Authors Note: Well, I haven't gotten any feedback yet but I decided to post the first chapter because I don't blame anyone for not commenting on the Preface, there wasn't much to even read anyways. So this is much, much, much longer. Over 5,400 words to this first chapter (I know, LONG but it had to be done) Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first OFFICIAL chapter and I hope to get some reviews! :)
Love,
- RiP
PLAYLIST:
The Great Escape
by
Boys Like Girls
Chapter One – The Great Escape
Amber POV
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
At the sound of my loud, pounding alarm clock I rolled over with a loud groan. I murmured a string of curses under my breath for about five straight minutes and then sat up and almost chucked the alarm clock out my window in annoyance. I took a quick glance out my window, it wasn't rainy but it wasn't sunny either—it just looked gloomy outside today. Fabulous, for Tennessee in September, the weather was starting to look horrible. Slowly I trudged my way into the bathroom to take a shower. I stripped down out of my favorite pajamas which basically consisted of a tight fitting light pink tank top and a pair of matching pajama pants with little red and white hearts on them. I had bought them while shopping with Shay the previous week.
I stepped under the shower head and let the warm water wake me up and relax all my muscles. I used my favorite raspberry smelling shampoo and my vanilla smelling body wash and then stepped out of the shower while wrapping a warm fluffy blue towel around my body.
I blow dried my hair about half way and then I ran to my closet. After throwing the doors open I dug around to find something to wear to school. Finally, after about fifteen minutes of switching through different outfits and deciding that each one I picked out wasn't the one, I found a dark pink v-neck t-shirt from Aeropostale and a pair of tight fitting jeans that would go well with my favorite pair of pink ballet flats.
I ran back into the bathroom and straightened my hair before taking in my reflection to make sure I looked okay. I saw a fifteen year old girl—about to turn sixteen in almost a week—with a heart shaped face, long black hair that fell a few inches past her shoulders, bright green eyes with full pink lips staring back at me. I smiled at my reflection and naturally my reflection smiled back at me.
I ran down the stairs as fast as I possibly could without falling or running into something. I was late—again. And Brie was going to murder me if I made us late—again.
So I guess you are wondering who I am, well my name is Amber Mason and I am fifteen—and like I said, almost sixteen—years old. I live in the small high class town of Shiloh, Tennessee and go to Shiloh High School, or well we all call it SHS for short.
As you entered our quaint town there was a large billboard that read,
'Welcome to Shiloh, Tennessee. Population: 1,021. Founded in 1872.'
Shiloh is the type of town where everyone knows everyone else and knows everyone's business. It's just the way it is, I've lived here all my life and I know for a fact that Shiloh is never going to change. Funnily enough, it reminded me of the town of 'Stars Hollow', the fictional town in my one of my favorite TV show, Gilmore Girls. It made me laugh every time I saw Babette or Mrs. Patty because Shiloh defiantly had their own crazy townsfolk. We even had a diner that slightly resembled Luke's. I wouldn't be surprised if the mayor of Shiloh, Mr. Robert Pennington, stole our little town's makeup right from the Gilmore Girls show. My town is extremely strange but I guess I wouldn't have it any other way if I could.
I entered the kitchen and noticed that my mother left me an oatmeal bar and my favorite coffee mug out for me, probably knowing I was going to be late again. I quickly ate the oatmeal bar, gulped down my coffee in one swig and then ran outside to where I knew Brie was waiting.
Sure enough when I stepped outside Brie sat waiting in her beloved sky blue 2007 9-3 Saab convertible. She had the top down even though it looked like rain was looming. But besides the fact it looked like it would rain, it was pretty warm and humid. It was September but the daily temperatures were still reaching the upper eighties and lower nineties.
'Damn you global warming.' I thought with a giggle.
I grinned at Brie when I saw her scowling at me through the windshield of her car. I jumped down the front steps and skipped towards the car. As I opened the passenger's door I heard Brie start mumbling a string of profanities under her breath, "Amber, you are lucky that I love you or so help me god you would be dead by now." Brie remarked.
