It seems like an eternity before I can find a comfortable position. I take the fake contacts out and throw them in the trash bin, irritated with the fact that I have to wear them. There's a green pair and a purple pair left in the car, but for now I'm back to my same old grey eyes. I feel my body getting heavier as slumber takes over, and suddenly I'm falling into a deep sleep.

I'm in Johnny's room; it's the night after graduation. He has his own suite in the basement; a bathroom, a bedroom, a living area, and a mini-fridge. His parents threw us a huge party to celebrate immediately following our graduation ceremony. All of the kids in our social group and their parents had been invited; only the people who had" social status" that was acceptable by Johnny's socialite family, the impossibly rich Beaumont's. I spent the night on Johnny's arm, admiring him as he spoke with his parent's peers as well as had a great time with his friends. As the party was dying down, Johnny whispered in my ear that we should sneak away to his room. I find my parents in the crowd and let them know I'll be home later. I see my father tense, then visibly relax as Johnny turns on his charm and assures my Dad he'll have me home at a reasonable time. My Johnny can be so manipulative. My tummy fills will a mix of emotions; fear, excitement, nerves, curiosity. Because I know what Johnny is trying to do, and I know what his intentions are; they've been the same for the past year and a half. The first sixth months of our relationship, Johnny had been happy with us not doing anything physical, since our relationship had been so new. He once told me he mostly spent his time during those first few months basking in the glory of having won me over; apparently he "liked the way guys looked so jealous when they saw me with him". Whatever that means.

The second we're in his room, he takes no time in pushing me down on the bed. I mumble something in protest but I know it's no use; he doesn't exactly listen to me when I say no. He's on top of me, kissing me hungrily, running his hands all over my body and hiking up my white chiffon graduation dress. I try to wiggle away but he holds me down; I'm trapped, helpless. I'm pretty strong, but he's way stronger; toned from lacrosse and football.

"Johnny, stop it!"

"I want you so bad, Phoebe."

"You know I'm not ready."

"Are you fucking serious?" He snarls and rolls off of me, and the anger in his voice is penetrating. I'm silent. He stands up from his bed and paces back and forth. Relieved to have him off of me, I sit up. This cycle has been going on for months; he tries to do something, I say I'm not ready, he gets mad. But then he gets over it and we're back to being the "it" couple. I don't tell anyone about this because they wouldn't understand; I know he would never actually harm me. He loves me.

"You know what? I don't need you, you fucking tease. You pull this "I'm not ready" shit every single time. Why the fuck aren't you ready? It's just sex, I'm not asking you to fucking marry me. All the guys always brag about scoring with this girl, or scoring with that girl and you know what I say when it's my turn? Nothing. They all say you're a prude. It's embarrassing.".

What he says really hurts me, and I burst into tears. Here I am at my most vulnerable, feeling inadequate and not good enough for the boy I love, hoping he understands.

"Johnny, I'm sorry."

"Whatever. Get out. We're through."

"You aren't serious." I sob, horrified. This can't be happening.

"I am. This was your last chance. Goodbye, Phoebe." He turns and walks up the stairs, leaving me alone in his room. I burrow my face into one of his navy-blue silk pillows to stifle a scream as I deal with the pain of a knife ripping through my heart.

I wake up in the motel room, kicking and screaming and crying. I'm momentarily discombobulated and thrown off by how vivid my nightmare had been; it was the last time I saw Johnny, other than when I stopped by his house to drop off his stuff. We had kept the break up on the down low, so nobody really knows except for our parents. I haven't told anyone because I'm embarrassed, he hasn't told anyone because dating me heightened his social status. I didn't know that from the beginning; I figured it out afterwards. Looking back, I was pretty damn stupid to believe that he actually loved me and to let him treat me that way. I guess after two years I just got used to it; but now I know to never let anyone treat me like that ever again.

Checking the clock, I see that it's ten in the morning, Al is still sleeping like a baby in the other bed, snoring. I'm not surprised that my screaming didn't wake him up; I've learned very recently that he's a very heavy sleeper. I try to stretch and feel new stiffness in my body, due to my lack of normal exercise. Quickly I weigh my options; I can stay here and watch tv like a lump until Teddy gets here, or I can go for a run. I really wish I had different clothes to change into, but my jean shorts and tank top will have to do, seeing as everything is still in the Jeep god knows how far away. I slip the phone Al bought at the convenience store in my back pocket and head out, careful not to slam the door. I take a side road that's surrounded by woods and run for a while, taking in the sounds around me. Birds are chirping and I hear rushing water somewhere to my left. There's not another person or car in sight. It' incredibly peaceful and gives me some much-needed alone time so I can clear my head.

