Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Loud music pulsed through the tall red colonial style house. It was two AM on a Monday morning; I was just leaving yet another of my friend Stephanie’s amazing parties. Yep her parents were out of town again.
I was always jealous of how lucky she was in that huge house of hers, she was an only child like me, but her parents seemed to never be there. Both had demanding jobs. My parents weren’t like that, my mom believed in tradition, that the woman should stay home and take care of the kids or in this case kid.
I guess I shouldn’t complain, I mean my life was perfect. And everyone knew it.
“You ok babe?” asked Jake, my boyfriend of three years
He was ‘someone’ I would have chosen out for myself if you were able to create the perfect guy; cute, funny, loving, and of course a great kisser. The whole package really.
“Yeah, just thinking, you know?” I asked as I turned toward him
“You think way too much Trace,” he said calling me by my nickname I had since pre k. I had gotten used to the simple name once given to me by teachers, but now used by only my friends.
“Yeah I guess I do it’s just when I’m tired my brain can never shut up. You know?” I asked again staring intently at him wondering if he could really understand me on the same level as this one.
“Not really, I mean when I’m tired, I’m tired, that’s it. Plain and simple.” He stated leaning down to kiss me.
Ahh his kisses so pure and sweet when they wanted to be and so hot and raw at other times. I accepted greedily as our lips joined. Jake and I had gone from kissing to sex and everything in between. I wasn’t a girl to shy away from PDA, so I wasn’t surprised when Lucy cleared her throat behind us.
“Excuse me you two love birds are blocking the way out,” she said. To be honest Lucy wasn’t my favorite person she tried too hard to be me. Matching me in style; my usual sweats and UGGS and at other times my mini skirt or super short shorts. I had a lean body but Lucy was a size bigger than me and just didn’t fit either style perfectly. She also wore her bleached hair in similar hair styles to my natural blonde hair; you see I was a real blonde not a fake like most girls you see these days. There’s nothing better than a real blonde.
I turned to her and forced a smile, “there is another way out,” I told her.
Lucy nodded in defeat and walked away, I could sense she wanted to fight back, but that would ruin whatever little popularity she had at all. No one wants to be the bottom of the food chain with the nerds, geeks, and freaks.
“We really should go,” Jake said glancing down at his expensive watch.
“Why?” I asked I knew Stephanie didn’t mind Jake and me kissing. She had gone to sleep hours ago that was usually how it was at her parties. As soon as the clock reached twelve she was out like a light.
“I need to sleep. Coach says I’ve been off my game lately.” He answered shifting his hand through his bronze hair. He only looked cuter if that were even possible.
“Oh.” I pouted; Coach Meyers seemed to get between Jake and me a lot lately.
“I know it’s not your fault I tried to tell him,” Jake said guessing that I was upset that once again I was blamed for his poor performance. I was always blamed for his poor performance as if the fact that even though he had school and work to deal with couldn’t be the cause of his usual exhaustion.
“No, I understand,” I said though that was just a lie. I lived my own life not anyone else’s so I couldn’t quite understand why Jake took so much crap from Coach Meyers it just made zero sense to me. Every time I asked, he would mutter scholarship as if it was the only possible answer.
“It’s just until the finals then I’m all yours,” he promised wrapping his strong arms around my slender waist. I tried to let his body comfort me but the words hit me like sharp glass. And I couldn’t help but make it worse for myself by twisting these shards until my beautiful body was covered in slices.
“What do you mean?” I asked, twisting the shards
“Well my dad got involved as well, he’s worried that by spending time with you will cause me to lose my scholarship,” he said.
“Oh.” I mumbled, again what about school and his job? Was I really such a big part of his life that school and his job at Hot Digedy Dogg! A small hot dog chain at the mall, didn’t matter at all.
“So I guess you’ll be going solo for a while,” he said.
“But I’ll see you in school right?” I asked, surely it wasn’t bad for him to spend time with me during school right?
“Of course!” he said smiling his arms tightening around my waist
“And the dance?” I asked
“I’m not sure,” he said leaning into my neck, hiding his angel face from my view.
I frowned, this wasn’t just any dance this was the dance in which our school’s homecoming queen and king would be announced. He couldn’t miss it.
“Look I’m sorry Tracy it’s over my head, ok?” he asked
I nodded swallowing my ‘no it’s not ok!’ and the rest of my female teenage hormones beating him to a pulp. I figured beating him up wasn’t going to help either of us in this situation, I would just need to stay calm. Biting back another snide comment and pasting on a smile.
“Let’s go, it’s getting cold,” he said slipping my hand into his larger one. I held on tight never wanting to let him go.
We walked to his car in silence just as we sat in silence as his Mercedes speeded down the road.
I heard his lips open and close as he tried to start a conversation but then gave up either because he knew I wouldn’t respond or because he didn’t have anything to say to me. Giving up he turned on the radio filling it with Beatle’s music.
“See you later.” He said stopping outside my house
“No goodnight kiss?” I asked although I was aware the night was a distant past and that it was becoming morning.
“Not tonight.” He said glaring out his windshield both hands at two and ten on his steering wheel. His eyes didn’t meet mine.
As soon as I got out he drove away nearly leaving the passenger door open, but it hit the rock wall and slammed shut.
I watched him drive away with a dent on his door, I’m sure his father would blame that on me too.
I flinched as I noticed the rock wall dent his car, surely I would be blamed for that too. I groaned as I headed inside my mind still awake as I slowly and tiredly walked up the long staircase to the second floor then fell unto my bed not even removing my clothes as I fell asleep.