Chapter One

  I had never really known Tucker O'Hara personally. Sure, I knew who he was; he was a senior (and my fellow classmate) at Norfolk High, captain of the lacrosse team, vice president of Students Against Destructive Decisions and our class president. He was also a straight A student and a heartthrob with his mop of curly red hair, green eyes, killer smile, freckles and pale skin. Tucker was funny, kind and a ladies’ man. He was the kind of person that EVERYONE loved; teachers, students, principal and even the hard core disciplinarian. So it was, naturally, a shock when just a few weeks after Christmas break, Tucker was found dead in his bedroom, lying face down in his pillow. According to the autopsies, he died from a sudden heart attack caused by Type 1 diabetes. It had somehow flown under the radar and you'd think that his family would have been cautious because his grandmother died from diabetes just five years ago.
But because I didn't know him, I didn't go into hysterics over his death. My best friend, Sage Michaels, begged me to go with her to the funeral. It wasn't like she would end up going alone because her longtime boyfriend Lance Grinham was going with her. I tagged along after Sage told me about her and Lance’s recently strained relationship.
When we went to go pay our respects on Friday January 12th, we actually had to wait outside of the funeral home in a foot of snow with a cold wind and a temperature of twenty seven degrees. I'm not exactly a patient person so I started to become a bit squeamish. As I was kicking a few clumps of snow with the tip of my black snow boots, I felt a sharp, quick tug on my wavy honey blonde hair.
"Ow!" I yelped.
"What Taylor?" Sage asked, turning around to face me looking confused.
"Um, it’s nothing all that important. I just felt a tug on my hair."
She sighed and jammed her hands into her white puffy jacket pocket. "Your hair probably just got tangled around one of the jacket's buttons."
I nodded my head so I wouldn't have to hear her rant but I knew Sage's guess about the mysterious hair pull was wrong, it just couldn't have happened.
"Hey look!" Lance whispered, pointing a gloved finger at our school's head cheerleader and unfortunately my fellow classmate, Satan (but she goes by the name Paisley Santos). Standing beside her was Aubrielle Dalton, her brainless best friend.
It didn't surprise us that they were at the funeral home because Paisley and Tucker DID go out... for maybe two seconds, at least that's what it seemed to be, when in truth it was three weeks. But what was shocking was that Aubrielle was practically sucking her thumb while Paisley's perfectly manicured hand was trembling as she grabbed her car keys out of her black Dolce and Gabbana bag.
"Where's the camera when you need it?" Sage asked, awestruck.
"I'm surprised that the devil actually DOES have a soul." I mumbled.
"They're not as bad as you think they are." Lance muttered, defending them. “They are really nice people once you get to know them.”
Sage and I exchanged looks knowing that Lance used to hang out with them and Tucker over the past four years. Lance and Aubrielle had actually hooked up when they went with Paisley and Tucker to New York City on New Year’s Eve. The relationship managed to last for a month before Tucker caught Aubrielle cheating on him with Zach Martins, the mysterious bad boy transfer with a tattoo of a burning skull on his upper right arm.
"Whatever." Sage muttered, clearly unhappy with Lance’s response.

The line moved slowly and it took about five minutes just to get into the actual building. After about another ten minutes, it was finally my turn to go up to Tucker and say my last words. Of course, I didn’t know what to say and with Sage giving me a look that said hurry up I just whispered under my breath that he’ll be sorely missed.

“Took you long enough.” Sage hissed as we went to go shake hands and hug the family.

Mrs. O’Hara was bawling her eyes out and had three empty tissue boxes discarded on the empty seat behind her (the fourth was half empty). She practically collapsed to the ground when Lance hugged her.

“And you are?” She asked me after I told her that I was very sorry about her loss.

“Nobody you would know.” I grumbled and crossed my arms.

I glanced around the crowded room for any familiar faces. Dawn Creeden was cuddling with Jeremy Riddle (guess death DOES bring people closer together), Sonia Meyers was crying in a corner and Crystal Marchiano was busy stuffing brownies and other desserts into her suspiciously large bag. Everybody else I knew was too busy comforting each other to come over and talk to me, so I sat down on the couch and watched as a freshman tried (and failed) to spike the punch.

“So sad, huh?”

“Hi Preston.” I muttered. As of now I wasn’t in the mood to deal with my annoying next door neighbor that never leaves me alone. Preston is on the cheerleading squad and is known for his persistently freakish happy attitude (which is rumored to be the result of Prozac).

“I’m not in the mood to talk so…” I allowed my voice to trail off so he would realize that I was hinting that he should leave. But because this world hates me, he sits down next to me.

“Tucker was a kind person. You know, he never shoved me in a locker or made fun of me for being on the cheerleading squad?”

“No, I never knew that.” I grumbled, resting my chin on my hand. “Preston, I know you mean well but-”

“Such a shame that a life has to end so soon.” He leaned in towards me, so close I could count the freckles on his nose. “It makes you want to go and live life to the fullest. What are you do-?”

“Taylor Brie Harding!”

I looked to my right and saw Ashton Moore standing next to me. He and his family are old friends with mine so he was like a brother to me. He looked different and I noticed that his raven black hair was short but still managed to slightly fall over his baby blue eyes. Ash had grown a few inches since I had last seen him two summers ago when we were both sixteen. Sage would definitely classify him as a hottie and there was no doubt in my mind that he knew it, but despite the fact he was hot he was a serious womanizer. I had never been so happy to see him before in my life though.

