• Him
    "Hey Blake, how are you?" I said into the phone, hoping he doesn't hang up.
    "Who is this again?" Blake asked.
    "This is Ashley, you know the girl who has a crush on you?" I explain, hoping he remembers me.
    "Oh... Yeah I remember you!" Blake exclaimed.
    Hoping that what he said was good I continued, "Yeah, so, I was wondering if you would go to Sweethearts with me?"
    "I would, but I have a date already..." He says.
    "Oh. Well. That's okay, I was just wondering...If. You. Would. Nevermind. Thanks anyway, see you later, at Sweethearts?" I sigh, knowing that I would be the laughing stock of school.
    "Maybe. Bye, Ashley." He said.
    "Bye, Blake," As I hang up I swear I here him saying something, but I know it was just my head.
    Two days later...
    "Hey, Ashley!" As I pick up the phone, I immediatley think of Blake.
    "Hey-"
    "Ashley? Remember me? From that summer thing, like a year ago?" Said the mystery man.
    "Who is this?" I start to panic.
    "I guess you don't remember! This is Jacob! Remember!?" Jacob said.
    "Jacob? Uhh... Oh yeah! Hey Jacob! How has your school year been?" I ask, remembering how hot Jacob was last time I saw him.
    "My year has been great! Hey, I heard you have a dance coming up soon? I want to ask you something..." He stopped.
    "Yeah my year has been great too! Wait, what?" Suddenly the phone goes quiet.
    "Ashley? You still there?"
    "Yeah, yeah. So what did you need to ask me?"
    "Well... I wanted to ask if I could take you to that dance?"
    For what seemed like hours, there was a silence...
    "Ashley?"
    "You know I-" I stop short, thinking how great it would be to show up with him, and make Blake jealous. "Yes, meet me at the school around 7?"
    "Yeah sounds great! Can't wait!" Jacob says.
    "Sure does, well I got another call, see you then?"
    "For sure!"
    ...............
    "Hey... Ashley?" My jaw dropped. It was Blake.
    "Yeah, Blake?"
    "Yeah, well... I lied..."
    "What do you mean? What did you lie about?"
    The line goes quiet, tension rises.
    "I mean, I lied to you the other day... I didn't have a date..."
    Jaw drop again. He lied?
    "You are such a jerk! You know that?!"
    "No, Ashley, wait!"
    I angrily slammed the phone on the reciever. What a jerk! Why would he do that!?
    .................
    The next day before the dance...
    "Hey Ashley!?" I spin around to see that Jacob has showed up to my school.
    "Jacob!? What are you doing here?!"
    "Well we got the day off, so I thought I'd come and see you..."
    "That's so cool of you!"
    I see Blake walking by so I quickly go to Jacob and give him a hug and hold his hand.
    "Whoa! Ashley!"
    "What?"
    "Oh... Well..."
    "Well I guess I better get going." Jacob said, turning and walking out the door.
    ................
    That night at the dance...
    "Jacob! Your wearing a tux?" I exclaim as I turn to see him walk in the door, with a black tux, with gold cuffs and tie.
    "Well yeah! Don't you do that here?"
    "No! The guys just usually wear polo shirt and khakis!"
    "But you look great!" I added.
    .................
    Half way through the dance Jacob started to talk to one of the other boys' date. They started dancing. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, they were gone. I started asking everyone I saw. They all say they went to make out.
    ..................
    One song after half the dance...
    "Ashley? You okay?" I turn my head slowly, trying to hold back more tears. Blake is standing there, holding out a hand to hold.
    "Oh my god... Blake... Aren't you mad at me?"
    "Why would I be mad at you? You didn't lie..."
    "But why did you lie? Did you have a date?"
    "No, I didn't have a date, because I've been trying to build up the guts to ask you, but when you asked me... I froze up... I just said that because I couldn't think of anything else..."
    "Oh. My. God."
    "What?"
    "Nothing... Why don't we just dance?"
    "Sounds good."
    With that we set off to the dance floor. We dance several songs, before finally just sitting down and watching.

    Basketball
    .................
    "Hey, this is Ashley, leave a message."
    "Ashley? This is Blake... Um... Where are you? You were supposed to be at my game an hour ago..."
