• CHAPTER 1

    I looked on from out lunch table as my best friend, Brett, flirted madly with the new girl. Our bet was that he couldn't make her blush in under five minutes. I checked his watch again. He had been flirting for four minutes and twenty-three seconds, and New Girl had yet to crack. Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six....
    I leaned over to my other best friend, Travis, and muttered, smirking, "Brett's gonna lose...."
    Checking the watch again, I discovered there was only 12 seconds left. My smirk grew more pronounced.
    It quickly faded as New Girl became a beautiful shade of red. It matches her shirt, the feminine side of me added idly.
    Brett trotted over, grinning widely. "What was my time?"
    I growled at him, scowling heavily. He just laughed, sliding into the seat next to me.
    "Four minutes, fifty-three seconds" Travis informed him.
    Brett laughed again. "So I guess you lost, huh, babe? Time to pay up." He grinned, turning his cheek toward me, tapping it with a finger.
    I studied Brett for a moment. Would I really mind kissing him on the cheek? I mean, he's not by any means ugly. He had tannish skin and honey-gold hair. His blue-green eyes twinkled from underneath his thick, dark lashes. He was tall, over 6 foot.
    Then again, I did have a boyfriend.
    I studied him a moment longer, then produced my crossed fingers.
    Travis let out a roar of laughter. "She got you, Brett!" he called between laughs.
    Brett immediately started complaining. "Nuh-uh, that's not fair! You can't get out of it that easy!"
    I laughed and uncrossed them. "I know, you're right. I was just messing with you."
    He turned his face away again and pointed to his cheek again. I slowly leaned forward.
    At the last moment, Brett turned.
    My lips crashed onto his.
    I froze with shock. Really, who WOULDN'T if they were kissing their best friend?
    His fingers wound themselves into my hair, his lips moving against my still ones. I tried to pull back, but he wouldn't let me.
    Someone cleared their throat loudly from behind us. Brett released me and we turned to look who it was.
    Oh, s**t.
    Cameron was standing there, looking extremely pissed. "Kira, could I talk to you for a minute? If you're finished here, that is." He said, his voice very controlled.
    I looked up at my boyfriend apprehensively. "Er....sure?" I stood up and walked over to him.
    He slid an arm around my waist possessively, throwing a glare at Brett. "We're going to my car." Cameron said, almost as if there was no choice about it, and then headed out the school building and into the parking lot.
    We arrived at his car, Cameron's pride and joy. His parents were loaded, so they bought him a fancy Ashton Martin. It was sleek and sliver, and I was sure it had been the setting for some of his 'accomplishments.' I never told him this, however. I simply refused to sit in the backseat.
    Contrary to popular believe, I wasn't a slut. I was still a virgin, and I proudly counted myself among those Cameron had not persuaded into becoming a backseat conquest. No one believed me, of course.
    When I had told him 'no' and left the car, I was shocked that he didn't dump me immediately and go for someone easier. Now that I thought about it, he probably just planned on trying again later. Anyway, whatever his reasoning, Cameron only caught up with me as I tried to walk home. He apologized and offered me a ride home. I agreed, and, viola! We were fine.
    A fist crashed into the side of my head, snapping me out of my reverie. My head snapped to the side, and I gasped with pain. "You slut!" Cameron was roaring. "I knew it! You've been cheating on me this whole time, haven't you?! Haven't you?!" He hit me square in the nose, and there was a sickening crunch.
    I threw my arms up in front of my face, seeking some sort of protection, my eyes watering. "Cameron, stop!"
    "Shut up, whore! I'm not done yet!" He growled at me, slamming his fist into my stomach. As I doubled over in pain, he brought his fist down on the back of my neck. I fell to the ground heavily, panting. I slowly brought my hand to my head. It came back red and sticky. Cameron was wearing his rings. s**t.
    Cameron began kicking me as I lay quivering on the ground. I gasped as his foot connected with the side of my head, tears coming to my eyes.
    He laughed derisively, kicking me one last time in the head before walking off. "By the way, it's over." he called over his shoulder, still laughing.
    I don't know how long I lay on the ground before Travis and Brett arrived. I knew someone was coming because I vaguely heard footsteps and someone calling out, "Oh, God! I found her!"
    That was the last thing I heard before I settled into merciful unconsciousness.

    My eyes snapped open. I instantly raised a hand towards my eyes, shielding them from the bright lights.