Brie Snow is eighteen and a senior, two years older than me but you could never tell. Everyone says that my personality is much older than my actual age. That would possibly explain by half my best friends are a couple of years older than me.
Brie's chin length blonde hair was straightened and she wore a pale yellow t-shirt from Hollister with a white jean skirt and matching yellow and white polka dot sandals. Her green eyes showed me that she was just kidding with her comment. You could tell if Brie was really mad at you by the looks in her eyes, they changed to a darker forest green and the usual sparkle was gone from them. Brie sometimes had a problem with her temper so you never really wanted to get on her bad side.
Brie and I looked a lot alike aside from our obvious difference in hair color. Maybe that was why everyone we met thought that we were sisters even though we aren't. We might as well be though. Our parents have been friends since their Highschool days so naturally Brie and I have been friends since birth. We were practically inseparable when we were little kids.
"Aww come on, you know you love me, even if I am always late." I replied with smile.
Brie laughed at my joke and then sent the car spinning out of the driveway as usual. She was a pretty crazy driver most of the time and never really obeyed the speed limit, not that I was complaining or anything. "The others are waiting for me to pick them up." She said as she took off in the opposite direction of my house. "I don't know why I always pick you up first! Maybe we would get to school faster if I picked you up last." Brie complained with a loud sigh.
"I don't know why you are complaining, you never are actually late. You always speed so we always get there ten minutes before the final bell." I retorted.
Brie looked over at me and smiled, "Yeah, whatever." She said.
"So who are we picking up first today?" I asked her, changing the subject.
It was pretty much a daily routine that my friends and I always rode to school together. It was how we have always done it and I don't see that changing until Brie goes off to college but by that time Matt and Liv would be able to drive the us all around, but by then I'd be able to take people around too. I have my license but I'm currently not aloud to drive anyone else around without an adult for another two and a half months. My birthday is in September and I have to wait three months after I officially turn sixteen to get my supposable real yet probationary license since I'm under eighteen. I don't think it makes much since but hey—that's the law for you.
"Well since Olivia has her own car now, she decided to pick up Shay so we only have to pick up Matt and Roxie today." Brie replied.
Brie Snow, Olivia Greene, Matthew (Matt) Perkins, Sharayah (Shay) Anderson and Roxanne (Roxie) Martínez are my best friends. We all lived in Shiloh together and oftentimes go to Lucca's Pizzeria, (the place that reminded me slightly of Luke's mentioned earlier) which is basically the local hang out in Shiloh, that's how we all met. As lame as it sounds that is basically the only attraction that Shiloh has. Not only do they serve pizza but they have pool tables and on Friday and Saturday nights they have a dance party with a DJ playing good music and also included a bar with non-alcoholic drinks for the students and alcoholic drinks for the legal people in town. Plus, on weekdays, they serve the best pizza in the state. Well okay, maybe that isn't true but I think so anyways.
Crazily enough, until the middle of my seventh grade year my friends and I weren't even on speaking terms, well besides Brie and I. Sure we all knew each other—I mean, Shiloh is a very small town, everyone knows everyone else. But the six of us had just never taken the time to become friends. It happened by chance that the six of us even became the close knit group that we are now.
It was one night when Brie and I were eating dinner at the Lucca's that I literally bumped into Shay while she had a plate of pizza in her hand taking it back to her seat where she was enjoying a night out with Olivia and Matt, whom she had known since they were little, kind of like Brie and I. Shay, being the sweet and caring girl that she is, blushed heavily and then proceeded to apologize profusely and even followed me into the ladies-room to try and help me get the pizza stains off of my white sweater I was wearing at the time.
While we were in the bathroom trying to clean my sweater with no prevail, Roxie had chosen that opportunity to enter the restrooms. She was having dinner with her parents and was bored so she used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to escape her parents. But when she saw Shay and I huddled around the sink, being the curious person she is and in the mood for a distraction to keep herself busy so she didn't have to go back to her parents, she came over to ask what we were doing. Roxie completely startled Shay and caused her to almost jump out of her skin. Roxie immediately apologized for startling Shay and I. She introduced herself and then asked what we were doing. Shay and I explained the whole pizza incident and how we were trying to get the stain out but were not getting anywhere to it. Roxie then made the sarcastic comment that we needed one of those tide-to-go sticks. Shay's face brightened up at that and suddenly she was sprinting out of the bathroom, leaving Roxie and I in a confused state.
