• Chapter 1- Kidnapped
    I never really thought about my future. Just that I wanted to be happy. Well that all changed the first day of being a freshman.
    It started out just like any other day. I got up, took a shower, got dressed, put on my make-up, had mom yell “Jasey Rae! You’re going to be late for the bus! Get your butt out the door!” Yep. Everything was perfectly normal. Aside for the fact that the old long distance coach had retired and now one of the parents were taking over. ‘Oh god. We’re all doomed.’ I thought the first time I had heard the awful news.
    See, in my district, elementary school is K-6, then junior high is 7-9, and high school is 10-12. So freshman stay at the junior high, no matter how much they wanted to leave. By now I knew the school like the back of my hand.
    By the time lunch rolls around, every one of my friends has thought of something cool to do during lunch to scare the new parents mad. As is tradition at Saint Peter’s Secondary School. Zack and Sasha had gotten bungee jackets and were going to bounce around the lunchroom together. Everyone thought they were crazy. But then there was Tyler, who had brought a humungous balloon to school and was going to fill it up with some sort of really expensive nano-tech helium that just came out last month and fly away with it. Tyler’s dad was the creator of nano-tech technology so he didn’t have to pay to do really expensive tricks. On top of everything it didn’t help that he was loaded. Every year he would come up with the best trick and make everyone jealous because he didn’t bring anyone along with him. But this year was different. He promised me that he would let me join him this year as long as nobody knew until the trick was in process. So as anyone would do, I promised on my mother’s grave. Ya know, like how little kids cross their heart and hope to die. Yeah. Just like that.
    It was 3rd period and I was absolutely ecstatic about the trick. Tyler and I had planned to grab one of the little sevies and run as fast as we could to where the balloon was hiding. We we’re, after all, the fastest runners on the track team and he was the star football player. Strong, fast and H-O-T hot! That was Tyler. Oh yeah. Did I mention that he’s had a crush on me since second grade? He doesn’t know that I know but it’s so obvious. Especially when our buddies keep telling me that he thinks he’s in love with me. But unfortunately, I can’t date until I’m 16 so I’m stuck playing hard to get for the time being. My dad says I can always date before that if I can get less than 11 minutes on my 3600 (2 miles for those of you who don’t do metric). But I just say that I’ll try my best even though I know I’ll never get there.
    Five minutes until lunch and I’m sitting there watching the clock while hearing my new science teacher, Mrs. Henderson, drone on in the background. “Tick, tick, tick.” Time seems like it’s slowing down more and more as each second goes by as my heart rate climbs to what I am sure is off the charts. After what feels like an hour, the bell rings. “Finally!” I whisper. I look around the room to make sure no one heard me. It’s unnatural for me to be that excited to get out of class.
    I dash though the halls. I’m sure I knocked over at least three unsuspecting seventh graders. When I finally spot Tyler and run over to him, he laughs. “You’re going to waste all your energy before we even get started!” of course he was right. I was bending forward with my hands on my knees, panting. “Let’s take a break for a sec and get some food. Or do you just want to fly over to my house after the trick and eat there?” Tyler’s house wasn’t really a house. It was like a castle. I used to joke with our buddies that the pillows were stuffed with $100 bills. Everyone (including Tyler) thought that would be awesome and hilarious. Although we were never allowed in the East Wing…
    “Your house all the way man! Oh yeah, and are we actually taking the sevie?”
    “Of course! It would be stupid if we didn’t!”
    “Yeah I guess. But I was kinda hoping it would be just us.” I only said this because I knew that random kid would become the talk of the school with us. And I’m kind of selfish that way. “Well. We could always just take him up a few feet and then drop him into the tree.” He suggested earnestly. Making him fall for it was easier than I thought it would have been. “Yeah that’s a great idea!” I said sarcastically. “If he breaks his neck you’re paying his medical bill. After all you’re the one with the cash.”
    “Okay, okay, maybe not. But you are right. It would be more fun if it was just us.” He replied, unhappy.
    “How about if we capture him and then leave him on the ground. And then as soon as we see the crowd round the corner we take off. How does that sound?”