    I felt myself engulfed in a hug by a woman I did not recognize. "Er-hello?" I said tentatively.
    "Oh, honey, we're so glad you're awake! We were worried about you so much! We were afraid you weren't going to wake up from your coma!"
    "Uh...okay." I said, befuddled. Honey? Who was this woman? And who was 'we'? "Um, not to be rude or anything, but who are you?"
    She blinked. "You-you don't know?"
    I shook my head. "No."
    "I'm your mother, Kira, honey." She got up. "Hon, can you wait for a moment? I need to talk to someone really quick." At my nod, she left the room quickly, closing the door behind her.
    This gave me a chance to examine my surroundings. I was in a hospital room, laying one one of those beds. The room was all white, almost annoyingly so. It was the kind of white that made you want to pour paint on it.
    I was suddenly aware of voices in the hallway. I was only able to hear enough to make the whole conversation make absolutely no sense.
    The first voice was angry. "What do you.....doesn't remember?"
    The second voice was that of my 'mother'. "....didn't recognize....had to ask..."
    The third voice was even and calm. "I warned....may be some memory...won't remember..."
    The first voice again. "...never said...wouldn't remember anything!"
    There was silence, and the door opened. A teenage boy stood in the doorway. He had the whole emo look going on, and he pulled it off very well. "Kira?" His was the angry voice from the hallway, but now it was cautious.
    "Yeah?" I asked quietly.
    "Do you know who I am?" He asked, his eyes unreadable. He moved to sit on the edge of my bed.
    I shook my head. "I'm sorry, no."
    He looked down at his hand, resting on the bed near my leg. When he looked back up at me, his eyes were sad. "I'm Travis. One of your best friends."
    It was silent for a moment. Neither of us knew what to say. "I'm sorry." I finally said.
    His forehead furrowed. "Why?"
    "Because I don't remember you." I told him truthfully.
    He chuckled sadly. "You always were taking the blame for everything. It's not your fault, Kira." Travis leaned forward, wrapping me in a hug. I leaned into him, marveling at how safe I felt in his arms.
    The door opened again, and Travis jumped backwards, away from me. I probably looked ridiculous, hugging air, but I quickly recovered.
    My mother stood in the doorway. "He's here." she said to Travis.
    His face hardened. "How much time do we have?" Travis asked sharply.
    "Five minutes at the most." Mom said, then left the room.
    Travis cursed underhis breath, then turned to me again. "You don't remember someone named Cameron, do you?" He asked me slowly.
    "No, I don't remember anything." I said, shaking my head.
    He sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "This is going to be difficult...." Travis muttered to himself, then looked back up at me. "Do you have any idea why you can't remember anything?" At my head shake, he continued. "Well....we think Cameron is why. We can't prove anything, though."
    Just then, the hopital door opened again, and I gasped, scooting to the far side of the bed. The boy in the doorway, allthough almost painfully gorgeous, scared me. I didn't know why, but I wanted to stay as far from him as possible.
    He laughed at the terror in my eyes, stepping to the edge of my bed, laughing even more when I whimpered in fear.
    Travis looked murderous. "Why are you here?" He asked the boy sharply.
    "What, is a man-" Travis snorted. The boy, who I assumed was Cameron, continued, ignoring him. "-not allowed to visit his ex-girlfriend when she's in the hospital?"
    "Now when he's the one who put her there, dumbass." Travis retorted, placing himself between me and Cameron. "And now it's time to go." Travis said firmly, pushing Cameron toward the door.
    Cameron resisted, holding his ground. "I don't think so."
    Travis glowered down at Cameron, creating a very intimidating effect, as he was much taller than Cameron. "You're leaving if I say you're leaving." He said dangerously.
    Cameron sneered and turned to the door. "You know what? I didn't want to visit the slut anyway. I have better things to do." He called over his shoulder as he exited the hospital room.
    Travis returned to the edge of my bed. I had to look terrified still, because he pulled him back into his arms, murmuring, "It's okay. I won't let him hurt you again."
    A doctor entered the room. "I'm sorry, young man, but you need to leave now. Our patient needs her rest."
    Travis gave me a final hug, then got up and exited the room, waving bye to me the whole way. The doctor walked back over to the bed. "Kira, you should get some rest. I'll check back in on you in a couple hours, okay?" He said, then turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him.
    I stared at the cieling, knowing I was tired, but not being able to sleep. I lay in the same position for I don't know how long before I finally drifted into blissful sleep.