Minutes later, Shay returned with none other than Olivia who had a tide-to-go stick in her hand. Olivia, who carried one of the tide-to-go sticks around in her purse for Matt, who apparently was always spilling food on him, let me borrow the stick and in no time the stain was barely noticeable. Soon the four of us were joking around getting to know each other and I invited all of them, including Matt, to hang out with Brie and I for the rest of the night. They happily agreed and the rest is basically history.
It's crazy how just a few little choices were able to bring the six of us together and create a bond of companionship that was more like a family bond than just a plain old friendship bond. Like I said, even since that night at Lucca's, the six of us have been really close. Sometimes I think that Matt is a little put out with being the only guy in the group but I know if push came to shove, he wouldn't have it any other way.
I was broken from my memories when I heard Brie comment, "Look's like Rox is already waiting for us."
I felt the car slow down a considerable amount and I looked through the windshield and smiled as we pulled up into a familiar looking driveway. Before us stood a pale blue two story condo, which was none other than Roxanne Martínez's house. But you never, ever called Roxie by her given name unless you had a death wish.
I saw Roxie sitting on her front porch step with her My Chemical Romance shoulder bag in her hands. Roxie was the more punk/rocker type of the six of us. She is my age—fifteen and a sophomore—along with Shay, who is sixteen and a sophomore. Shay has her Sweet Sixteen back in August while Roxie had to wait until January for hers. Ever since we met at the Lucca's the three of us have been pretty inseparable. The funny thing is that the three of us have been in the same classes together since we were in elementary school but just never got the chance to actually talk and get to know each other better until that night at Lucca's.
Roxie wore her shoulder length dark brown hair in her usual side part with her bangs falling over her left eye. Her hazel eyes where focused on me in a mocking fashion as she stepped off the front porch and I resisted the urge to grown knowing that she was going to make some sarcastic comment as soon as she got into the car. Today she was wearing a black My Chemical Romance band t-shirt that matched her shoulder bag, a pair of ripped jeans and her favorite old ragged black converse. Roxie was part Hispanic. Her father was full Hispanic while her mother was a white girl. So, in return, Roxie had noticeable Hispanic features with a perfect tan all year round. It really wasn't fair to us pale folk.
Roxie headed towards the Saab and jumped into the backseat. As Brie started to pull out of the driveway I turned around to talk to my best friend. "Hey Rox." I said excitedly.
"Hey Amber, I take it you are the reason why Brie is so late—again?" Roxie joked.
'Figures ' I thought sullenly. 'In the car for not even five minutes and she is already pulling the sarcastic material.'
I laughed and shook my head at my thoughts, "Probably." I told her.
"You are the reason Amber. You are always the reason why we are late." Brie teased.
"Hey," I exclaimed, trying to defend myself, "As I pointed out earlier we are always at the school ten minutes before the bell so don't say that we are 'always late' because we aren't." I said.
Roxie and Brie both snorted at my comment and I just huffed and turned around and stared out the windshield, ignoring their childish snickering. A few moments later I saw that we were stopping in front of a light tan house and a boy with shaggy black hair and light brown eyes came out of the house and jumped into the backseat with Roxie. He was wearing light wash jeans and a black and white striped polo shirt. He had jumped into the car before Brie had even made a full stop. That was Matt Perkins for you. As soon as he was safely in the car Brie pulled out of his driveway and started in the direction of the school.
Matt turned to me with an evil glint in his eye. I already knew what the next words out of his mouth would be. We went through the same routine every single morning.
"So Amber, late again are we." Matt joked.
I turned around in my seat and childishly stuck my tongue out at him, just like always, and then turned my attention to my window and looked outside—again, just like always. I heard Brie and Roxie, who had already been trying to hide their amusement, start to laugh loudly at the usual playful banter that went on between Matt and I in the mornings. Instead of retorting with a sarcastic comment, I opt to ignore them and looked out the side of the car. I stared as the trees molded together into a bright green blur as a result of Brie pushing harder down on the cars accelerator. I knew by now not to check the speed that she was driving, I decided that for once ignorance was bliss.
