Chapter 1

"Moze, please, I just want to talk!" Ned's persistent cries were really starting to get on her nerves. Moze, please, I just want to talk; blah, blah, blah. Sheesh, she was GLAD she broke it off with him. He really was a wimp at heart.

"Sorry, Neddy, but I really have to go." Moze said indifferently. She continued to walk on, her back turned toward him. Walking away from him felt good; it freed her from a prison she didn't know she was chained in.

She fingered the dark ruby necklace around her neck.

Ned didn't give up. He continued to walk toward her, a determined air around him. "Moze, please, if you just listen to me I can explain everything."

That stopped her in her tracks. A rush of anger-not just ordinary teenager anger, but dark sickly anger-flooded through her. "Explain?! EXPLAIN?! Explain what, Ned? Hmm? The fact that I saw you walking around with Suzie Crabgrass after you broke up with her? Hmm? Explain that she kissed you on the cheek-"

Ned interrupted her. "Moze that was just a friendly kiss. A peck on the cheek. You've done it hundreds of times with me and Cookie!"

Moze would not be denied her anger – all of this was HIS fault after all. "You started this, Ned Bigby. All of this. I see you for what you really are! A lying, cowardly, son of a bi-"

"Moze, STOP IT!" Ned yelled.

Moze stopped, surprised at the strength of his voice. She nervously fingered the necklace around her neck. None of them seemed to notice that it was glowing faintly.

"What it is wrong with you Moze? Why is all of this happening? We were getting along great, and then all of a sudden you just start acting all loony-"

"Acting all loony? Ned, THIS IS ME. The Moze you knew all those years was just a lie. A face, a mask, a ruse. Don't you understand, Ned? I'm free! Free from pain, free from the world, free from being hurt by scum like you!" She spat the words out.

During all of this Moze watched Ned's face with disturbing fascination – his face seemed to lose all the energy in it and sagged. His blue eyes, normally alive with glowing warmth, were dull and full of pain. His shoulders slumped, and he seemed to be hunching down. But he was determined still to make amends and fix what was wrong.

Typical Ned. Always thinking he could be the hero and fix everything. It was a trait that she loved – no, used to love about him. Used to. Until she saw him for what he truly was.

"Moze, please, just listen to me. I know I've been preoccupied by the Guide lately, but I can do better. Just, just wait a while, and you'll see everything will be better!" He smiled as though that was answer to everything.

That was his answer. To wait. I've been waiting for too long. It was time to move on. Shaking my head, I turned my back to him and walked off. I fingered the ruby necklace around my neck.

"Moze, please I love you!"

I stopped. I turned around to face him one last time. His face was a blotchy red, and there was a tear running down his face. It was clear that I was breaking his fragile little heart into a billion pieces.

Good. Let him suffer. I walked up to him, and brought my face close to his. I stared into his blue eyes, and began to laugh. Nastily. Cruelly. I laughed and laughed as though this was the funniest thing in the world; oh-ho-ho Ned Bigby loves me? What a joke! When I was done, I uttered the following sentences right into that double-crossing face of his:

"I.

"Never.

"Loved.
"You.

"Ever."

That did it. I could see it in his eyes. His heart had been dying a slow painful death during this whole ordeal, but now it just collapsed and died. Whoosh, just like that. Like a candle blown out by the wind.

Perfect. And just to top it off, I gave him a nice little souvenir to remember me by: that silly little Best Friends Forever bracelet he had given me when we were still little. How stupid I had been back then. I had thought that it was the greatest thing ever given to me, and that train of thought had continued until recent developments forced me to see things as they really are.

"Goodbye, Ned Bigby." With that friendly farewell, I pushed him away and resumed my walking away from him, whistling while I walked. Walking away from him; our love for each other; and more important our so-called friendship.

I stood there watching all of this in my dream (or is it my nightmare?). I stood there watching my younger self making stupid mistakes and breaking my best friend's heart into little tiny pieces.

I stood there and watched Ned, the most cheerful guy I know and love break down and cry. Not for himself, but for me and everything I had done.

I stood there in my dream (or nightmare?) and watched myself finger that dark ruby necklace around my neck as I walked away. The necklace.

I shuddered. The necklace had started it all. I yelled at my stupid, younger self "You've got to take it off! Take the necklace off! It's killing you!"

16-year-old Jennifer Ann Mosely, a.k.a. Moze, awoke from her nightmare with a start. She was breathing hard, and she was sweating. She reached up and touched her sweat – it was cold. Sighing she threw off the blanket and went to the bathroom. She locked herself inside to make sure she wasn't going to be disturbed.

She splashed some water on her face, and then took a look in the mirror. She looked tired. She had good reason too; tomorrow was a very special day.

Today she was getting back together with her friends at James K. Polk Middle School. Her old middle school was holding a reunion for all the previous students from 2 years ago and she planned on going. She was hoping to see everyone there: Martin, Coconut Head, Evelyn, Missy, Loomer, Gordy, Vice Principal Crubbs, Principal Wright, Mr. Chopsaw, Lisa, Suzie, Cookie, and –

Ned. She shuddered in anticipation of tomorrow. For the past two years, she and Ned have been rebuilding their relationship from scratch. It wasn't easy – something that had been built through their entire lives to be rebuilt in two years. But they slogged through it, and eventually they worked it out. Today was the day; she and Ned would be officially getting back together as boyfriend and girlfriend. She had been holding herself back for the past two years, and there were times she thought she wouldn't be able to make it. But Ned had been there as a strong guiding hand; leading and protecting her at the same time.

She would say her story and see if they all accepted her back. That was the agreement; Ned had begged and pleaded with them to hear her out. Then judgment would be passed and she would accept it, for better or worse. But Ned had pledged to be by her side either way. Her eyes grew watery at just the thought – despite everything she had done to Ned; he still stayed by her side through it all. He truly cared for her.

Moze rubbed her eyes tiredly then headed back to her bedroom. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

She checked the time again on her way back to bed. Today. Whatever.

Uh, this is my first time writing. So, please click on the lovely blue button that says 'Submit Review'. Be honest with me (no flames please) and, yeah, that's it. So if you want to read more, give me a good review. Later.