00 | p r o l o g u e

Its was raining.

Mum was right after all. I don't know how she does it but one look at the sky and she could tell you what time it was and whether it was going to rain, burn or snow. It's no wonder she worked as the weather lady, I've told her to return but she refuses. Apparently, banking is her thing now.

She warned me about the rain and told me to stay put at home. She said it would be really heavy, practically a storm and she wasn't lying. I could feel little ice blocks falling on me accompanied by the heavy rain and wind that has refused to subside. I was going to listen to her but I missed him so much, seven months away is really long and what better time is there to visit your boyfriend's grave than the time of dark clouds and heavy rain.

I couldn't sleep anyway. Rain came with nightmares and its better to cry here with him and let the water clean up my tears than to cry alone in my bed and have dried tears on my face.

My eyes remain fixed on the gravestone with the imprinted words on them. Unlike some months ago where I'd cry and lament to him, talk about how shitty my day was or ask him questions he'll never answer, today I just cry in silent and endured the pain of ice hitting on me. I used my palm to wash the stone. I always wanted it neat and shiny because the person lying six feet below would never say in a dirty place. Too much of a neat freak.

Now it made me sad to think that while I was away nobody bothered to keep the gravestone neat and shiny. Well I'm back now and I'll redeem it.

I don't know how much time I spend staring at Bryce's gravestone but eventually my mind registers that I needed to be home before anybody finds out I'm gone. My body was already feeling numb from the cold and if I don't go home now, I might not be able to walk the distance.

"Bye, Bryce."

After one last look at the stone, I turned around, wiping at my face as I walk away. I don't know which is more painful; getting no reply every time or eventually walking away. I hate walking away. I promised myself I'd never walk away again but I keep doing it. I have to.

My legs slowly left the graveyard and I pull my hoodie over me, now feeling a little headache from all the ice that have been hitting me. I start the long journey to my house and when I'm about to cross the road but I'm blinded by a strong flashlight that momentarily blinds my vision.

My hands go up in instincts to shield myself from whatever was heading my way and my eyes close shut, protecting my iris and anticipating the impact. Its funny how my mind wants to be hit and destroyed but my body and stupid instincts try to protect me. The impact doesn't come. Nothing hits me and I feel no pain, instead I'm doused with water from the road, dirtying my already wet clothes.

My eyes slowly open up and I see a jeep merely inches away from me. I exhaled in relief and laugh at the absurdity. Two more inches and I'd probably be booking a space next to Bryce in the graveyard.

How I wished.

I hear the engine rumble and die continuously until a loud honk comes from the car, shocking me. The door opens and a boy comes out shooting out curses from his mouth and banging the door close in obvious anger. He turns around and stills when he sees me, his face morphing into one of confusion as he raises his brows. I don't do anything and he turns his head around, searching around for God knows what before turning to me again.

"What are you doing?" He asks me pointing a finger in my direction. He looks around again and now I think, he's spooked. "How the hell are you there?"

I blinked and take shaky steps backward. "Staying alive." I tell him in regards to the first question then to the second I say. "I was crossing the road."

He looks at me for a full minute before his eyes widen, "shit!" He takes long strides to me. "Did I-- are you okay?"

I nodded, "Shaky but I'm fine."

He runs a hand through his wet hair. "I didn't see you, I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry."

I raise a brow. "If you didn't see me then why did you stop your car?"

He turned to car and back to me. "I didn't. Its been messing up and giving me troubles stopping on its own in the middle of a ride. But I guess now that's a good thing right? I could've harmed you otherwise."

I nodded, "I guess."

He looks at me curiously, eyes filled with concern and his hand lands on my shoulders making me snap my attention to him. "You sure you're alright?"

I couldn't see his face really well because of the rain. His hair looked black and was matted to his face. His lashes were dripping water and so was his nose. I didn't know the colour of his eyes but as I looked at him, turquoise coloured eyes came to mind and I related them to him. He was no doubt good looking just like...

I shrug his hands off me. "I'm fine."

After a last look, he nodded and moved to open the hood of his car. Fumes made themselves known making him cough before trying to find the problem. He looks back as if to confirm if I'm still here then returned to his car and asked. "What's are you doing on the road at 3am?"

"I was visiting a friend." I said and against my better judgement, I moved closer to him. "What's the problem with your car?"

"I honestly don't know." He says then sighs in defeat.

I felt pity for him and walk closer to the car, peering inside to locate the problem. He moves away and watches me with wary eyes as I touch this and that. "Try to start the car." I tell him, my eyes focused on the wires in my hands.

He hesitated for about a second before walking away hopping back into his car and turning it on. The engine roars to life and doesn't die like before. The boy comes out with a grin. "How the hell did you do that?"

I shrugged, closing shut his hood. "Practice. Your engine overheated and you'll need to buy a coolant."

He still had that impressed smile on his face and the more I look at it, the more I feel proud of myself for getting one thing right and putting a smile on a strangers face. "Thanks a lot... er?"

I shook my head, "no, I'm not telling my name to a stranger."

"Seriously?" He chuckles. "Anyway, I'm Sean and thank you so much."

"You're welcome." I said and we look at each other in silence for a minute, before I turn around on my heel, ready to continue my journey home.

"Hey, um..." I turned around to him and he smiles running a hand through his wet hair. And that's when I see that the rain has stopped. "Why don't I give you a ride... as a thank you, not anything else." He adds.

"You won't kidnap me?" I asked jokingly, a smile fighting its way to my face.

"No, I won't. Some strangers are just genuinely good and thankful."

"But some are not."

"Yeah but--"

"Okay." I say saving him from saying anything else, he doesn't look like a bad person and I could use a ride home. I can't believe I spent three hours at the graveyard, it felt like minutes.

He claps his hand together, "cool."

I entered into his jeep, settling myself comfortably in the brown leather and I'm immediately hit with a familiar scent. A familiar Cologne. I close my eyes as a memory of Bryce is triggered and I turn eye wide at Sean looking at him like he's an alien.

"What?" Sean asks raising a brow at me and I immediately look away fiddling with my fingers.

It's not Bryce's permanent scent, he's is more strong but this one is familiar because he has worn it before, when he changed Cologne. His cousins bought it for him and we bickered over which Cologne had a more appealing scent. To rile him I insisted that this one was better and because of that, he wore it for over a month.

Its nothing, Parker. Anybody can buy that same Cologne. Not everything revolves around Bryce. I tell myself then turn to Sean with a smile. "Nothing, it's just... I like your car."

"Thank you, she who won't tell me her name." He says then flashes me a smile as he drives off. I read my address out to him and sit in silence.

Its foolish, I'm here giving my address to a stranger but I won't tell the stranger my name. Who does that?

Sean parks in front of my house in no time and I thanked him, getting down from the jeep and praying that nobody is awake in my house.

"You seriously won't tell me your name?" He ask leaning to the window so I can see him.

"No. Maybe next time." I tell him, pulling down my hood.

"Okay. Till next time then."

"Till next time." I rewarded him with a smile and walked away, sneaking back into my house. Thankfully, there's no one present and I just tip toe upstairs.

Once I'm inside my haven, I sighed in relief shedding my clothes away and hopping into the bath for a hot shower. My guts tell me that I'm going to probably get sick and I'm actually looking forward to it.

If I get seriously sick then I won't have to start Senior year tomorrow without my best friend and love of my life.

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