Both Matt and Olivia are seventeen years old and are juniors at SHS. They have known each other for years and have been really good friends since they met. The funny thing is Olivia and Matt are both absolutely crazy about each other but neither of them are brave enough to take the plunge and tell the other one that they liked them. Brie, Roxie, Shay and I have had a bet running for the past two years we have been friends on who will take the plunge first. Brie and Shay are thinking that Matt will make the first move but both Roxie and I think that Olivia will be the first one to crack. Brie often jokes that Matt and Olivia have a lot of U.R.S.T, which according to her is Un-Resolved Sexual Tension. They are always arguing and are always at each other's throats—but in the 'I-like-you-so-I'm-purposely-going-to-be-mean-to-you-to-show-you-that-I-like-you' way rather than the 'I'm-going-to-kill-you' way.
'They would make a really sweet couple if they would just admit their feelings to each other. Everyone else sees it except for them.' I thought to myself.
Matt interrupted my thoughts by apologizing, "I'm just kidding, Merce. You know that." He said, apologizing for his earlier stunt.
I felt my anger that I had built up previously retreating when I realized that he used my nickname. 'Merce' was a nickname that my friends had given me and if you really wanted something from me you could use my nickname and I would melt like pudding for you. Only my best friends called me that though, I wouldn't let anyone else was allowed to. The only exception to that rule was family of course. It was a rather odd nickname, since my name was Amber. But, there was a story behind it. My best friend, whom wasn't part of the 'Super Six,' had moved to Shiloh my friends gave me the nickname Mercedes, which goes along with him. You'll find out soon enough why.
I turned and gave Matt a warm smile letting him know that I knew he was kidding and that he was forgiven. Matt grinned back and then he and Roxie started fighting over which radio station we were going to listen to. Roxie being her typical self wanted to listen to a rock station while Matt wanted to listen to rap. Luckily, Brie intervened before they got to arguing to bad. If the two of them snapped at each other long enough it would turn into the classic Rock VS Rap debate that they had on nearly a daily basis.
I smiled and shook my head at my friends and I watched as we pulled into the school parking lot. We pulled into a parking space alongside a 2008 Lexus ISF that was bright purple in color. I recognized it immediately—the color wasn't something you saw on car that you saw too often. It was none other than Olivia's pride and joy. She had gotten it for her sweet sixteen the previous year and now her father was finally letting her drive it to school. Olivia's father was really strict and didn't want her driving until he was absolutely sure that she wasn't going to get into a wreck. I guess he finally decided to let up and let Olivia drive to school.
Sure enough, I saw Olivia stepping out of the driver's side of the car and Sharayah getting out of the passenger's side when Brie, Roxie, Matt and I all piled out of Brie's car.
"Hey guys!" Olivia said happily as she got out of her car and waved at us.
"Hey, nice to see that you guys were finally able to make it!" Sharayah teased while looking at me. I scowled back at her.
Olivia stood proudly, leaning against the door of her car with her long chestnut hair straightened and her light grey eyes sparkling with excitement. Olivia was like an older sister to me—even more so than Brie sometimes. Brie could be moody and even a little on the bipolar side at times but Olivia was a naturally mellow person who I could always trust with anything I had to tell her.
On the other side of the car I looked over to Sharayah, or Shay as we usually called her. Sharayah was just such a mouthful that she just had everyone shorten her name down to Shay if she knew them on an informal basis. She didn't have a passionate hatred for her real name, unlike Roxie.
Shay resembled a small sprite because of how short and tiny she was. Her wavy blonde hair was pinned back into curls and her big blue eyes were teasing as she looked at me. Shay was naturally shy around most people, well besides me and my friends obviously, but once you got to know her she was not shy in any way and was extremely energetic for a person so small. Sometimes Shay was like a spring—she built up all her energy inside her and eventually she exploded with a mountain load of energy just waiting to go on an adventure. Normally that adventure consisted on either hanging out with the gang or going four-wheeler riding with some of our other friends from school that were outside of our little group.
