War Between Worlds

Every once in a while when I walk these halls, I sense his presence, following every step I take. He’s like a shadow, but more dangerous because he has a mind of his own. He can over shadow you in darkness and never let you out of his trap. I once trusted him with my life, but I find myself running now, fearing for my life and the ones I love. I know now that that’s what he does-- he manipulates, he cheats to get his way, he makes you feel loved and then he destroys you. ______________________________________________________________________ I walk down the bleak halls of Woodrow Wilson Highschool, just another gloom-filled day of classes, gossip and homework. I let out a loud sigh as Lily began to pester me about my inability to make guy friends or have a boyfriend, "Derek's a pretty cool guy, Gabby. I don't know what your problem is with him. Are you a lesbian or asexual? The only thing he wanted to do was talk to you and you just walked away, it's like you've never met a guy in your life. Your dad and Chris don't count if you were trying to come up with a comeback." She huffed and started to pout. Lily is into guys, as you have all noticed. She is the straightest hair you’ll ever find on your head. She has been my best friend since the beginning of my first high school year. *-* I'm not going to say that the start of our friendship was memorable or a big deal, but it was to me. It all started outside the cafeteria on the first day of school. My mother had packed me a salami sandwich that day, even though I've told her countless times how much I didn't like it. I sat at one of the outdoor tables because of how crowded and loud it was inside, when I felt someone behind me. “Are you going to eat that or are you waiting for it to eat you?” She appeared out of nowhere and out of everywhere at the same time. I don't know how I missed her, but I did. She had the most vibrant orange hair and the clearest green eyes. It was like walking through a forest when the sun was shining down on the leaves of the trees. Next to her, I paled in comparison. “Nah, it wouldn't have the guts to eat me and I don’t have the guts to do the same. You want it?” I offered it to her without knowing anything about her. She took a seat next to me and took it while instantly sparking up a conversation. Well, it wasn't really a conversation when only one person was doing all the talking, was it? *-* "You know I haven’t, Lily. I do know some guys, for your information, that are not Chris. I just dont like him like that. Even though you're into guys that have hard chiseled abs and a pretty smile, you can't keep trying to stick me with any guy that comes my way. I'm just not interested in a relationship right now." I felt a person taking up residence on my other side. “Who are you talking about and why is Lily pouting” Chris, another one of my best friends, asks while handing me a milkshake. Chris is different from Lily though. Although she has been my best friend since freshman year, he has been there since my second year in middle school. The way we met wasn't like the way in the movies. It wasn't romantic either. It was one messy introduction between two middle schoolers. *-* Back then, I relied on books to distract me from the world around me. It's not like I had a bad home situation, I was just dealing with a lot of questioning mainly from myself. I looked around and saw young girls filling into their "womanly" bodies and starting to date “popular” kids. I didn't want any of that, which made me think that there was something wrong with me until the day I met him. I was walking down the hall towards the library while reading a book when I smashed into something, someone. "I'm sorry I didn't see you there."I said as I looked up from the floor and saw him, Chris, all dorkey and classy with his hand stretched down to help me up. "It's my fault, not yours. I wasn't looking where I was going either, but it isn't your fault. I'm the one who should be sorry" he said as I took his hand and started dusting myself off. As I was about to turn to go, I saw him pick up my book and read the cover. I thanked him as he slowly handed it to me and once again turned to me when I stopped, with his hand on my shoulder. “I’m Christophor, but people call me Chris. What's your name?” “Gabby Heart” I answered. *-* After that day, we were inseparable. We did everything together, until his parents split up. He was always traveling between the two till the custody battle came to an end and his father “won” him. He was in a constant state of remorse until freshman year. It was like a switch flipped inside him. He joined the football team and went to parties (rarely), but he never forgot about me and when Lily came into our circle I saw the tension leave his shoulders. " G, are you listening to me? He is perfect for you. He loves to read and he is a big sucker for, what do you call that subject with the numbers––" I sighed and realized that Lily had still not moved on about Derek and it was getting on my nerves. "First, the subject is called math and second, what did I just say about trying to stick me with any guy that comes my way? Like I said before, I will never be interested in him. Anyway, the answer to your first question is no, I was not listening to your whining." I saw Chris roll his eyes and smirking from the corner of mine and I stormed off to the exit door leading to the parking lot as they hurried after me. As Chris and Lily continue to talk about all the possibilities of me dating a guy for the first time, I zone out from the conversation, wanting to just disappear into the trees surrounding the school. We get to where the football field meets the parking lot and Chris gets dragged away by the team to catch up on the latest party and news, while Lily gets dragged away by some of the cheerleaders that she gossips with. I made my way to Chris's car. Before school started, I failed my drivers test, big time. My driving test teacher said that if you knock down a mailbox of a bypassing house, it counts as not passing. When I told Chris, he laughed and rolled on the floor like an i***t. He told me his dad bribed some people and got him to take the driver's test early, so he got his license a year earlier. This summer, his dad gave him a new car for his birthday to make up for all the time he'd been missing out on because of his work trips. I leaned on the side of the car and took in my surroundings. The small groups remained behind and there were very few cars in the parking lot. I look at the surrounding woods around the school, the leaves moving with the gentle fall breeze. As I looked deeper into the woods and saw a small black figure. I felt the thing staring back at me with chills running up my spine. “Gabby!!” Lily yells my name in my ear while shaking me to get me to snap out of my daze. I looked away from the dark figure and stared at my friend’s face. “Are you OK? You were gone for a while. I called your name like five times before I had to shake you.” She had walked away from the group of girls and made her way to me while I was non-responsive and Chris made his way to the driver's side, unlocking the door. “Yeah, I’m...good” I doubled back to look at where the shadowy figure stood and saw nothing, then climbed into the back seat of the car and lay on my back and fell into a soundless slumber. I’m in the middle of a lake, walking on water. When I looked up, I saw an angel's face looking down at me and his white wings spread wide behind him. I am then pulled down to the surface of the water by an invisible hand. When I look back at the angel, I see that his wings have turned black , but he is no longer flying above the lake. He had jumped in and was reaching a hand towards my slowly submerging body. I thrash and fight against the current and the water trying to reach for his hand, but the water seeps through my fingers. The longer I fight, the more my breath and energy seeps from my body. I try to get air into my lungs, but the only thing going into them is water. I start to lose connection with my surroundings and everything goes dark. The darkness suffocating me, finishing the job the water didn't.