    “Okay I guess. But it still would have been more fun taking him with us for even a little bit.” He said still unhappy. He looked at the ground. At this point we were sitting on one of the table benches. I reached over with my extremely pale, almost translucent hand, and put it on his tan cheek. I was always jealous of his skin tone. He looked up straight into my eyes. His bright green gaze almost piercing my heart straight through. This was the times I wondered how in the world he could like me. My eyes were hazel and they blended in with my long, golden blonde hair and my abnormally pale skin while his were bright green and popped out among his long (for a guy), shaggy dark brown hair and his evenly tan completion. He was wearing his Seahawks cap backwards as usual and thank god he was one of the few guys that didn’t sag their pants. He was wearing his Led Zeppelin concert t-shirt today and skateboarding shoes. While I was wearing a flowy, off the shoulder, printed shirt that tied at one side, a pair of flair Hollister jeans, and brown gladiator sandals. I was completely plain compared to him and he still liked me.
    No matter. He looked right into my eyes. “Don’t be sad yet. You have to be happy for the crowd or else they’ll think that I’m kidnapping you.” And then I had it. We would make it so that it looked like I was kidnapping him. It was perfect. I had to share this.
    He put his hand on top of mine which was still on his cheek. “But that’s just it. You should be kidnapping me.” Darn he beat me too it. Did I mention he was a straight A student?
    “You stole my idea.”I said pulling my hand down and frowning.
    Now it was his turn to put his hand on my cheek. “Hey. I don’t mind kidnapping you if that would work better.” He smiled his beautiful smile. His teeth were naturally perfect and so he never had braces and his teeth were sparkling white. And then he leaned in to kiss me just like he had been doing all summer. I still had to play hard to get so at this moment I chose to stand up and say “I’m gonna go pretend to get some food” and I winked at him and left. I look back just in time to see him sigh and roll his eyes.
    I get in the lunch line and as soon as I’m still someone grabs me around the waist and runs. “Tyler” I thought to myself as I screamed. But not for long because everyone started getting up out of their seats and running after us. But as I looked behind us I saw Tyler running toward us as fast as he could. “Then who the hell is this?” I think as I twist myself around to get a good look at my captor who I should have know was not Tyler because he was not running near as fast and that would be why Tyler was gaining on us. I look up to find a fully grown man that I didn’t recognize. At that my mind went wild.
    I could smell the adrenaline coming. I started twisting and turning to get myself free. Finally when we were right beside the balloons’ hiding place I kicked him in the nuts, pushed away, and started running toward the balloon. I was a good ten meters away when I tripped over a tree root and fell on my butt. The man pulled out a knife and started creeping toward me. I backed up against the tree and put up my hands to guard me. He was right over top of me when Tyler (I knew it was him this time) put himself between the man and I and punched him in the nose. The man staggered, dropped the knife, and fell to his knees holding his nose. Tyler kicked away the knife and grabbed the man’s collar and pulled him up.
    “Why are you here?! Who sent you?!” Tyler screamed at the man.
    The man chuckled. His nose bleeding. “Are you not as smart as they say you are? Who else would send me to ruin your life?”
    “Half the world would do anything to get their hands on me.” Tyler said as he threw the man down and stepped on his fingers.
    “True.” The man grimaced, “Well I’m not exactly supposed to tell you so…”
    “So I’ll just have to beat it out of you.”
    “I should have seen this coming. But how are you going to get me there?”
    “Oh I have my ways.” He turned to me. “Jasey could you go get the balloon?”
    I nodded and ran to the balloon. When I got back with the balloon I saw that Tyler had knocked the man out and strapped him to his back. “Come here. We’ve got a lot to talk about and I suppose I have to explain myself. Let’s go back to my place.”
    “Yeah ok.” I said still shocked from what just happened.
    He grabbed my chin lightly. “Hey. Are you okay?”
    I nodded even though I wasn’t sure if I really was. I had absolutely no idea as to what was going on.
    He took the balloon in one hand and wrapped the other arm around my waist. I didn’t object because I felt safe standing there with his arm wrapped around me. It felt so right that I couldn’t help myself but just to look up and kiss his cheek. He looked down at me. “What was that for?”
    “It’s a thank you for saving me.”
    “Oh well. No problem.” He smiled. “Is this kissing thing gonna be a regular thing or is that all your gonna give?”
    “Get to your house and we’ll see.”
    At this he laughed. “No problem.” And he pushed off the ground.