✾

My eyes open when I hear someone pounding on the front door. My dad had to work late today, but it wouldn't have mattered since we don't talk much. I assume it must be Sophie and yell, "Wait a minute!" before going to open the door.

Take in mind, I'm being grumpy because I just woke up from a nap.

After I open the door, my eyes don't meet the cobalt eyes of Sophie, but instead, the hazel eyes of Pierce. He's got Ruby by his side and he holds her wrist, looking at me with an unreadable expression which quickly gets me concerned. I open the screen door, saying, "Guys, what's up? What's wrong?"

"We gotta get in the car, get some clothes and don't spend over five minutes. Dad's out and he wants to find Ruby and you but I know where to go."

"Wait, okay, so what happened?" If I heard him correctly, his dad is out of jail. But I can't believe something like that could possibly happen. They have him secure behind bars the way he should be... right?

"Did I hear you right?" I start with a paranoid scoff. "Because I just thought you said, 'My dad is out of prison,' and that sounds kind of... out there," I say using a forced laugh, and my rambling gets faster. "I mean, the police know what they're doing, and one little measly killer like him? They'd still keep an eye on him. I mean, right? Isn't that their job? I mean it's not like they're sitting around eating donuts and taking naps while a man uses an old plastic spork he took from dinner as he sharpens the back of it and gets out, right? Why aren't you saying anything, Pierce? Stop looking at me like that! Is he here or is he not?" My eyes switch back and forth between the corners of my vision but I don't spot anyone except for the two people in front of me.

"Princess, you know the answer and unfortunately I don't have the time to spell it out for you. How about you do me a favor and grab some stuff so we can escape and get away from this b*stard?"

"What?" I mumble, my knees locking. My volume slowly gets louder as the situation really starts to sink in. "You mean, um, I was right? He's... out? Looking for us?!"

"Yes, and we can talk about this when we're on the road so please hurry. You can bring your phone but only text your dad and let 'im know what's going on."

I don't even nod before I practically bolt out of the room, holding back tears and telling myself that now is not the time. I shove my phone and a charger into my backpack, dumping out the school stuff and putting a toothbrush in there with clothes as I was instructed to do. When I come outside we get into the car and he starts it immediately, speeding away from my home. Although I'm not speaking, my thoughts are racing through my head.

There is no way that I'm going to survive. That man probably wants to kill me—and by probably, I mean most definitely. There are quite a few different directions this could go in, but for me, I only see it going into one specific direction. And it's not a pretty one.

So if I do end up dying, well... I never really thought about what would happen if I were to actually get murdered. How long will it take? Will he shoot me too? After I die, will I even be able to think? No, I won't even know that I'm not existing anymore! Will I be reborn as something entirely different—what are the odds that I'll end up as a human again if I do? And if I don't... is that just it for me? And what kind of stupid f*cking legacy will I have left behind?

They'll say that I'm a hard-worker. That I'm "smart." That I was quiet or something. That I'm a pessimistic piece of trash who never really did anything good for anyone anyway.

And I know what you might be thinking—"Why are you just assuming that you're going to die somehow?" But I freeze up when I'm scared and no one on this planet would take a bullet for me, and if they did, I would feel even worse with enough panic and guilt to kill me anyway. Right now I'm terrified beyond belief (and description), and I haven't even faced the man yet.

And considering my past, it just isn't meant to work out. My mother was murdered and my father is too tired to even talk to me most nights. I only have two friends and both of them must know they could do far better than me anyway. I spend most of my time being afraid of what's to come and I determine my self-worth based off of my grades. I'm still a lonely teenager who doesn't know who she is because she's running as far away from herself as she can.

Does it ever seem like I really stood much of a chance anyway?

"We're going to the gas station to grab stuff," Pierce says calmly. How the h*ll is he this collected when the entire world is practically shattering?! "There's some Xanax in the glovebox if you need to calm yourself down."

"Okay," I agree quietly, opening the said glovebox and taking a few. I stay quiet because there is everything in the world that I'd like to say, but who wants to hear my crap anyway?

It doesn't take long before I start to get drowsy and fall asleep.

✾

Maybe I sleep too much.

In fact, when I wake up in a car, my initial thought is, Where am I? And then I remember everything.

"This is too chaotic," I voice my thoughts aloud. "I knew something bad was going to happen. You and Ruby will be fine, I know so. She hasn't said a word but I know she'll be okay. And as for me? I'm meant to die just as my mother did, even due to another bullet from the same hand. And I feel calm about it because I know it happens to everyone."

"Stop talking like that," Pierce sighs. "That's not true. None of us are going to die and you especially are not. We'll all be fine."

"Look at how calm you are," I point out. "Don't you think you know that deep down? Because you know you'll be fine. Obviously for me, the narrative of murder isn't out of reach." I cross my arms stubbornly. There's not much I have to lose anyway, right?

"You're wrong," he says softly. Gosh, does his voice make me melt. "I'm calm because I've had my fair share of problems and I might as well be an expert at fending off this *sshole. This is extreme, too, but hopefully the cops'll get to him before we do."

"Defend, not attack," I nod, taking a mental note of it. "I'm still going to die though, and that's the only reason why I'm going to be so forward with you."

We park in the McDonald's parking lot, showing that this is where we're going to go for breakfast. He turns his face towards me, me admiring his features that anyone attracted to males would adore.

"Princess," he says one more time, "we're not going to die, you're just scared."

"I'll regret this in the future if I don't die, by some slim chance. But I'll tell you something big, okay? And you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Promise. But really, don't say anything you'll regret."

"I'm just... I don't know. But will you just listen to me?"

"Fine," he sighs, agreeing reluctantly.

I let out a deep breath, deciding to say it quickly and rip it off like a band-aid. "You put up with all my stupid stuff and you're funny. And I kind of like the name you gave me, and I kind of like your eyes a whole lot, more than any pair of even bright blue eyes. And I kind of really like your smile, and put simply, I kind of really like you."

He stays silent for a moment, and after a moment he just clears his throat and I start to speak again.

"I'm sorry, I-I just wanted to—"

"You should say things you'll regret more often, Princess." He gives me a charming smile, facing me completely and taking one of my hands to hold between us.

"So d-do you like me too or...?"

My heart starts racing like it does a lot, but this time in a new way, a better way. A way I could get used to, or a kind I'd even be okay with not getting used to. Sometimes he just gets me so nervous I can't talk, like his presence just ties my tongue.

"Lean a little bit closer and you'll find out," he says even softer than he had before.

I bite my lip, doing as he said and closing my eyes, but not after getting a good look at his lips that I've naturally been drawn to since I've seen them. I see him doing the same, his eyes looking at mine as if they weren't as weird as I really thought they were. Even after closing my eyes, I can imagine him doing so too, covering his own multi-colored irises with his lovely eyelids. Our lips are so close that I can feel the warmth of his skin radiating onto mine.

We start to lean forward, our lips just about to touch before—

"Stop that, that's so gross!" Ruby groans from the backseat before covering her eyes with her hands. "And I'm hungry."

Pierce and I both start laughing, pulling back and looking at Ruby.

She removes her hands from her eyes, glaring at her brother. "And don't forget what's going on right now."

✾