Dreams of a Different Kind

Here's a story I've started to write. I have about ten pages done, twenty pages double-spaced, not to much, but it's a science fiction, though it doesn't seem like it in the beginning. I think this idea has been played on before, but I want to go with it. Tell me how you like it. :3 Also this is the raw version, no editing or anything. So sorry for any errors or stupid stuff. Most of this was written at odd hours of the night.

Chapter One

The Beginning of the End

It’s a warm spring day and life couldn’t be better. That’s what Maria thought as she walked along the sidewalk by herself. The day was bright and the birds where chirping. Maria’s day had started out more then great. She had woken up on time, looked great that morning and her mom had made her favorite breakfast, pumpkin pancakes. Her mom had left for work early and her dad was already at work. She had the house to herself for half an hour.

Maria looked in the mirror, her green eyes shining. Today was the big day and she was not going to fail. Today was the day that she would be confessing to the man of her dreams. Robert had lived near her since as long as she could remember. He was a quiet, considerate, gorgeous guy and had always been her savior. Maria had always been close with him, but the fact that he was four years older and the smartest guy she had ever met made him intimidating, especially now that she wanted to confess to him.

Maria took in a deep breath and picked up her hair brush. She ran it through her curly red locks, trying to make sure every tangle and knot was out before she went to meet him. Maria was a pretty girl, standing at a height of 5’7”, she had a slim figure, though she didn’t have any outstanding features. She was pretty, but not beautiful.

She glanced at the clock and then walked out of her bathroom and picked up her bag. Robert would be there soon and she didn’t want to make him wait. Usually he picked her up and took her to school since the university he attended was close by. Her parents loved it since that meant she didn’t have to walk or take the bus and they trusted him. Of course she got to school early, but that was okay, as long as she could spend her time with him.

Maria waited by the door, practically bouncing up in down in anticipation. Her mind went through hundreds of scenarios, all involving her confessing and either ending in disaster or them kissing in her schools parking lot. She blushed as she thought about them kissing, her porcelain skin staining a soft pink.

Suddenly her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag and flipped it open. Robert’s name came up on the screen and she quickly answered. “Hello?” She said, slight hint of excitement in her voice.

“Hi Maria, it’s Robert.”

His deep voice made her heart melt and she quickly replied, her voice a little less calm.

“Hi Rob.”

His voice took on an apologetic tone with his next sentence and she felt her heart sink a little.

“I’m sorry Maria, I won’t be able to take you to school today. Something came up and I don’t think I’ll be able to pick you up either. I hope you didn’t miss the bus.”

Maria tried to hide the disappointment and utter devastation in her voice. She was going to tell him in the car that morning. Tell him she loved him, tell him she only thought of him, but now all that was dashed. And she couldn’t even tell him after school. She had to force herself to sound fine.

“That’s fine, don’t worry about it. Thank you for letting me know.”

He sounded relieved and let out a sigh. At least he was worried about her. Maria felt her eyes prick and tried to keep her breathing steady. It was harder than she thought and she couldn’t believe she was getting so worked up.

“Thanks for understanding. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Bye Maria.”

Her hands shook a little as tears spilled out. She went to say good-bye, but he had already hung up. Maria stood there for a minute then took in a deep breath. She wiped her eyes and went back into the bathroom. A few tear streaks had made their ways down her cheeks, but nothing to bad. She fixed her make-up and then walked back out. She was going to be late for school, but that didn’t matter.

Maria walked out of her house and locked up. Her mom wasn’t going to be home until late that night and her dad was on a business trip so she would be alone that night. She started the two and a half mile walk to her school. She had already missed the bus so this was her only option. She felt a great surge of disappointment and stared at the ground as she walked.

Maria had even dressed up for the event. She was wearing a pretty green tank top that spread at the bottom with a plain white hoodie over it. Her jeans were designer brand, Rock and Republic, a pair he had said he liked. She had actually worn shoes with some heel, but all of that meant nothing now. He wouldn’t even be picking her up after school.

Tears pricked her eyes again, but she looked up at the sky, a determined look came over her face. She clenched her fist and puffed her cheeks out slightly. To anyone walking by it was a pretty intimidating look, but she was really just trying to gather up her courage. Suddenly she let out a loud yell, one that was filled with frustration and anger. It was a scream that let out all of her emotions and she screamed so hard tears did manage to fall.

