16(A story by Joseph Staresinovic)

Chapter 1: Wake Up

"Come on in I think he's gonna be ok." He must have been out about what? 10 hours? 13 hours? It didn't matter. As long as they gave him enough morphine to help him pass the pain. He never really thought he'd commit suicide or even try to do it. But that summer...that really changed it all.

Chapter 2: Summer

"Wake up Joey you've got exams." Joey woke straight up at the sound of that; he hated exams and was thankful this was his last exam for this year. He was in grade 11, done exams(almost) and he was looking forward to a great summer. But something troubled him when he got out of bed; he couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. It was bright outside, a great day, but he still felt that something was gonna happen this summer that would change his life. He brushed off this feeling, grabbed his lighter and went off. He didnt smoke; his girlfriend Janie made sure of that. Even though she herself smoked 3 packs a day. He ran out the door, grabbed a cream cheese bagel and he was on his way to finish his last exam of grade 11. Even though it was his last exam he still couldn't help feeling depressed; he loved going to high school; all his friends were their. Before the exam Joey ran to the side of the school and met up with Anth. Anth was his oldest friend and they talked forever before they went into the exam. "Finally Im done! no more exams for me woo hoo" "Uh Joey.." "Ya?" "You've still got grade 12." Sadly Lanna and Mel were right. He still had grade 12 but oh well; he had the summer and that's all that was on his mind. He quickly ran home and changed out of his school uniform, threw on his jeans and his Nine Inch Nails t shirt. He was ready for the summer alright. He got his license and his parents finally let him have the car during the summer. He would finally get more alone time with Janie since he had the car, and that; that made him excited about summer the most.

Chapter 3: Summer Love

June was going really great for Joey. He went to so many parties with Janie; it was really going great for him. He met up with some of his old friends and the best part was he never got busted for coming home late with Janie. His parents were really starting to like Janie now and she was almost over every night for dinner. Joey couldn't wait for the party on Friday, her heard Monique was going to be there too. Monique was one of Joey's friends he met in grade 10. He really liked hanging out with her because she was also deeply addicted to anime like he was. That morning when Joey woke up he couldnt think of anything else but going to the party that night. He was going to take the car again and he was hoping for some more alone time with Janie...

"Joey, come meet some of my friends." Monique was always introducing him to new people. And all the time he met the coolest people who were even more addicted to music than he was. The girls always liked talking to him because he was in a band with his 3 friends Adge, Glenn and Anth. They were called Kittens For Killers and they always played at house parties. Something about Monique's friends that night really intrigued him. That's when he met Sonia and this really mysterious guy named Trent. Sonia was really fun to talk to because she was really funny and she always had a great joke. But, there was something about Trent that struck him; something about his eyes made him feel like he was in a dream. It was the same eyes that he saw on Janie when he first met her. : Come on Joey, let's go this party sucks." Janie always had a way of taking him out of the party when she thought it got too loud. "Yeah ok well go, just let me say by to Mony." After he said by to Mony he tried slipping out of the window so he could stay longer; he didn't want to leave, he wanted to stay and talk to Trent some more. But, Janie caught him trying to slip out and she yelled at him and forced him to get in the car and drive her home. On the drive home they stopped in a little neck of the woods close to his house and finally they were alone together. Too bad she fell asleep because she drank so much at the party. As she lay there he wondered why he was beginning to like Trent more and more and Janie less and less.

Chapter 4: The Break Up
It was 2:30 in the morning, but Joey was still up on MSN talking to everyone. He forgot all about Trent after what happened last night with Janie. Just then as he thought about her she came online. They started talking about music and movies and other stuff till about 3:30. Then out of nowhere Janie typed: "We need to talk." Joey was a little bit surprised at her message because he wasn't a bad boyfriend. I mean it was always Janie that forgot stuff like their anniversary but Joey didn't care, he loved her. "I know that you love that guy, Trent." Joey was a little bit scared, I mean he thought Trent was a cool guy, but how did Janie even know he talked to Trent at the party? She was at the bar with Katie when Joey was talking to Trent so how did she even know he was talking to him? "Katie told me that she saw you talking to him at the party." "Yeah so, that doesn't mean I love him, I just talked to him." Joey was sweating now...how did she know? "I think we should break up." "But Janie, I love..." Joey was cut off before he could finish what he was saying. She signed off MSN before he could say another word. Was she right? Did he love Janie or Trent? Or did he love both of them? He couldn't sleep that night so he just listened to his Cds and planned to call Janie in the morning and explain things to her. Little did Joey know that she was already dead by the time he finished listening to their favourite AC/DC song.