    "Well I guess your not going to pick up. Bye."
    .................
    An hour later...
    "Hey, this is Ashley, leave a message."
    "Ashley? This is Lauren. You missed the best basketball game ever! Where were you? Blake is really freaking out! He thinks your dead or something!"
    "I guess your still gone. Bye."
    ....................
    The Monday night...
    "Hey, this is Ashley, leave a message."
    "Ashley? This is Blake again.... Just wondering where you were today... Missed you at school..."
    "I guess your away still. Bye."
    .....................
    At school on Tuesday...
    "Lauren? Have you seen Ashley lately?" Blake says with worry on his face.
    "No, I haven't... Where is she? I'm getting worried."
    "Yeah, so am I."
    ......................
    "Hey, this is Ashley, leave a message."
    "Ashley, this is Blake. I'm getting really worried... Where are you girl?"
    ........................
    "This line has been disconnected by the user. Sorry for the inconvenience."
    "No. Ashley. Where are you?" Blake said worry deepening.
    **************************************************************
    Basketball Part II
    ........................................................
    2 days later....
    "Hey, this is Ashley! Leave a message!"
    "Ash? This is Blake? You disconnected your cell phone, so I'm calling your land line..."
    "Where are you? Everyone is asking about you; all me and Lauren can do is keep saying we don't know..."
    "Ash... Please, where ever you are... Comeback... Bye..."
    ........................................................
    3 days later....
    "Hey, this is Ashley! Leave a message!"
    "Ashley? This is Lauren... Where are you? People think you dumped Blake... Is it true?"
    "Bye."
    ........................................................
    1 day later....
    "Hey, this is Ashley! Leave a message!"
    "Ash? Blake here... They think I... They think I killed you. Please comeback!"
    The line goes quiet, but people start shouting in the background...
    "s**t! They found me! I got to go, bye!"
    ........................................................
    Same day at a random abandoned warehouse...
    "Jacob? Why?" Ashley pleaded.
    "You. Left. Me!"
    "Jacob, you left with a different girl!"
    "No, I didn't! I was in the bathroom and when I came out, you were dancing with. Him!"
    "Oh. My. God!"
    "You should have checked!"
    "I'm so sorry..." Ashley looked down guiltily.
    Jacob grabs her face and makes her look into his eyes, "You should be! I waited a year; a whole stinking year! Just to see you! To talk to you! And what do you do? Dump me!"
    As Jacob says those words, a thought comes to Ashley; Blake! If only he knew where she was! He could save her! But he didn't know... For now...
    *************************************************************
    Same day, at school...
    "Blake? Blake?" Lauren said in a hoarse whisper. "Where are you? It's okay to come out, it's me Lauren."
    "Lauren? Is it really you? Thank god! Everyone was chasing me, and I just thought of how everyone says no one goes into the boiler room, and well, here I am," Blake said with whisper just loud enough for Lauren to here.
    "Blake? Did you really? Well... You know..."
    "No! What are you thinking? I have no idea where Ashley is! I have a feeling she isn't home, or even in this town... I think she is in the town over, or the next town maybe... But she isn't farther than that... I know it!" Blake explained.
    "Are you sure? I know how to get you out of here, but you have to exactly as I say, okay?"
    "Lauren are you-"
    "Yes, Blake, I am serious! Okay, it might smell, but you have to get into the janitors cart."
    "Sick Lauren, just sick. But if I have to, well here goes nothing." Just as Blake jumps into the dirty towel bin on the cart, they hear voices coming.
    "Lauren? Have you seen Blake? We thought he might be here." Said Ethan (a classmate of Lauren and Blake).
    "Ethan! I haven't seen Blake at all today, I was looking for him too, but I thought he might be here... But I guess not! Well I better go take these to the laundry!"
    "Wait." Ethan reaches out and stops the cart, "Why are you doing the janitors job?"
    "Oh, well... I got into trouble, you know, I forgot to bring my kneepads back!"
    "Well, bring them back earlier next time. See ya." With that Ethan left to return to the hunt for Blake.
    "Blake, not a word until I say so." Lauren pushed the cart out of the boiler room, and speedily, but sneakily, "stopped at her car to get her purse".