People looked at her like she was crazy, but she didn’t pay attention. Instead Maria wiped the tears from her face and smiled a big smile.

“This is not the end! There are more days to come. I can just do it tomorrow!”

She said, nodding her head in agreement with herself. She felt a lot better, like her frustrations had just been lifted off. Maria knew it would be even harder tomorrow since she had been working up to that point for years, but she could wait one more day. Nothing could happen in one day to change how she felt about him or his own feelings for her, whatever they may be. All she had to do was let him know, then at least she would have no regrets. And if it turned out he rejected her then at least she could move on.

Maria practically jumped out of her skin when a snicker came from right behind her. She whirled around, her hand reaching for her purse and the mace that her dad had gotten her. She came face to chest with a tall man, probably about 6’4”. He had perfectly tanned skin and from what she could immediately see rippling muscles under a black tee.

“I guess women are crazy everywhere you go.”

Maria’s eyes widened slightly as she took a step back and looked up at him. He had shorter, jet black hair that seemed to be very messy and piercing hazel eyes. He was an impressive individual and the exact opposite of her blond haired love. He gave her an annoyed look accompanied with an eyebrow raise. If he had posed at that moment he would’ve looked like a male super model with an attitude.

“Ya just going to stare or what?”

Maria felt herself blush, she hadn’t noticed she was staring. And by his tone he didn’t seem to like it. His voice was deeper than Robert’s, but he looked the same age. He also had a slight accent that she couldn’t quiet place. It didn’t sound like anything she hard ever heard before.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean too. Umm…Sorry.”

Maria whirled around and started to walk as quickly as she could. She was embarrassed beyond imagine and her face was just getting redder. He probably thought she was some kind of freak for staring at him like that. She just wanted to get to school, not have anything else happen.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder and she jumped and turned quickly around again. The guy was standing there, looking down at her with another annoyed look. Her eyes widened with fear and she tried to pull away from his hand.

“H-hey! Let go.”

He just gave her a small glare and she could feel her heart start pounding at a mile a minute. He just leaned closer to her, staring at her emerald eyes. She was panicking, she thought he was going to kill her or something. Her day just couldn’t get any better, could it?

“You know its rude to walk away from someone. I just want to ask you a question. Where’s the subway?”

She blinked, stunned. Maria gave him a weird look, wondering if he was mentally stable. She just raised her hand up and pointed towards where it was.

“T-that way, two blocks.”

He grinned and she was surprised at how cute it was. It made him a lot less intimidating.

“Thanks! Bye.”

He ran off and she stood there for a second, confused. Maria shook her head then started back towards her school. It took her another ten minutes before she got there and she was about twenty minutes late. She sighed and walked in, heading towards her class. She pulled out her phone to turn it on low and saw that she had missed a tone of texts from her two best friends, Rachel and Nicole.

They where freaking out, wondering how it went with Robert and if we where making out or if I was sitting somewhere in a dark corner crying. She couldn’t help but smile and she just texted them back saying she would explain it later.

Walking into class was embarrassing. Everyone was working on an assignment already and they all looked up when she came in. Maria blushed and walked over to her seat. The teacher handed her the assignment, but didn’t ask why she was late. Ms. Clark was pretty laid back.

After class she grabbed all her stuff and headed to her next class, gym. She had it with Rachel and Nicole so she knew she would have to explain what happened. They where both waiting for her at the door. Rachel was the first to say something.
“So, you don’t seem crushed. What happened?”

Maria ran a hand through her hair and looked at the two. They both had eager faces, wondering if they should be celebrating or comforting.

“I’ll tell you later.”

Rachel made an annoyed sound, but Nicole smiled and nodded.

“That’s okay.”

Rachel looked at Nicole like she was a traitor. She was about to protest, but Nicole simply grabbed her arm and walked off, leaving Maria to head into the locker room.

“Nicole, don’t you understand, something bad happened and she doesn’t want to cry in front of everyone. Have a little compassion, jeez.”

Rachel blushed and looked over at where Maria had been. She then looked at Nicole.

“You think he said no? Or maybe he didn’t say anything at all. Oh that would be horrible!”

Nicole shrugged and started to walk to stand in line with everyone else. All the girls on one side, all the boys on another.

“I guess we won’t know until she tells us. It must be hard though, she’s been in love with him forever.”