Chapter 5: The Discovery

The next morning when Joey was drinking his coffee he got the news. They found Janie in a bathtub with her wrists cut up and she tried to write, in blood, I DON'T LOVE HIM! The police ruled out and possible idea of murder because her parents and her brother heard her last night. They thought she went to the bathroom because she wasn't feeling good. They didn't even hear her scream, all they heard was silence. When Joey heard about this he didn't know what to think. She was always so happy and people thought he was the depressed one because of his lyrics. How could she even go through with it? He probably could have saved her if she had stayed online a little bit longer. The police questioned Joey that afternoon and they found him innocent. After they left he went up to his bedroom and he just sat there. The women who he loved was gone, the woman, who by no means was perfect, was gone. But she was perfect to him. It was at that moment that Joey remembered what happened in the car to nights ago and he cried.

Chapter 6: Trent

Dating Trent opened up a whole new world for Joey. Trent convinced Joey to do drugs with him. Trent wasn't into heavy drugs, just weed. Trent said that the weed was sent to him by the government for his seizures. Joey believed him; there was something about his eyes that convinced Joey to do whatever Trent wanted. But still Trent was kind and caring, and Joey liked him a lot better than Janie. He may have been high, but atleast he remembered when their anniversary was. Joey never told his parents about Trent though because they would kill him; his dad hated gay people. But none of this mattered because Joey loved Trent and that's all he cared about.

Chapter 7: The Date

It was July 25th and Joey and Trent were celebrating their 1 month anniversary at Trent's house that night. Joey didn't like staying at home anymore; his dad was abusing him worse than ever when he found out about Trent. Everynight Joey would go to bed with more and more bruises, but he didn't care. Trent loved him and his friends supported him and Trent. No one really cared that they were going out, it was only his dad that seemed to have a problem with their relationship. But none of this mattered because now he was going out on a date with Trent tonight. Joey and Trent never really got that close together because Joey was still dealing with Janie's suicide. He was afraid to get close to anyone because everyone reminded him of Janie. But Trent always understood and he never tried pushing Joey into anything that he didn't want to do. But all that quickly changed on the date that night...

"Here we are Joey." Joey woke up after hearing this; he must have passed out after taking that pill Trent gave him. Trent said it would calm him down and make him relaxed. "Where are we?" "Were in the woods and were alone." There was a certain darkness in Trent's voice when he said that. Joey didn't know why but suddenly he wanted Trent to take him home. But, Joey couldn't do anything; the pills were making him paralyzed. Then suddenly Trent put his hand on Joey's leg and when Joey looked into his eyes he didn't see Trent's eyes. Those weren't Trent's eyes, they, they couldn't be; they looked so cold and unloving. "Please Trent don't I'm not ready i want to know you..." "Shut up and just let me do this." Joey suddenly got scared, but, in an odd way he liked it. He didn't want the moment to end.

Chapter 8: The Next Day

Joey woke up the next morning and he thought he was in a dream. He thought that what happened in the car last night with Trent was just a dream. He tried getting up but he quickly froze, he was still in the car with Trent. But thankfully Trent was sleeping in the front seat with his head on the steering wheel. Joey suddenly felt scared again. He wanted to get as far away from Trent; he wanted to get away from his parents; he wanted to get away from it all. He looked at Trent and then he shuddered; the Trent he loved was gone and Joey was all alone again. It was right at that moment that he decided he was going to run away and live in the forest. He was still feeling weak but he didn't care; he wanted to get away and fast. As Trent was still sleeping Joey opened the door and he ran away as fast as he could. He was through with love and trusting people. He was alone now and no one was going to help him but himself.

Chapter 9: Trent Finds Joey

Joey lasted for about 2 hours in the forest, then Trent found him. When Trent found him he brought Joey back into the car and started giving him that look again. He hated that look; it made him feel so scared and it made him feel like Trent was looking into his soul and that he knew everything. "You cant tell anyone about last night Joey." "Oh, and why cant i?" "Because," Trent said grabbing Joeys neck, "If you do I'll find you and kill you." These words made Joeys heart stop; This was not his Trent, the Trent he loved was dead. Joey was scared and he started to cry. Trent noticed this and smiled; Trent was in control now and he loved it. Trent grabbed Joeys head and pushed it towards his legs. "Trent, please NO!" "Just shut up and stop being a baby." After that they drove around for a few more minutes and Trent threw Joey out of the car onto his lawn when they passed by his house.

Chapter 10: The Escape

The same routine went on for the next 2 weeks. Trent came over and took Joey for a ride in his car, then he slipped him a pill and Joey would wake up crying and even more scared then the day before. But one day Joey planned to escape Trent and run away. When Trent came by that day Joey went into the car as usual and he pretended to take the pill Trent gave him. When Trent tried unbuttoning Joeys pants thats when Joey made his move; he kicked Trent in the face as hard as he could and he ran. But this time Joey didnt get caught. He stayed in the woods and cried all afternoon. Then when he was sure Trent was gone he walked home and packed his things. Fuck Trent, Joey thought as he packed away his clothes. He never loved me so why should i care? But did Trent love Joey? He did care about him at first, but that quickly changed and Joey didn't like it. He wanted the old Trent back, scratch that, he wanted Janie back and he would have sold any one of his guitars to have her back. Janie, Joey thought, why didn't you stay online for just one more second? And with this thought Joey started to cry again but he quickly went silent because he heard the door bell ring, and he was sure that it was Trent.