    .............................................
    At the warehouse, an hour later...
    "Jacob? I still don't understand? I swear you left!" Ashley began to plead again.
    "I didn't! You should have checked! You should have checked!" The more Jacob talked, the more his voice became hoarse.
    "But Jacob-"
    "Why do you keep calling me my brother's name? I'm Jack! Jacob left with a different girl!"
    As Jack said these words, Ashley began to realize the fact that Jacob asked her out, but he made Jack believe she was his date.
    "Oh. My. God. Jack? You didn't ask me did you?"
    "No, my brother Jacob did. He said that's what twins do!"
    Ashley suddenly realized that being was more dangerous than she thought before, he had no memmories of her like Jacob, he could hurt her with the vast amount of guilt Jacob would have had.
    "Jack, calm down, you have to calm down." Ashley said gently.
    "Why!? You're the one who dumped me!"
    "I didn't dump you, your brother asked me on a date with him, not you, he lied."
    "Liar! Why do you lie?! Jacob would never do that!"
    "He didn't do that to get back at you... He did it to get back at me... He was mad because of what I said..."
    Ashley begins to remember the time that change her and Jacob's relationship...
    *******************************
    "Hey! Jacob! Come eat lunch over here! I save you a spot!"
    "Hey, Ashley. Thanks for saving my spot!"
    "Your welcome!"
    "Hey Ashley..."
    "Whats up?"
    "I just wanted to ask... Would you want to go to a movie? You could bring some of your friends?"
    "Uhm...." Ashley was at a loss for words, she wanted to go, but before she said yes, she realized her friends would embarass her too much, "I'm sorry, Jacob, I can't go, I, well, my dog- no my grand- no... I just can't go. Okay?"
    "Yeah whatever... I'm going to go sit over there..."
    "Jacob wait! Jacob..."
    ********************************
    "Blake! Get into the car start it, I have to go ditch this cart!" Lauren said over the roar of the wheels on the cement.
    "Okay! Just hurry!"
    As Blake sat there, he began to think of the dance the weekend before. "Ashley was so cool, the way she didn't get mad at me because of the lie... But she showed up with a date... But well, I said no... What was his name again? What ever it was, he was a little shady... He took off fast too... I wonder if Ashley dumped him? If she did he might have took off with her... What was his name!? Hm......... Jacob! That's it! Wait... Theres a place that was called Jacob's Place, where all the kids hang out in that town..... Oh. My. God! Ashley- Jacob! They're there! Where is Lauren..." As Blake comes out of his thoughts, he realizes that Lauren has been gone for over 15 min. He decides to start driving off, maybe she'll catch up...
    ........................................................
    As Ashley sat, tied to a chair, she pondered the thought of where Jacob was in all this mess... She begins to realize that Jack has fallen asleep on the floor, and begins to shimmy her way to the door. She then begins to see a shadow on the floor; fearing it is Jack, she stops still...
    "Hey Ashley, long time no see." Ashley realizes this is Jacob, not Jack...
    "Jacob, why? Why would you trick your brother?"
    "Because I wanted to get back at you, but I never thought it would lead him to this. I thought he might just stalk you for a month like he usually does, and leave you alone... You must be pretty special." Most of the words Jacob said were thick with sarcasm.
    "You'll get caught! I know you will!"
    "What? Get caught doing what? I'm just walking through..."
    With that Jacob left, locking the door behind him...
    **************************************************************
    "Jacob! Wait!" Ashley shouts.
    "Ashley, I thought I'd never hear those words again from you..." After saying that, Jacob begins to laugh.
    "Why-why are you laughing?"
    "Because... It is just so funny! You didn't want to go with me then, and you still want to leave me!" He scoffed.
    "Jacob, please," Ashley pleaded. "I-I'll go with you to the movies, I won't tell anybody this was all your doing! I promise!"
    "Ashley, Ashley, Ashley... If I wanted to go to the movies with you, I would have just asked... Not have gone to this elaborate scheme... If I can't have you. No one can... Cheesey isn't it? Ex-bfs always say that when they kidnap their ex-gf..."
    "Jacob? Just answer me this." Ashley said.