With all my years of running, it takes a while before I even start to break a sweat. I keep taking right turns, getting deeper and deeper into the woods and hoping that it'll loop me back around the to motel. Suddenly, the hair stands up on the back of my neck and I feel the weird sensation of being watched. I slow down a bit but don't stop completely, and I focus on what's around me: in the distance I hear it, about a half a mile down the road; a car engine. Normally it wouldn't bother me to see a car, but my gut is telling me that I'm being followed. The engine gets louder and I hear the car pick up speed. Out of the corner of my eye, I see it coming toward me: sleek and black with tinted windows. Is it one of my dad's men? I certainly don't think they would make me feel this freaked out.

It takes me a minute to realize that the car is now speeding towards me; whoever is behind the wheel is trying to run me over! Without a second thought I swerve off the road and dash into the woods, booking it in what is hopefully the direction back to the motel. Why is some maniac from North Dakota trying to run me over? I try not to think about it and continue at a fast pace, and the minutes seem like hours before I'm back in the motel parking lot. I look around, absolutely terrified to make sure the car hasn't followed me back here. How bizarre was that? My blood is pumping and my heart is pounding as sweat pours down my face. I dash back into the motel room and lock the door, careful to pull down all the shades.

Al is still asleep in his bed, snoring as loud as a freaking train. I make the decision right then and there that I'm not going to tell him what happened; I don't need him to lecture me on how dangerous it was for me to go out for a run on my own anyways. I never would have thought in a million years that someone would try to turn me into road kill. My thought continues to wander; was it random, or was it someone who has something against me? No enemies come to mind; I was well liked in high school, except for people that assumed I was a bitch because I was dating Johnny and had billionaire parents. But how could they find me here, in the middle of nowhere? It makes no sense. I try to talk myself into calming down; maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe it was just a drunk or overly aggressive driver.

I decide to shower before Al wakes up, using the cheap shampoo and soap provided by the motel, and re-dress in my same clothes that I had been wearing on my run. I honestly can't wait to get back to the Jeep to get the rest of my stuff; my silk pajamas and my good hair products and deodorant. I throw my hair up in a messy bun, and it still shocks me every time I see myself in the mirror that I'm no longer a brunette. I fish around in my bag for another pair of colored-contacts and decide on the green ones; it still amazes me how different hair and eyes can make me look so unlike myself.

I spend some time watching television and listening to Al snore. When he finally wakes up he's grumpy and not talkative; still sour from my rejection. He just doesn't understand that our relationship would be so different if we were together. I've come to terms with the fact that I am in love with him, but I'm scared that if we're together I'll end up losing him. It's complicated and terrifying, and I can't think of it as well as process the fact that I was almost killed this morning. For a minute I thought Al was going to ask me what's wrong, but then he resumed his grumpy brooding. He showers while I continue to watch TV. A couple hours pass with us in silence, and obvious tension between us. Al is acting like a child that has been told "no" to a piece of candy and I'm fed up with the way he's acting. I have no desire to try and reconcile with him when he's acting like this.

When I hear a car pull up next to our room I immediately stiffen, scared that it was my mystery car from earlier. Had they followed me back here without me knowing? Suddenly the cheap pre-paid phone in my pocket starts buzzing and I see Teddy's number flashing across the screen. I smile for the first time in hours as I answer.

"Are you here?" I squeal. I sound like a little kid on Christmas morning. I haven't seen my big brother since last winter and I can't wait to see him.

"Miss Grey, your chariot awaits." Teddy replies, mocking Mason's British accent. For a second I feel like I'm going to cry; Teddy obviously doesn't know that dad fired Mason.

"Al, Teddy's here. And I'd appreciate it if you could stop moping." I snap at him and exit the room without saying another word. Teddy's midnight blue Lamborghini is parked a few feet away, and I watch as he steps out of the driver's side and goes around to open the passenger side door. My excitement doubles, he brought Courtney with him!

Courtney and Teddy have been together for two years; they met in college and they're both studying to be doctors, and she is the biggest sweetheart on the planet. They are so in love it's sometimes hard to be around them because you feel like you're intruding on their perfect love story. They even look good together; he's all tall, muscular, copper hair, light blue eyes which correlates perfectly with her petite frame, long gold waves and eyes the color of his car. For some reason I'm guessing that's not a coincidence.

I run over to them and huge Teddy first, practically jumping into his arms. He laughs and puts me down so I can hug Courtney, who envelops me in a cloud of fruity perfume.