I ran over to him and gave him a big hug. “Oh my God you just saved my life! I could kiss you right now.” I whispered into his ear.

He smiled his adorable crooked smile. “What’s holding you back Harding?” He laughed and I was just so surprised to see him that I ignored his comment.

“What are you doing here?” I asked because Ashton lives five cities away from here.

“Well, Mrs. O’Hara is my mom’s cousin and because neither one of my parents could make it, they forced me to go a represent the family.”

Preston cleared his throat from behind us.

“Oh! Ashton this is Preston. Preston, Ashton.” I introduced the two with rapid speed.

Preston nodded his head and shook Ash’s hand. “So you’re the guy Taylor was talking about beginning of Junior year.”

“Oh really?” I could tell Ashton enjoyed the fact I actually talked about him. “Funny, she’s never mentioned you before. So it’s like up until a few seconds ago you never existed to me.” He said smiling.

Preston looked confused and a tad bit hurt at his blunt remark. He was definitely the sensitive type, the type that would cry at a Celine Dion concert.

“I’m going to go tie my shoe… over there.” I said, suddenly feeling awkward and out of place.

“But you’re boots don’t have any laces.” Preston pointed out.

“Ash, can I talk to you for a quick sec?”

“But-”

“Now.” I growled and narrowed my eyes.

“Excuse us.” He said, smiling.

I grabbed his thin wrist and, despite his protests, dragged him into the girl’s bathroom. I pulled him into one of the stalls and locked the door behind me. When he opened his mouth to say something, most likely obnoxious, I slapped my hand over his mouth.

“Now listen and listen good. You are not to talk to Preston because if you talk to him then he’ll want to talk to me and I’ll just HAVE to talk to him. Of course, he’ll never shut up so I’ll have to pull the whole ‘I need to go to the bathroom, stay here I’ll be back’ ditch scheme and be forced to climb out the bathroom window.” I took my hand off of his mouth and crossed my arms.

“It scares me how much you’ve thought this through.”

I sighed. “Well one must be prepared for anything and everything. So do NOT talk to him and avoid him at all cost. Agreed?”

He nodded his head and rolled his eyes. A smile crept across his face and the way the bathroom light hit his eyes, made them look pretty. “So about that kiss…”

“Ugh!” I rolled my eyes and pushed him away so I could leave the bathroom and go meet up with Sage. But when I went to go turn the lock on the stall door, it wouldn’t budge. “Uh, we have a slight problem.”

Great, now not only was I stuck at a funeral that I didn’t really plan on attending but I was stuck in a bathroom stall with Ashton. Believe me, if I could slide underneath the bathroom door I would but this door goes all the way down to the floor. Just my luck.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, not sounding concerned or worried at all.

“We’re locked in here.” I announced and sat down dejectedly on the floor. “I have no idea how to get out of here.”

He sighed. “Well, we could just-”

“I’ve got it!” I exclaimed jumping up and cutting him off. “Just wait until I give you the green light to follow after me.”

He slowly nodded his head. “Uh, okay Taylor, whatever you say.” I stood up and walked over to the toilet. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yes, so just wait right here.”

I put my boot on the seat and as I went to put my other shoe up there as well, I lost my balance and my foot feel in. My cheeks immediately blushed as he laughed at my clumsiness. I sighed and after getting my foot out, stepped onto the handicapped rail. I hoisted myself up onto the top of the wall that separated the two stalls.

“Be careful up there.”

“PUH-lease I’ll be-” But before I could tell him that I’d be fine, I fell onto the other side and landed on my butt.

“Oh my God are you okay?” He asked, actually sounding somewhat concerned.

“I’m fine.” I grumbled as I stood up and opened the door. “It’s clear, you can go now.”

There was a long pause from the other side. “Are you sure about that?”

I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. "Oh come on! Worst that could happen is that you fall, so what are you waiting for you big baby?"

In a matter of seconds he was standing beside me with a smirk on his face. He had managed to get from one side to the other without injuring himself. I knew, for a fact, that he would never let me forget this and I would hate him for it.

"Do not say one word." I hissed. "Let's get out of here before somebody sees you in here."

He smiled. "You know what Harding? You're not all that bad."

"I guess you're tolerable."

"You guess?" He raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Taylor, Taylor, Taylor don't kid with yourself; you KNOW you love to be around me."

I snorted. "Yeah, suuuure, about as much as I love having to be sick with the flu and an ear infection... at the same time."

He wrapped an arm around my waist; pulling me so close to him could smell the distinct scent of Old Spice After Hours. "You know you shouldn't say things you don't mean."

Just as I was about to say something that my mom would consider to be rude, Sage burst into the bathroom and I noticed her eyes were bloodshot.

“There you are,” she sniffled, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

                “Well, obviously not everywhere if you’re finding her just now.” Ashton muttered under his breath. Fortunately, Sage was too caught up with finding me to hear his remark.

                “We need to get out of here… like now.”

                I wiggled out from Ashton’s arm and hugged her.

Author's Note

I'd love to hear your personal opinion of what I have so far; there is more I just haven't been able to type it up yet so this is just... part one (i guess you could call it that).

Thanks,
-K.B.

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