    "Well, since I'll see you only at your funeral... What?"
    "Who did you walk away with that night?" Ashley asked.
    Puzzled Jacob began to walk away pondering why Ashley would even ask about that.
    "Wait! You said you would answer!" Ashley exclaimed.
    "Yes, yes I did. I walked away with Emily." He said this with a tone of pure arrogance.
    "N-no Jacob! Why her? Why then?"
    "Tut-tut. I only agreed to answer one question." With that Jacob was out the door with only one sideways glance at Ashley before slamming the door shut.
    .........................................................
    Blake was 20 minutes away from the warehouse. He saw no cars in either direction, so he put the pedal to the metal and sped off. As soon as he was within town limits he dropped his speed. He anxiously looked around for a sign or something pointing to the warehouse.
    "I hope Lauren found the note... C'mon! I need to find her before..." Blake's words trailed off. He was trying not think of what might happen, or what might have already.
    .........................................................
    Lauren stepped out into the sunlight after ditching the cart in the gym.
    She began running towards her car, but suddenly had the feeling she was being watched. She quickly slowed her speed to a slow jog. She was getting nearer the parking lot, when she began to think of what might happen if whoever is watching might see Blake in the car.
    "I wish I would have thought of this before... Maybe I should have told Blake to go without me, or to lie on the floor in the back..."
    She rounded the last corner and managed a quick glance behind her. Of course, as she thought, a tall figure was behind her. She quickly realized who it was. Ethan.
    "Hey, Lauren," He said slowly.
    "Oh! Um, hey, Ethan."
    "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in doing the laundry?" Ethan asked suspicously.
    "Uh, I got that done really fast, I just have to go back in an half an hour to put it in the drier." Lauren lied, hoping Ethan didn't know how to launder clothes.
    "Oh."
    Obviously he didn't know.
    "Well, I'm just headed to my car, to pick up my, uhm, new pack of highlighters!" Lauren said.
    "Oh, I'll walk you there, just in case Blake is still around." Ethan said, the suspicion rising in his voice.
    "No, no. I'll be okay, but thanks anyway." Lauren began to walk slowly away, when her arm caught on something.
    "Oh uhm..." She turned, seeing that, that something was Ethan's hand.
    "Lauren we know that you didn't take her, but we do know you were with Blake today, and some of us have questions."
    "Ethan? This is a little weird, please, let me go."
    "I'm just going to take you to the office. It'll be quick."
    .........................................................
    Ashley sat on the chair. Just sitting. Thinking no one will find her. She will be dead by tommorrow morning... No hope...
    .........................................................
    Blake noticed an abandoned warehouse that actually had a new door.
    "This must be the place," Blake mumbled.
    He parked in front and got out of the car and started walking to the shiny, red door.
    .........................................................
    Ethan quickly picked Lauren up and ran her to the head office, where several people were already sitting. A kid, name Sid, motioned for her to sit down in front of the desk where he was seated.
    "Lauren, we have heard that you were... With Blake today? Is that true?" He questioned.
    "Why does that matter? Do you really need to know about my personal life with friends?"
    "In this case, Lauren, we do need to know. Now." Sid said blankly.
    "What would you do if I didn't coopperate?" Lauren challenged.
    "Nothing at all... We would just have to be a bit more... Brute... When we find Blake."
    .........................................................
    Blake tried the knob of the brightly colored door. It was locked. From the inside.
    "Damn it! Why is she always such a pain!" He said, not really meaning his words.
    He prepared to shoulder the door open when he noticed a small window about a hundred feet down the side of the wall.
    "How did I miss that?" He muttered.
    He ran to the window, he was happy to see it wasn't barred, and peered in expectantly. He saw what was looking for. Ashley was sitting in a chair, tied. A dark figure near her, which seemed to be talking to here, and she talked back.
    "Jacob!" Blake growled.
    .........................................................
    "You can't... That isn't right! You can't just hurt him more because of me!" Lauren gasped.
    "You don't understand... We can, and we will unless you tell us where he went, and in what!" Sid shouted across the table.
    "No! I can't betray him!"
    "So you were with him." Sid stated
    "No- well... Yeah..."
    "Where did he go?"
    "He... I actually don't know."