Rachel nodded and stood in line as well. Maria came out after a second, her auburn hair tied back so it wouldn’t get in the way. She stood next to them and smiled, or tried to. She had been doing a pretty good job of forgetting about it while she was in school, but now that they brought it up it was all she could think about. She started to wonder what was so important that he couldn’t pick her up, or drop her off. Maybe someone had gotten hurt or he had an important class thing he had to go to. Whatever it was it was driving Maria mad. She could hardly focus in the class and got hit with a volleyball three times. And volleyball was her favorite sport, she was on the school team, though the season was over.

Rachel and Nicole watched their friend with worried expressions. They didn’t know what happened with Robert that morning, but they were dying to. Rachel figured he had said no. He was twenty-one and Maria was only 17. He was five years older, an university student, and he was pretty good looking. Why would he go out with a high school senior anyways? Of course Nicole had told Rachel if she ever said that to Maria she would probably cry. Which was true. Maria could be sensitive when it came to Robert.

Nicole didn’t think Robert hadn’t accepted her feelings though. She thought Maria had a more contemplative look on her face than a completely heartbroken one. Maria was the kind of person who usually wore her heart on her sleeve and she would be a wreck. No, something else happened, but Nicole just didn’t know what.

Rachel and Nicole watched Maria after class. She was waiting for the two as they walked over to her. She did look sad, but not devastated, even Rachel could tell that. It was lunch now so they could finally get an answer. Rachel was about to barrel right into the conversation when Nicole smiled and said,

“I hope your face doesn’t bruise to much. You took a real beating in there.”

Maria smiled at her best friends and laughed, scratching the back of her head.

“I guess it just isn’t my day. Ha ha, hopefully it gets better.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow, wondering what that meant, but before she could ask Nicole swept in again and said in a sweet voice.

“I hope so too. Let’s go get lunch then we can sit outside. It’s actually a pretty nice day.”

The three stood in the lunch line, making small talk. Nicole did most of the talking, while Rachel stood there looking slightly annoyed and Maria smiled as she thought about Robert. Suddenly there was a loud voice from beside Maria.

“Hello gorgeous!”

The three looked to see a boy named Michael. They had all known him since middle school and it was no secret that he was obsessed with Maria. Rachel rolled her eyes while Maria and Nicole said hello.

“What’s up ladies? Mind if I eat with you guys?”

Maria smiled and tried to think of a way to gently tell him no when Rachel finally got a chance to talk.

“No way! We’re eating outside and no boys allowed. Go eat lunch with your friends Mike.”

Michael gave a mock pout and crossed his arms, looking at the other two who simply had apologetic smiles.

“Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll go eat else where, but I will definitely eat with you guys tomorrow! Got it?”

Nicole laughed with Rachel and Maria giggled a little as he walked away. They had been spending years trying to get him to go away, but he never did. He was a nice guy though and fun to hang out with, but Maria didn’t feel anything for him. She only had eyes for Robert.

After getting their lunches the three walked out to the tables that where in a small courtyard on school grounds. It had three tables and was had a lot of flowers around it. They sat under a small tree, their backs leaning against it. Maria started to chew on her food, wondering how she was going to approach the topic.

“So what happened this morning?”

Rachel said, looking over at her. Maria looked at her quietly before looking up at the sky. She felt oddly serene now, like it was all a dream. It was odd, she hadn’t felt like that since her cousin had died.

“Well…”

She paused again, trying to find the right words. It wasn’t like it was that bad. It wasn’t like he had said no. No instead she hadn’t even been able to get her feelings out and for some reason it felt…odd.

“I didn’t tell him.”

Both of them stared at her, surprise in their eyes. She had been planning and planning and planning for months on how she would do this. Going to dinner sometime and telling him, making him a dinner and telling him, when their at her house telling him, while their at his house telling him, while he was at school, but the one that made the most sense, the one she had chosen was telling him on the way to school. That made the most sense. If she told him then he wouldn’t have to answer immediately. He could think it over if he needed to. If he returned her feelings then he could drop her off, a kiss on the cheek, smiles and the best day of her life. If he rejected her then she wouldn’t have to be around him and cry. She could go to school and cry with her friends. Her friends didn’t understand why she wouldn’t tell him.

“Why? You’ve been looking forward to this for…forever!”

Rachel said, sitting forward and staring at her. Nicole could only nod in agreement. Maria looked down at her plate of food and then smiled up at them.