Chapter 11: Escape Part 2

Joey didn't know what to do; should he stay and talk things over with Trent? Or should he run away? On one hand Joey liked being with Trent because he made him feel safe. Those eyes; damn those eyes. Why did he freeze when he saw those eyes. But Joey didnt heave time to deal with this, he had to think of a plan, and fast. He heard Trent coming up the stairs. Damn it; Joeys mom must have let Trent in. Joey didn't waste anytime; he grabbed the suitcase he packed, threw it out the window, the he climbed out before Trent came into his room. As Trent searched the room Joey sighed with relief; he was going to run away from Trent and he was going to be free. Free from the pills, free from the car rides. Free! Joey was so happy now that he was going to be getting away from Trent. Joey was on his way to a better life, but, there was one small problem; where could he hide? He definitely couldn't stay at home and he definitely couldn't stay at Anth's. It was just then that Joey got a brilliant idea; he was going to hide at Monique's house.

Chapter 12: Monique

it was August the 10th and Joey was starting to like living with Monique. Her parents didn't mind because Joey and Monique had said that Joey's parents were going through a tough divorce and he needed a place to stay. Everynight Monique would stay up with Joey and he would tell Monique what Trent was really like. Monique was so shocked by this; she always thought that Trent was so kind and caring. Monique would always comfort Joey and he was glad that he had a friend like her to help him through this.

That night, Joey and Monique were planning on staying in and watching some movies. They were just starting to enjoy the Evil Dead, when all of a sudden the doorbell rang. "Ill get it," Monique said. There was something not right; no one ever came to Monique's house, not this late. It was right then that Joey realized who was behind the door. But, he was too late. Monique answered the door and in one split second Trent had her at knife point. It was crystal clear that Trent was not leaving Monique's house that night, unless Joey went in the car with him.

Chapter 13: Trents Return

"Joey, I told you I'd find you," Trent was yelling at the top of his lungs. Normally Joey would have given into Trent's voice; he would have looked into Trent's eyes and just give up. But not tonight; no, Joey was tired of Trent's shit and he knew he had to put and end to it, before it ended him. "Trent, let Monique go she has nothing to do with this." Now it was Joeys turn to yell. He was tired of being blamed for everything. He wasn't going to take it anymore. Trent was shocked; Joey never spoke to him like this before. Trent was losing control and fast. Both Joey and Trent were sweating fiercely. Through all of this Trent was thinking of a plan to get Joey into the car; he was going to let Monique go and then grab Joey, knock him out, and put him into the trunk. But, Joey was quicker; the second he saw that Trent was thinking Joey ran to Trent and punched him in the face. Trent was out cold and for the first time in months Joey felt better about himself. He finally took action and it made him feel great. But, that didn't change anything. Trent was still on the floor and Joey and Monique needed to think of a plan and fast.

Chapter 14: The Plan

Joey and Monique knew what they had to do. They were going to wait till Trent woke up and they were going to make Trent listen to Joey's demands. When Trent woke up he saw that he was tied to a bed; Joey must have knocked him out. Trent was angry and he was going to make Joey pay. But as Trent was lifting up his arms he saw that Joey had tied him to the bed. "You know Trent I've been thinking; I don't want to spend time with you anymore. We are breaking up and don't even think your going to get me to come back to you because I wont." Trent was scared, he wasn't in control; Joey was in control and he was finally getting Trent to listen. But Trent was going to let Joey be in control. While Joey was talking Trent loosened the straps that he was tied to and he escaped. He was going to come back for Joey; Joey was his and he was staying his even if it killed him.

Chapter 15: Scared

It was August 24th and Joey was scared. he moved in to Lanna's house because Trent was still out there; Trent was still waiting; Trent was wanting Joey. Joey didn't know what to do, he couldn't live this way forever. In a few weeks he would have to go back to school and he knew that Trent was going to find him. He was scared, so he went to Lanna's closet to cry. As he was crying he though about everything that happened to him this summer: Janie, Trent, the car rides. His mind was over loaded and he didn't know what to do. He started shaking and he couldn't stop. It was at this moment that Joey knew what he had to do. There was only one way out. He grabbed Lanna's shaving razor and a bottle of Advil and went to the bathtub. He was going to end it all. Goodbye life, Goodbye Trent, GOODBYE...

Chapter 16: The End

Lanna found Joey and dragged him to the hospital when she saw that he was bleeding and shaking. As Joey was recalling the moments of the summer he saw a dark figure slip into the room through the window. Trent. Was. Back. This was...THE END