    "Are you sure?"
    "Yea, yea I am."
    .........................................................
    Blake watched as the figure began to move toward the door. He dashed over to wait behind the door, and clash with the unsuspecting person.
    .........................................................
    As Jacob slammed the door shut, Ashley saw a shadow leap across the frame. She heard some shouting and heard a sickening thud against the door. She turned away hoping that she wouldn't see a friend. But her hopes were once again denied. She saw Jacob drag Blake in behind him, roughly throwing him on to a chair and grabbing a length of rope tying him tightly.
    "You called him didn't you? Didn't you!" Jacob screamed.
    "Jacob? Listen to what your saying! I couldn't have called him! You took me before I was even ready to go to school! I didn't have my cellphone on me!"
    "You still figured a way to get him here!" Jacob insisted.
    *******************************
    "Lauren, we have a few leads to where Blake might be, we have some people who saw him in your car drive off towards the town over. Do you know anything about that?" Sid said, voice thick with authority.
    "No, but... Wait! I-I think I know where he went..."
    "What? Where!?"
    "Ashley went to the dance with this kid... Named Jacob... Ring any bells?"
    "No, just tell me what are you talk- Oh my god! He went to Jacob's Place?"
    "It's a guess but... Yea..."
    "We have to leave. Now!" Sid left Lauren alone to rally everyone to go to the warehouse.
    .........................................................
    Blake slowly began to regain consciousness. He looked around, first confused and afraid, not knowing where he was, but realized quickly when he saw Ashley tied to the chair opposite him.
    .........................................................
    Lauren sat next to Sid in front of the fleet of cars. They started pulling away from the pack and Lauren began to become worried that they wouldn’t get there in time.
    “Sid? Can you speed up? No one will care,” Lauren asked.
    “Why are you so worried? We’ll be there in ten minutes!” Sid explained.
    “Please? We need to be there now. Only like 20 mph more.” Lauren said flatly.
    “Well- Sure.”
    Sid began to speed up, but actually 30mph higher.
    “How long until we get there at this speed?” Lauren asked.
    “About 5min.”
    .........................................................
    “I see Sleeping Beauty has joined us,” Jacob said.
    Ashley noticed that Jacob had something hidden under his coat, and Jacob quickly realized her staring. “Oh? You want to see what I brought,” Jacob brought out a gun.
    Blake instantly let out a stream of filthy swears. Jacob quickly looked and pulled back Blake’s head so he was looking straight into Jacob’s face.
    “I might just kill you first to make you shut up,” Jacob said, pulling Blake’s head back further making the gash on his head bleed more.
    “No, Jacob. Let Blake go, just kill me. I made you mad, not him.” Ashley said.
    “Oh, what a big strong man letting your girlfriend stick up for you. Ha!” Jacob snidely said.
    Once again Blake let out a string of unintelligible swears.
    “Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be back.” With that, Jacob walked away.
    .........................................................
    “Are we there?” Lauren asked Sid. In the last few minutes they sped through the town, losing the rest of the fleet behind them.
    “Yeah, this is the place.”
    Lauren bounced out quickly and ran to the other side of the car to wait for Sid. They began to walk to the bright red door.
    .........................................................
    “It seems we have some more uninvited guests. I have a few choices now. I run, I take you hostage, or I just kill you both now.” Jacob said that last with and evil grin on his face that told Ashley which one he already picked.
    “Just shoot me now, so I don’t have to listen to you,” Blake said.
    “Whatever you wish.” Jacob lined up the gun, pointing it straight into Blake’s heart.
    Ashley looked away, not wanting see Blake die. Then something happened. She heard the door slam and a gunshot at once. She instantly looked at Blake, but didn’t see him blown to pieces like she thought. She realized now that there were to gunshots in the same instant. One hit Jacob in the leg, throwing him so his shot was off, and the other hit Blake.
    .........................................................
    “Ohmygod! Ashley are you okay?!” Lauren asked desperately.
    “Help, Blake, first.”
    “Oh, yeah!”
    .........................................................
    Ashley came out of this with a few minor bruises and cuts. On the other hand Blake had to get several stitches on the gash on his head and didn’t have use of his arm for a few months.