Chapter 1
When I was seven years old, my parents decided they were going to get divorced and I didn't really understand what was going on. Even though I was little, I could still feel the tension in the air. So, my dad left in the middle of the night and I didn't see or hear from him again for five months. And since I was only seven, I thought he had abandoned me without even saying goodbye.
Every night after my mom tucked me into bed; I'd stay awake and silently cry for hours on end. But one day, he just turned up out of nowhere and said he wanted me to visit him every other weekend. At first, I refused to go, and even to this day, 11 years later, I can remember the hurt look on his face when I said no. my mom made me go and pack anyway, and while she was helping me she talked about forgiveness. I didn't much pay attention to that particular conversation. No matter what my mom said, I would never fully forgive him.
"Matty! Time to wake up! You have, approximately an hour to get ready before you have to go to work. Unless you don't want to be there on time that is," My mother yelled up the stairs to me. Shoot! What time was it? I couldn't be late again or I was probably going to get fired and I needed this job. Not only did I need it, I actually liked it. How rare is that? As I quickly jumper out of bed I realized I had forgotten to pick out my clothes last night and in my haste to get to my dresser, I managed to stub my toe on who knows what. "Ouch!" I hissed as tears starred my eyes. This day was not going well.
As I stepped out of the shower, my foot slipped on the rug-less floor and the counter broke my fall… except that I hit the side of my face. 'That is going to be a lovely bruise' I thought sarcastically. When I went to pull my clothes on I realized that instead of grabbing my skirt I grabbed a pair of black pajama shorts. Wrapped up in my Teletubbies towel, I made my down the hall to my room.
What I found in my room was unexpected and scared me half to death. It was pitch black until I flipped on my light. An unsuspecting visitor lying on my bed flailed around at the sudden burst of light.
"Matty! Why in the world did you turn the light on for?" my best friend Alex exclaimed.
"Because I had no idea you were here! Now get off my floor and help me look for my skirt. I don't want to be late again." I said rummaging through my dresser. Alex huffed as he pulled himself off the floor. He was barley taller than me with absolutely stunning dark blue eyes. He had slightly mussed dirty blond hair that emphasized the soft plains of his face. His tan muscular build was moving slowly, kicking around clothes that I had thrown on the ground. "Found it!" I cheered, running off to the bathroom to get dressed. While I was walking back to my room, I realized I had no idea why Alex was here. I have a feeling that he came in through my window, which means he was trying to get away from his family.
Alex's family was even more messed up than mine. His parents still lived together but they fought all the time. He would crawl up the tree outside my window and sneak into my room, where we'd spend most of the night talking. This time was no exception. When I walked into my room he was sitting at the window seat reading something. As I got closer I realized it was my diary.
"Hey! That's kind of personal don't you think?" I asked teasingly. Then I saw how sad he was and my smile vanished. "Alex, what's wrong? Are you okay?" I was panicking.
"Matty," his voice was urgent as he stood up and grabbed my hands. "Run away with me. I can't stay here anymore, but I don't know if I can go alone." His face told me he wasn't joking around. It took a total of two minutes for me to know my answer.
"I-" then I heard the gun.