Chapter 1
Grace’s POV
“My name is Emily Wyat I am 20 years old, I grew up in North Carolina. I lived with my uncle Danny there until I finished college. Then I recently moved to New York to be closer to my family” I said once again into the mirror hanging on my door.
I cover my face with my hands and sigh. Why? Why do I have to live in crummy New York?! I miss London! I miss my home so much, why is it that New Yorkers always want to go to London and Londoners always want to come to New York?! I see nothing special here.
It was just another city full of yellow taxis, expensive hot dogs, and someone getting mugged at every block. I look into the mirror again making a face then I look down at my attire. I’m wearing my red dress, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to show off some skin. The straps on it were pretty thick I never did trust spaghetti straps.
I roll my eyes at this. Spaghetti straps, even the name tells you they’re unsafe. My non-spaghetti strap dress went down to about mid-thigh and fit me a little more lose than I remember.
“It must be the weight loss,” I say out loud then mentally scold myself.
“What if Malcolm heard you-you idiot?” I scold myself out loud only to realize that I’m losing it.
Here I am in front of my door sitting down, scolding myself and here I am repeating my information again and again. I’d just convinced myself to start going out and here I am repeating my information. My information kept me safe. I shouldn’t scold myself for that, I was being careful.
“Yeah right,” said the little voice in my head. Okay, now I’ve definitely lost it.
Knock knock
Malcolm’s knocking on the door. I get up and open it slowly.
“Hey, you want something to - ” he stops in disbelief.
“What are you wearing?” He asks me obviously confused that the girl who’s been keeping herself inside the apartment for a month and a half looks like she’s about to go out. Then he smiles understanding what was going on.
“I-I I’m not doing it,” I said crossing my arms and walking over to my bed.
“Oh yes, you are! You’ve dressed already, admit it you want to go out and enjoy yourself a little” he says walking after me.
I turn around about to yell at him but instead I stare at the ground, he wasn’t wrong.
“Malcolm I can’t what -what if ” I start but me cuts me off.
“Grace, listen to me” he puts his hands on my shoulders to get me to look at him.
“You’ll be fine, if you get lost you can call me. You’re far away and a new person you’ll be fine” he says.
Well, he was right about the me getting lost part and having to call him but the new person part was completely off. I might look like a new person on the outside but I was still the Grace who came here a month and a half ago.
I was afraid, I felt like I’d be in danger as soon as I stepped out of this apartment. Nothing was different except my look, makeovers are supposed to help you feel confident right? I just feel paranoid and unlike me. He squeezed my shoulders snapping me out of my thoughts and gave me a reassuring smile.
I sighed and nodded, “okay I’ll give it a try, it’ll be fun,” I say, trying to convince myself more than him.
I grab my purse off the bed and place my phone inside. Then I walk over to Malcolm, who’s watching me to see if I’ll actually go through with it. I hug him and he bear hugs me back. I walk out of my room, to the living room, and then head towards the door. My hands shake as I unlock it. Malcolm’s watches me smiling, I smile back before walking out. Remember when I said I’d lost it? Now I’d become mental.
“You look hot” he yells after me causing me to roll my eyes.
Ethan’s POV
It is 8 pm on a Saturday night. I am home on a Saturday night at 8 pm. Do you know what’s wrong with that sentence? Everything. What 22 year old is home on a Saturday night at 8 pm?!
This is Todd and Mikey’s fault! Every Saturday we planned to do something together but since Todd wanted to work late today and Mikey was sick I was left alone. It’s not like I need them to actually have fun you know but they made things better. Our little squad always ended up having a good time.
I need something to do, I thought before grabbing my phone to check if I was invited to any parties. Nope, nothing, zero messages. Well, that was very unfortunate. The truth is I’ve always been kind of a ladies man but over the past year or so I found myself getting bored with these girls. The type of girls who always went after me were stuck up, orange tanned, airheads. They were fun throughout high school but I was done with them. They lacked ambition and I don’t know something.
I started hanging with Todd and Mikey more often and Saturday nights became our thing. Well, that is except for tonight. I don’t want to be home, the weather is nice outside maybe I should just go out alone. I check my phone again in case I received any invites, nope. That’s it I’m going to the club. I shower quickly and don’t bother with combing my hair. I put on some black pants and a v neck shirt some chucks. I grab my leather jacket slip my phone in my pocket and was out the door. It was time for some fun!
I kept trying to convince myself that I’d have fun but I knew I’d only end up drunk by the end of the night, oh well. I walk down two flights of stairs and wave to the doorman who’s on his brake. He was a nice guy always said good morning and good night, never really bothers anyone.
I exit the building and walk a few blocks East this club called Nitro was there. I remember going there with the guys and Todd making some lame chemistry joke about it. I sigh hating that I’d be alone tonight. I walk in, the bouncer knows me from around here so no I.D is really needed. Good because I’d forgotten mine. The music is pumping but not too loud since it’s still pretty early. It’s not too packed in here but it’s not empty either. I look across the room and find what I’ve been looking for, the bar! Let the drinking begin.
I sucked with alcohol, though, I could drink and drink and it took forever for it to have an effect. So after three drinks, I was just enjoying the music. This club’s music was good actually no crappy twerk stuff. Jesse McCartney starts playing I don’t really like the pop kind of music playing too much but the lyrics were okay, actually, they sounded like my thoughts when I was young and naive even though this was some of his better work.
I’m listening almost chuckling at the lyrics now, I kind of like it but then I spot a girl sitting two seats over. When did she get here? Was I drunk already? No, I doubt it, I was just into the music and she was too. I could tell by her face she was enjoying it. She was sipping on a Shirley temple tapping her fingers on her drink.
She was gorgeous, her red dress showed off her long lean legs, she had long black hair and short bangs. How had I not noticed her before? And was she here alone? I kind of start staring at her. Yes, she was beautiful but something about her seemed odd. Too bad for her it just made me want to stare at her some more.
She caught me staring at her and I smirked at her hoping she’d smile back. Well, I got the opposite of the response I wanted. I mean it was so far from a smile and it was strange because girls usually hit on me, not the other way around.
I didn’t get a smile from her instead I got a scared face. She looked like she’d seen a ghost. I knew what that look was. It was fear that I saw in her eyes. I walked over calmly to her becoming more curious by the second. Did I know her? Did she know me? I needed to start a conversation with her. Or was this the alcohol talking? After three drinks I doubt it.
I take the seat beside her and ask her for the time. You won’t believe the response I got this time, it was just strange. I’d merely ask if she knew the time and she looked like she couldn’t breathe. Had I done something wrong? She got up and walked away quickly to an exit and I got up and started following her when she starts to collapse.
Holy crap! I catch her before she hits the ground and try talking to her to see if she was okay.
“Hey, are you okay? Hey?” I ask, but no answer.
I find my phone to call an ambulance. When they finally get here I’m asked by one of the paramedics to come along since I was with her. I agreed, feeling partially responsible for her passing out. I say partially because I should’ve stayed away after her first reaction but then again, her behavior was pretty strange. We’re taken to a hospital I didn’t pay attention to which one. Then the strange girl is placed in a room with wires attached to her. I thought the wires were too much I mean she only passed out.
The nurse said she passed out due to not eating and then the alcohol she had. Yeah, I think but me frightening her also added to it. She’d be awake in a little while then I had questions for her.
And that’s how it all began