"Look at your hair!" She says, poking the top of my messy bun. She's from Boston, and I love her accent. It's so different from what I'm used to.

"Oh, I know. It still freaks me out when I look in the mirror." We both laugh.

"And since when do you have green eyes?" Teddy chimes in.

"It was Al's idea. It was our way of flying under the radar. My face is all over the news." I roll my eyes, annoyed and Teddy nods, all too understanding of our fathers overprotective ways.

"It's great to see you, Pheeb. I was so worried…dad calls me every day to see if I've heard anything from you."

"I'm surprised he hasn't sent the police after me."

"He said he considered it, but they told him since you're eighteen you can consent to leave. So legally you didn't run away, you chose to leave."

I pause and process this information; I never thought of it that way. I really hope I'm still welcome at home…my mom will forgive me, but it's my fathers wrath that I'll have to deal with.

"By the way, Ava is pissed you pulled this without her." I roll my eyes again, leave it to my drama-queen cousin/ best friend to be jealous of MY trip while she's off vacationing in Europe with Aunt Kate and Uncle Smelliott.

"You talked to her?" This shocked me; she and Teddy don't exactly see eye to eye. He's more down-to-earth, humble, and responsible, while she's uppity, dramatic, self-centered and over-emotional. I know how to deal with her but Teddy avoids her at all costs.

"Uncle Smell called to see if I heard anything from you. They were worried sick. They're in Paris now."

I feel bad, I didn't mean to put a damper on their vacation.

"Now I feel like an ass."

Before Teddy has time to respond, I hear a door close behind me as Al exits the hotel room and walks over toward us. Both him and Teddy look exhausted; Teddy must have driven all night to get here so soon. Teddy greets Al with a handshake, and introduces him to Courtney. It seems like Al is back to his normal, happy, friendly self. Teddy and Al come up with a plan to get back to the Jeep, and then all will drive the Jeep behind Teddy back to Chicago.

But while Al and I are in the backseat, he refuses to even look at let alone talk to me. Annoyed, I cross my arms and stare out my window for the entire thirty minute drive. It's crazy how much longer it had seemed when we had been walking. After we've stopped to buy gas, we park by where we had broken down. Al get's out to go over to the Jeep, and looks at me expectantly.

I look at him coldly. "I think I'll stay with Teddy and Courtney. I've missed them." He can tell by the way I'm looking at him that I'm mad at him too. He looks hurt but goes over to the Jeep and gets into the drivers seat after thanking Teddy for saving the day.

We get back on the highway and drive for a couple hours. We talk and catch up and laugh but then I see Teddy looking into the rearview mirror nervously. He looks at me, catching me noticing his worry. I don't even have to ask what's wrong because he offers up the information willingly.

"We're being followed."

"What?" I whip my head around to see what's going on. Al is a few cars behind us, and weaving between other cars on the highway is the black car. The one from this morning that tried to run me over. I feel my face go pale and I feel like I'm going to vomit. Should I risk telling Teddy? I choose not to, sinking down in the seat and curling my knees up to my chest. Who is this maniac?

Teddy speeds up, going at least 100 mph. I can't see the speedometer because of my position I'm sitting in, but I feel the cars engine revving as we pick up speed. Teddy keeps looking back nervously to see if the car is following us. I sit up, and I see how worried Courtney looks; I can tell she's trying to keep calm, but this is a scary situation.

"Shit, I lost Alejandro." He says, visibly pissed. Teddy usually never gets mad.

"What? We have to go back and find him!" I say, knowing how foolish I sound. It's not like we can just back up on the highway, but I don't even know if Al has his pre-paid phone on him. I feel my eyes fill up with tears, how will we find him?

"Pheeb, don't be ridiculous. Our main concern is getting away from this asshole."

"It's a guy?"

"I can't tell, the windows are blacked out." He's frustrated, and he steps on the gas even more intensely, weaving between cars and taking some random exit. We pull into the first side road we can find and hide in a giant parking lot behind a Super Walmart. My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest, and adrenaline pumps through my veins. We're safe. But what about Al? Is Al safe? Did the person in the black car even know about Al? What if they get him?

"Teddy, we have to go back for Al."

"Phoebe, we can't" I know he's right but it's not what I want to hear. I consider just getting out of the car and walking back to the highway, but that would be beyond foolish, so I let the silent tears fall. I pull the phone out of my back pocket and dial Al's number. It rings and rings but there's no answer. I call again. And again. I call him twenty times, but there's no answer. I have no idea where I am and my best friend is nowhere to be found. I curl back up into my ball and wait for a call that I'm not sure will ever come.