Unfortunately, the bell rang right at that moment which meant we had about five minutes to get to our first class. I cringed back a little, knowing that I was about to get taunted by Brie.
Sure enough I heard her snort loudly a few moments later, "So…" she started out slowly, drawing her voice out. "I thought you said we are always ten minutes early."
"I—Uhh—" I couldn't think of a good comeback to that which sent all of my friends into hysterical laughter at the look on my face. I pouted slightly, "Well anyways, I think I'm going to go ahead and start walking to class. See you later guys." I said and got ready to leave.
"Wait!" Shay called out as I started to walk away. I stopped in my tracks to turn around and look at her, "I'll come with you." She finished.
All my other friends nodded and waved goodbye to us and left to go to their classes as well.
Shay and I started to make our way towards the large tan colored building that we called our high school. The building is only one story tall but it is split up to where there are different sections inside the school for the different subjects. It seriously reminds me of a college campus only it was all squished together into one building, it was also a hell of a lot smaller. I opened the double black doors that opened up into the schools hallway and walked inside.
I saw that many people were already littering the hallways. The main hallway that you first walk into when you enter the school held the front office and the entrances to get into the cafeteria and the gym. A long hallway led down past some math classrooms and then was a section for the sophomore lockers. I pushed my way through my fellow sophomore's to make my way to my locker with Shay on my tail since, coincidentally, her locker was right next to mine.
"So, judging by how late Brie was this morning, I'm guessing that you were late getting up this morning?" Shay teased as we pushed our way through the crowded hallway.
I groaned, "I was not late getting up, I just took a little bit longer getting ready this morning." I told her while defending myself.
"Uh-huh." Shay said with a smile.
"Wipe that smile off your face right now Sharayah Anderson, we made it to school on time today—didn't we?" I said, using her full name.
Shay held back a laugh but I saw a flash of irritation go through her eyes at hearing me speak her full name. I knew that she hated it with a 'deep-burning-passion', or at least that's what she said. "I guess." She finally said a few seconds later while biting on her lip.
I rolled my eyes at her and continued walking, "I just wish that everyone would let that go already! Technically I have never—" I started but was suddenly cut off as I ran into a rock hard chest.
I stumbled backwards slightly at the impact and mumbled, "Ooof" under my breath at whoever had been stupid enough to run into me. I looked up to glare at said person but stopped, slightly awestruck, when I was able to figure out just who had run into me.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Amber. I wasn't really paying attention and I didn't see you. Are you okay?" a smooth, low voice asked.
Without even having to look up I knew who I had run into immediately. The fact that my cheeks were heating up and a little flutter in my stomach let me know right away who it was. I looked up—the guy standing in front of me was around 5'8" tall, compared to my 5'4", and had short dark brown hair but had longer bangs that fell onto his forehead. He had a well defined jaw line and the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen; they were a deep electric blue. Every time I see these damn eyes I feel myself melting into putty. The boy was wearing a dark blue shirt that brought out his blue eyes and a pair of faded skinny jeans that fit him perfectly and a pair of ragged converse. I felt my lips tug at the corners into an involuntary smile. The boy smiled back at me.
He was Bentley James Rivera, my very best guy friend. Well, besides Matt that is. And, I just happened to have the biggest crush on him in the world and he didn't even have a clue.
'Huh, maybe I shouldn't be so judgmental of Matt and Olivia. I'm probably just as bad as them.' I thought to myself with a slight scowl. 'But then again I have a good reason for not telling Bentley how I really feel about him.'
"Yeah I'm fine." I told him when I finally found my voice. Oftentimes I tended to be very flustered around him.
"Are you sure?" he asked out of pure concern.
I nodded, "Yeah Bentley, I'm fine. I'll see you at lunch." I said and then continued my way down the hallway, giving Bentley a little wave and tried to watch discreetly as he continued in the direction he had been going in.
Shay walked beside me and smiled an evil smile. There was a glint in her eyes too—that only meant one thing.
"What?" I asked innocently.
