Hey! This my new story that I'm feeling really good about-- yay! I'm not great with starting stories out, but I really believe this story is going to be awesome.

"I thought you were independent."

"I am independent."

"Then why the hell do you want to get married?"

"It's not about being independent. You may not understand right now, but I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life. I'm still young. In a couple years, you'll be off to college. It's the right thing. I love him, honey. And he loves you too. You know that. And his boys are so great. It'll be so great. We'll be a family."

Ava glared at her mother. "That's not a family. We're not going to be a family"

"You'll see." Her mother half smiled.

"No, you'll see."

"I love you Ava."

"Mm-hmm"

"I love you Ava."

"I love you too." She mumbled, fighting the urge to slam the door behind her.

Fast forward: Night after the Wedding

Ava shook the flower petals out of her hair. It was time to put the happy face away. She had worked so hard to fake the good mood in order to keep her mom happy on her wedding day. Now she could go back to feeling sorry for herself. She collapsed onto her bed. Her old bed in her new room. It was big and pretty, but it only reinforced the fact that she was in her new house in her new life. The life she now had to share with her new "family". She didn't think anything was wrong with her old life, but apparently her mom did. Because Tom is so amazing. He's so smart. He's so nice. Maybe he is, but that didn't mean she wanted to be part of his family. Her half unpacked room seemed to close in around her. Not finding any comfort in her bed, she climbed up and over boxes. It was quiet. Her mom and Tom would be on their honeymoon for two weeks.

"I have to get out of this stupid dress!" She thought to herself. She began sorting through clothes until she found an old T-shirt and sweatpants. Her hair hung in loose curls and her eyes maintained faint traces of brown eyeliner. "Movie?" She thought to herself. That would put her mind at ease at lest temporarily. "No romance-- I've had enough of that for one day. No drama-- I have enough of that all the time. And no comedy-- not feeling like laughing. Scary, it is." She slid Silence of the Lambs into the DVD player. Horror movies always made her feel better about her life. She gripped the remote in her hand, the sense of control helped to alleviate her fear. Thirty minutes into the movie she began to close her eyes.

"Thud." She opened her eyes wide and whipped her head around. Nothing. "Thud. Thud." She recognized the sound coming from the front door.

"Ever heard of a door bell?" Who would be knocking on the door at this hour.

"Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud." The knob turned back and forth.

"Shit." She thought. She quietly ran into the kitchen, grabbed her cell phone, and baseball bat." No service. "You have to be kidding me. No service in this house?!" Breaking her thought, she heard a key slide into the door. "Shit. Shit. Shit!" The door flung open.

"Hello?" A voice asked.

"Hello?" She thought, and with a sigh of relief, "Oh my gosh. It's Nick." She popped her head over the counter to confirm.

"Too busy playing baseball to open the door?"

"I... didn't know it was you."

"Hahahah. The doorbell isn't working. I had to go back to my car to grab my house keys. Sorry if I scared you." Nick laughed.

"You didn't scare me." Ava defended.

"Oh, so you were playing baseball?" Nick questioned, heavy with sarcasm.

Ava studied her new step-brother. They'd only briefly talked over the year her mom and his dad began dating, and now they'd be living together. His brothers, Kevin and Joe, had places of their own. He looked to be about 5'9, really muscular, curly dark hair and brown eyes, kind of hot. "Hot?" She pondered for a fraction of a second. "What? No way. What's wrong with you!"

"No, you're right. I was planning to hit whoever walked through the door. Would you like me to follow through." Ava threatened, aloud.

Nick laughed again, throwing his head back. "No, I wouldn't want you to get all worked up over me or anything."

"Get worked up over him?" She thought again. "I am not getting worked up over him." She placed the bat back in the corner she'd taken it from and watched him head over to the couch she'd been sitting on.

"Can you get me some water?" He asked.

"I'm a little tired after getting so worked up over you." Ava returned the sarcasm.

"Whatever." He got back up, and Ava stole back her place on the couch just as her phone began to vibrate on the kitchen counter."

"Nice phone." He blankly admired tossing her cell phone in his hands.

"Can I have my phone back?"

"Who's Ryan?"

"Are you going through my text messages?" She shot up and dashed toward him. "Give me my phone!"

Nick dangled it just high enough so that she couldn't reach it.

"If we're going to be living together I think I should know who this Ryan is."

"Uh, no."

"Come on. I'm gonna find out."

He's no one!"

"Hmmm." Nick continued reading through the messages. "No one? Sounds like he had fun with you the other night. Or do you that kind of thing with just anybody?"

Ava involuntarily blushed and glared at Nick. "Give me my phone right now!" He handed her the phone, which she promptly snatched from his hand. She began typing away toward the couch.

Nick grabbed a water bottle and followed her.

"Do you want something?" She inquired, frustrated.

"Well, I already got my water." She playfully shoved him and fell onto the couch. She looked up and met Nick's eyes. He really was cute.

"Stop looking at me." She insisted.

"You like scary movies?"

"Yeah." She shrugged her shoulders.

"You know what they say about people who like scary movies?" He continued staring at her.

"What?" She looked back up.

"They say you feel empty. You're missing something in you life, but you don't know what. The fear eliminates the numbness you feel on a daily basis."

"Hmm." Ava responded, shaking off his words.

"So Ava, what are you missing?"

She forced a smile, "Sorry, I don't feel like being part of a psychoanalysis."

"That's okay. I guess I'll have to figure it out on my own."

"Right now, I'm missing the silence I had before you got here."

He laughed his cute laugh again. "I'll leave you alone then." He proceeded to the stairs and disappeared into the second floor.

Ava kept thinking about what he said. She didn't really believe that all people who like horror movies were empty, but she knew she was. After a while she decided to throw it out of her mind. It was too energy consuming to think about herself. Feeling tired again, she retreated to her room.

As she walked along the hallway she hear the soft sound of guitar playing. She noticed she was standing outside Nick's door. She'd seen his guitar laying around earlier today. "Wow. He's-- really good." She didn't really feel like sulking anymore.

Keep reading and review! XXXX