“He didn’t pick me up today. He had something to do this morning. It’s no big deal. I’ll just…”

She stopped and looked away again. Maria didn’t know if she would be able to tell him again. If she would be able to get up the courage to tell him. She took another bite of her food as the two stared at her. Rachel sat back and stared up at the sky. None of them had thought about that. What if he didn’t pick her up? Well hell, that complicated things. The three sat there in silence for awhile when Nicole looked hopefully over at Maria.

“Well is he picking you up today? You can do it then, can’t you?”

Maria sighed and Nicole’s face fell. She shook her head and the three sighed together.

“Do you know why?”

Maria sighed again and shook her head. A small cloud floated on by and the three friends watched as it lazily went by. Finally Maria spoke.

“I have no idea why. He didn’t explain. He sounded like he was in a hurry though and like it was important, so it probably was. I…I just wish I knew.”

Rachel and Nicole looked at each other then Rachel piped in.

“Maybe he had a really important appointment. Or maybe his parents had an emergency.”

Nicole nodded hopefully at Maria, but she only smiled faintly. The two watched as Maria’s face got sadder. She was starting to think darker thoughts, wondering if it was for something else. A woman perhaps?

Nicole, sensing the coming depression, jumped up and stood in front of Maria. She wagged her finger at her and gave her a mock glare.

“Now Maria Rose Harris, is that a sad face I see on you? Come now, this is only a minor set back!”

Rachel gave her a look that said she thought she was crazy, but Maria looked up at her with an amused look. Nicole stood up fully and put her hands on her hips a grin on her face.

“No, no, no, we can’t have that. Today you will come home with me and Rachel and we will all go to the mall, get smoothies, buy some cute clothes and come up with a new game plan. This isn‘t the end my friend!”

Rachel gave her a frustrated look and Maria started laughing. Nicole looked at them, her brows knitting together.

“What?”

Rachel looked at Maria and she looked back, still giggling.

“You forget…”

Maria said before Rachel started talking.

“We don’t have money.”

Nicole smiled in triumph, giving off an almost haughty air.

“I just got my allowance yesterday and got paid two days ago. I will drive us there and pay for anything and everything you want.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow then looked at Maria.

“You really want to spend your money on us?”

Nicole nodded and kept up her smile. The bell for next class started to ring and Rachel and Maria stood up.

“Well then it’ll be a party.”

Rachel said, smiling. She then hugged Maria who smiled back.

“Don’t worry. Robert’s crazy if he doesn’t love you.”

Maria started laughing, then Nicole, soon all of them where laughing as they walked to their classes, earning a few stares from their fellow students. The rest of the school day went by at a monotonous pace, but Maria wasn’t as sad as she was before. The prospect of going to the mall made it a little better.

Still, all she wanted to do was see him. This caused her to stare out the window most of her classes and she just couldn’t really focus. Something was building in the pit of her stomach, something akin to fear, anxiety maybe. It made her uneasy and she didn’t know what to do about the feeling, or why she was feeling it. Maybe she was just scared, scared of telling him and getting rejected. If that happened she didn’t know what she would do.

Finally the day ended. Maria packed up all of her books and slung her bag over her shoulder. She went to the front of the school where Rachel was waiting with Nicole.

“Hey! You ready to go?”

Rachel said, as Nicole waved. Maria walked down the stairs in front of her school to where the two where and smiled.

“I was born ready. Ha ha. So where did you park?”

Nicole pointed to a Ford F-150 in the parking lot and the three walked over there, laughing and joking all the way. Once in the car they crammed in and turned the radio up. The drive to the mall was a short one, but the whole way they were singing at the top of their lungs to songs they didn’t know the words to. When they piled out of the car they where laughing and tripping over each other as they tried to race the other to the doors.

They where at the mall for two hours, shopping, talking, eating, being 17 year old girls who, for a moment, wanted to forget about their lives. It was five when they left and almost dark. They drove back to their town and Maria was the first to be dropped off.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow! I had a lot of fun. Thanks.”

Rachel and Nicole waved good-bye and started to drive away. Maria was smiling as she walked up her driveway to her front door. After entering her house she turned and locked the door, tossing her back pack onto the ground and took her new clothes and things to her bedroom. She then got changed into sweat pants and a white tank top. Maria walked into the bathroom and washed her face of all the make-up and tied her hair back. She looked into the mirror and sighed. Alone she could think about everything, alone she didn’t have anything to distract her from him, nothing to get her mind off of him. Took a deep breath then exhaled.