"Do you still like him?" she asked. I bit my lip at her question; I wasn't exactly sure how to answer her question.
Bentley and I had been friends for almost four years—it seemed like such a long time ago because it almost felt like Bentley and I had been friends all our lives. Bentley, his parents and his older brother, Ryan—had moved from their hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana when Bentley was just getting ready to start seventh grade because his father, Paul Rivera, got a new, higher paying job at the local hospital where they were in desperate need of a new surgeon. Apparently, Bentley's father was 'the-best' and Shiloh just 'had' to have him. Bentley later told me that the hospital had given him a large amount of money just to transfer to Shiloh Medical Hospital and on top of that the hospital was paying him double of what he got when he worked in Indianapolis.
When Bentley had first moved to Shiloh, he was angry at his parents for making him leave his friends and his lifetime home but now, he said that he was glad that his father took the job. He told me that he never had such good friends back in Indianapolis—which secretly made me elated.
I was the first person who talked to Bentley once he was started our school. Most students weren't very welcoming to people who were on 'the-outside', or rather, who hadn't lived in Shiloh their whole lives. Really, people in our town weren't always the most welcoming to newcomers. I didn't think like that though—I knew that if I ever had to move, leave my friends and start a new school, I would want to have people who would talk me through what went on in the school instead of have everyone ignore me because I was 'the-new-kid'.
So I talked to him.
And since the very moment I had introduced myself to him on his first day, I have had a crush on him. Since that first day when I befriended him before anyone else, we were very close. My friends had given my the nickname Merce as a joke. Bentley and Mercedes – haha, laugh it up. My friends sure did, they always got a kick out of it and Bentley never could figure out exactly how I got the nickname Merce.
Bentley always loved to tease me though. He was always calling me his twin sister even though we looked absolutely nothing alike. Ironically our birthdays are only two days apart which made the twin thing make more sense. His birthday is September 22nd while mine is September 24th—coincidentally Bentley's birthday is this Saturday, while mine is on the following Monday.
That was why I never asked him out or let him have any indication that I liked him as anything more than a friend—he viewed me as a sister and he usually made that known to me and pretty much everyone else around us. It got kind of embarrassing at times. It was like he purposely made 'brother and sister' jokes just to see me squirm. Come to think of it, maybe he did do it purposely.
'Don't think like that!' My conscious screamed at me.
I knew I wasn't sure if I could handle possible rejection from him or the fact that it could mess up our close friendship so it wasn't just because he didn't think of me as anything other than a little sister. I certainly didn't think of him as an older brother—even if he did act like one at times.
'I don't need him for that though. That is Matt's job.' I scowled. I thought back to Shay's question. To my heart the answer was obvious, but my mind had other ideas. 'Should I tell Shay the truth or not…' I thought.
After a moment of thinking I answered her, "Sort of." I said cryptically.
"Come on, you have to give me more than that." Shay fussed.
I sighed, "Well I mean I'm not really sure of my feelings for him anymore Shay, after I decided last year that I wasn't going to do anything about it because I thought it would ruin our friendship I've tried not to think about it. There's also the little fact that he views me as his little sister. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not really sure if I still do or not." I told her. It was only half the truth. The reasons of course were true but the part about me not thinking about it was defiantly not true. It has been on my mind every single day for months.
Shay smirked, "Sure you don't." she said while rolling her eyes, "You still love him." She accused.
"I'm not sure if love is the right term for it." I told her grudgingly while I rolled my eyes.
"You love him you just wont admit it." She said and then she turned on her heel and started walking off towards her first class.
I stood there for one moment thinking about her words but then pushed them away. Bentley and I—we were just friends. That was all we would ever be, no matter how much I wished that everything was different.
So, that was the very first chapter. Excruciatingly long, huh? Well, I hope that you enjoyed it. REVIEW/FAVORITE/ALERT or whatever it is that you want to do. But if you favorite or alert the story, please take the time to leave a review with some feedback. Any ideas on the plot yet? And if you have any questions or issues please feel free to mention them as well. Anyways, that's all folks :) Until next time (which will be probably a couple days from now.) Adios!
