at me slyly and my heart dropped. Does he always look this breathtaking? 'STOP THAT!', I fussed myself as I walked towards him with the blush clear on my face. I've not known him for one whole day and already ive developed a big crush on him. What is wrong with me? Could I possibly be developing feelings for a man I've exchanged a total of twenty words with.

" Hey you...", I whisphered shyly.

" Hey Hayleigh; you don't have to be all shy around me ya know?", Jace said knowingly.

I smiled at him lightly and followed him to his car, a blue mustang gt! I got in without being too noticeable with my admiration. He looked at me with a spark in his eye as he revved his engine to life; the pur bringing a smile to my face. Without a word he took off into the night and my smile only got wider as the beautiful car sped down the road into the country. We stayed quiet for an hour...speeding down the roads; at some point we left the small town of Alachua behind us and went on into Gainsville and then on into the other towns surrounding Gainsville.

Jace coughed breaking the silence," So, you like cars, huh?"

My smile betrayed me," I mean yeah... Their okay; my brother loved cars alot before...", I let my voice trail not wanting to think of that night. That horrible night that took him away from me.

" Before what?", He looked at me with a face I was not used to seeing, concern...

Before I even realized what I was doing I began to spill my life story to this total stranger, " My family used to be happy...Before my Dad lost his job. When I was younger my older brother, David, and I were really close and we did everything together. At the time my dad was a mechanic so we always got to see these new cars and David loved it. He thought cars were the most perfect thing in the world. By the time he was thirteen he was already driving my dads old beat up convertable up and down the winding roads of trenton. One day, not long after his 17th birthday, my Dad came home and broke the news to us. He got laid off and now we had no income whatsoever. It never really clicked on me how bad the situation was. But, we made the best of it. David got a job and he was never home; but when he was he was teaching me about cars. Slowly my Dad took to drinking and my mom took to drugs. The change was imediate. The first time he hit me David stepped in and tried to protect me. They fought for a few minutes but then Daddy pulled a knife and before I knew it David was falling to the ground bleeding out of his neck. He croaked at me and told me to run and so I did. I went as fast as I could up the stairs and hid under my bed for three hours before they found me. He dragged me out from under the bed and I could feel the tears falling silently as momma held me down and he beat me. He beat me for hours and then when he was done told me to go to bed. He told me if I ever opened my mouth I would end up like David. So I kept quite but it only got worse. They hate me...They say its all my fault. I cannot go a day without being hit. I dont sleep because I am afraid they will come in and hurt me more.", I looked out the window not wanting to see his face. Surley he would think its my fault too.

Instead he was silent as he drove through miami before he answered me, " That's horrible Hayleigh! Noone deserves that; Your'e not alone anymore... You have me now and I wont let anything happen to you. This may seem weird but... I love you."

Those words were the last thing I heard before the crash. Everything flew by so fast David flew out of the car and my seatbelt stayed jammed as I tried to get out. I was being pulled aggresivley from the car and then the wind whipped at my face as someone ran with me...something. Noone could go this fast but they were. I looked up into Jaces face and smiled as he wasnt hurt but I was. I was bleeding so much. the blood was spreading through my clothesd and I could feel the life ebbing from my soul. Everytime i blinked the world would become more and more fuzzy. g