Maria walked down to her empty living room and grabbed a DVD from the movie rack. “My Sister’s Keeper” would be a good movie to watch and she could cry her eyes out without anyone getting suspicious. She popped it in and let it play through the previews while she went into the kitchen to get some popcorn. Her parents where both at work and wouldn’t be back until really late so she would be alone until she went to bed. After the microwave cooked her popcorn she walked into the living room and sat down in her dad’s big chair. It was the on her mom and her had picked out for him, it was super comfortable and he loved it.

The movie started and Maria turned off the lamp next to her. It didn’t take long for the tears to start to come and she let herself cry as she ate her popcorn and watched a sad, heart warming movie. About an hour in her doorbell rang. She jumped and almost spilled her popcorn everywhere. Pausing the movie, she set her bowl down on the coffee table and got up, rubbing her red eyes. It rang again and she muttered as she opened the door. She was slightly surprised to see the man of her dreams standing behind it.

“Robert?”

He turned and looked at her. His blonde hair was slightly messy, as if he had just woken up from a nap, his blue eyes where like the sea and already she was finding herself getting lost in them. He was wearing blue, faded jeans and a plain white t-shirt that hugged him perfectly. He was gorgeous, but Maria had seen him every day since she could remember and she could see past the outward appearance into the actual him and the actual him didn’t seem to happy.

“Hey Maria. I was a little worried when you didn’t answer the door. You okay?”

She raised an eyebrow and pointed into the living room where the movie was paused.

“I was watching a movie. You know, “My Sister’s Keeper”. Wanna come in?”

She said, wondering why he was there so late. Usually he didn’t come over unless she invited him or he knew her mom was making burgers and neither where the case. He walked in and Maria could sense the awkwardness that came off of him in waves. He took his shoes off and walked into her living room. Maria followed after him, wondering what was going on.

“Did something happen today? You usually don’t watch movies like that unless you want to cry.”

Maria shook her head, not wanting to let him know she had really had a bad day because of him.

“No, I just wanted to watch it. I really like that movie.”

He gave her a look that told her he knew she was lying, but he didn’t seem to want to push it.

“So why are you here, Robert? I mean, it’s not like I don’t want you here, I was just wondering.”

He smiled, but it was a faint smile. Suddenly the feeling of fear and anxiety she had felt since that morning rose up and she was overcome with a sense that something bad was about to happen. It was only confirmed with his next sentence.

“Maria, I think you need to sit down. I have something to tell you.”

Maria got a wary look as she sat down on the couch in her living room. Robert didn’t sit though, he remained standing. This made her feeling even more fear and her heart started to race. It was like her doom was coming.

“Maria…I’m leaving.”

Confusion hit her and she didn’t know what he was talking about. Leaving? Leaving her house, the city, the country maybe? Maybe he was going on a trip.

“Are you going on a trip? Are you going to be gone for a long time?”

Sadness crossed his face as an almost bitter smile came on his beautiful lips. She had never seen such a smile and it scared her. He laughed, but there was no humor and he sat down, putting his arms on his knees and his head in his hands.

“I wish…No, Maria, I’m going for good. I’m never coming back.”

Silence filled the room as Maria took this in. She stared at him then looked out the window. Her head didn’t seem to be able to comprehend what he was telling her, but her heart did and she could feel it cracking.

“What do you mean. I don’t understand.”

Her voice was surprisingly shaky and filled with pain. Robert noticed it and looked up. Tears where streaming down her face as she stared out the window. Pain crossed his own face and he went and sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“I’m sorry. I…I have to go. I can’t stay here any longer and I have no intention of coming back.”

Maria looked up at him, horror clear on her face. Her mind tried to catch up with what was going on and when it did she felt that horror intensified. A world with Robert? That wasn’t possible. He was always there, right there when she needed him. She loved him. He couldn’t leave!

“Take me with you!”

She cried, desperation in her voice. He sighed and looked away. Maria could tell this was hard for him, she could tell he didn’t want to do this, but she wasn’t going to let him go without a fight.

“I can’t take you with me. It just won’t work that way. Besides you need to stay with your family, your friends. They need you.”

Maria started to shake her head and her hands came up to grip his shirt. The tears started to flow freely and a soft sob escaped her lips. He hugged her to him, holding her tightly.

“You can’t leave me. You can’t. I-I love you!”

She said, sobbing harder. She could feel him freeze up and she wanted to take it back, but she couldn’t. She wanted him to know how much this hurt her. Suddenly he stood up and Maria looked up, even more heart breaking hurt crossing her face. Robert was pacing back and forth, his face in deep concentration and it looked like he was torn.

“I can’t, Maria. You can’t love me. I can’t love you.”

Maria felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She looked down at her hands. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to tell him and he was supposed to kiss her and then a few years down the road they would get married and then have kids. It was supposed to be like that, not like this. He wasn’t supposed to leave. Not her.

“Maria, you have to understand. I’m never coming back. You need to forget about me. I will never love you.”

She looked up at him and she didn’t see any love there. None. She slowly got up. She couldn’t control her body. Her hand hit his face as hard as she could.

“I hate this! Why didn’t you just leave me alone years ago! Why did you make me love you!? I hate you…I HATE YOU!!”

She screamed at the top of her lungs. The pain was overriding her senses, her entire system. Her emotions where controlling her and her body. After that she walked over to the front door and walked out. Bare foot, in a tank top and sweat pants, out the door. Robert stood there, stunned. It took him a second to recover from the shock. He didn’t really understand what just happened, just that his cheek was stinging.

Robert ran out the door and to the road. Maria had started to run and he could see her retreating form in the distance. He knew he couldn’t catch her, she was the fastest girl he knew. He cussed and got into his car. He couldn’t believe it had turned out like that. It was supposed to be easier. Then again it had never been with her. He had to leave, had to protect her. She couldn’t die because of him, not again.

Maria started to run when she reached the sidewalk. She didn’t know where she was going, but it was going to be far away from Robert and somewhere he couldn’t find her. Knowing him he would come after her, just to take her back home. He might have broken her heart, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t go to take responsibility. Maria ran into bushes and between houses so he couldn’t get her in his car, if he even came after her. She didn’t think he would now, not after that. He would probably just leave. She hoped he would.

She ran until she couldn’t run anymore. By that time she was on the outskirts of downtown, looking a little ridiculous, but she didn’t care. As she walked down the street, various people stared at her. Many where out and about doing their own business. It was a bustling city, she just lived on the outside of it. Her heart kept hurting and her body was aching now. She couldn’t handle it. The pain was to great and she didn’t understand it all. Her mind was like a whirlwind. She tripped and fell, but she didn’t move to get up. She could lay there until she died for all she cared.

Suddenly a voice reached her ears and she looked up. Shock came over her for a moment as she looked into the face of the jerk who had talked to her that morning, but it was watered down by pain. He seemed to turn up whenever she was at a low.

“You okay?”

He repeated before lifting her up onto her knees.

“Well, if it isn’t the girl from this morning. What happened to you? You look like hell.”

Maria sniffed and wiped her eyes. Of course she looked like hell. She just had her heart broken and torn to pieces by the man she had loved her entire life. Then she ran five miles through back roads, bushes and concrete bare foot without a jacket in her pajamas.

“I know.”

She said, a tear falling down her face. She suddenly through herself into the man who’s eyes widened as she started to sob. He looked around as people stared at him and he sighed and wrapped an arm around her. His face had turned a little red.

“Look, I don’t know what happened to you, but why don’t you come with me. You can stay the night at my place.”

Maria looked up at him warily, wondering if she should really go with a complete stranger. She then thought she saw a car that looked like Roberts’. She couldn’t see him right now.

“Okay.”

He nodded then started to walk with her. He looked down at her feet and suddenly picked her up.

“Shit, your feet look like you ran through a field of razors. Why don’t you have shoes?”

Maria just looked tiredly up at him, all emotions had drained from her face. It kind of unsettled him.

“I was in a hurry.”

He shook his head and walked over to his car. He helped her into the passenger’s seat, buckling her up himself.

“My name’s Chris by the way.”

Maria smiled and waited for him to get in the car.

“I’m Maria.”

He gave her an odd look that she didn’t want to try and decode. She knew she shouldn’t be riding in a car with a stranger, especially a guy, but her head wasn’t working right. Nothing felt right. He started to drive and it didn’t take her long to fall asleep. She was exhausted and heart broken. She closed her eyes and felt her entire body shut down. The last thing she remembered was the feel of leather on her skin and neon lights flashing through her eye lids. Her world was then covered in a dreamless black. She didn’t let the thoughts of Robert penetrate her mind, but she could feel an ache deep in her body throughout her sleep.