CHAPTER 1

Angelina's POV

"Angelina, get up!"

A high-pitched voice rang in my ears. A groan escaped from the back of my throat. Not wanting to open my eyes, I decided to ignore it and pulled the covers higher—

"What the hell!" I screamed in shock, jolting upright as freezing cold water soaked through my shirt. I wiped the water from my eyes and stared in disbelief at my best friend, who stood over me with an empty bucket in her hand and a smirk playing on her lips.

"Have you gone insane, Lexi?" I yelled at her, pointing at my wet clothes and the ruined bed.

She just rolled her eyes and tossed the bucket aside. "Come on, Angel. You are the laziest person I have ever met. I wonder how I put up with you."

I just glared at her.

Lexi was perfect in her own sense. With beautiful green eyes, short curly brown hair that brushed her neck, and a fit body, she looked amazing. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Swartz, owned a small publishing company and had a good reputation in town. She lived with them and her older brother, Josh. Lexi loved gymnastics. she worked out daily, improving every inch of her body. To me, my best friend was the exact definition of perfection.

And me?

Well, I had thick black hair that reached down to my waist and dark eyes. I definitely didn't have the kind of body that girls wished for and boys died for. I was just plain.

"My annoying little friend," I grumbled, wringing the icy water out of my hair. "It's Sunday, and unlike you, I like to sleep in." I loved to sleep. It was my hobby, and if it was Sunday, it was an obligation. Besides, who doesn't enjoy sleeping?

"No! You are not going to waste time sleeping today, Angel," she insisted, her smile growing wide. "Because we are going shopping!"

I jolted fully awake at those words. My sleepiness completely vanished.

Girls love to shop; it's fun and the most entertaining thing to do on a weekend. Lexi and I both enjoyed it. That was one of the few things we actually had in common, because otherwise, we had completely different personalities.

"Angel, look at that guy, babe. He is so hot," Lexi whispered, nudging my arm. We had spent the last two hours wandering the mall, trying on different clothes and shoes. Lexi had insisted on paying for my things, but I simply denied it.

I peeked over the jewelry counter at the guy she was staring at and just rolled my eyes.

"Wait, what?" she gasped in horror. "Are you insane or something? How can you roll your eyes at that guy?" she exclaimed, pointing subtly at him.

"Lexi, I'm not interested in drooling over a guy who wouldn't even care to share the same air as me," I reasoned, looking back at the display. "Boys like him love to play games with you and leave the second they get what they want. My boyfriend is going to be much better than this hot guy of yours."

"Angelina, you're over eighteen, and you're still sitting around waiting for your boyfriend to magically come walking toward you. If you want a boyfriend, you need to open your eyes and actually date."

Blah... blah...

I blocked the rest of her lecture out, pretending to listen, when my eyes fell on the large glass doors of the mall.

Parked on the other side of the road was a black car.

I closed my eyes and exhaled, hoping the car would disappear when I looked again. But when I opened them, it was still sitting there. I forced my eyes away and looked at Lexi, who was now talking about dolphins. Even as I tried to ignore the tight knot of fear and panic growing in my chest, my eyes kept drifting back to the vehicle.

It had been two weeks since I first noticed that exact car following me everywhere I went—to the mall, to Lexi's house, and everywhere else. Sometimes the car was parked close by, and other times it was stationed down the block.

"Lexi, that's the same car I told you about a couple of days ago," I whispered, pointing discreetly toward the street.

Her eyes followed my direction. She looked at the car suspiciously for a moment before frowning.

"Angel, it's just your imagination playing tricks on you," she said, sounding completely unconvinced. "Who do you think is following you? It's not like you have any enemies."

I thought about her words. She was right. I didn't have any crazy ex-lovers or an ex-lover's jealous girlfriend out for revenge. I wasn't famous in high school, and I couldn't remember ever getting into a fight with anyone. There were plenty of good-looking girls in our town, so it made no sense for a mad stalker to follow plain, boring me.

"Lexi, let's just grab a bite. I'm starving," I said, dismissing the topic to ease my nerves.

"Yup, Angel, let's eat something. My stomach is churning wildly," she exaggerated, linking her arm through mine.

We ate in a small cafe opposite the mall. Lexi kept talking about how her parents had a huge fight with her older brother after catching him naked with a girl in their living room. I tried to laugh at her funny remarks and ask the necessary questions, but my mind couldn't help but divert back to the car. Maybe I was just hallucinating, or maybe someone actually was following me.

After filling our empty stomachs, we decided to go home. My mom would be back from work soon. She worked at a small clinic, while my younger sister and I tried to help her out around the house during the weekends. Being a single parent was a tough job. My sister didn't remember much, but my mother had to work incredibly hard just to afford our education. We helped her whenever we had the time. As for my dad... well, I preferred not to talk about him.

"Bye, Lexi," I said, getting out of the car when she pulled into my driveway. "Don't forget to pick me up on your way to school tomorrow. My car is still broken down," I reminded her.

"Sure, honey," she called out, waving at me. I waited on the curb until her car disappeared around the corner.

My mother's car was parked in the driveway. A satisfied grin crept onto my face, knowing I'd get to spend some time with her now.

As I turned around to go inside the house, my breath hitched. I saw the exact same black car parked far away on the opposite side of the street. A strange, stubborn feeling made me want to check whether it was just my imagination or if someone was truly following me. Not thinking about the consequences, I took a step toward the street. But as soon as I started walking toward the car, its engine roared to life. It took a sharp turn and drove off at full speed.

Strange.

I shrugged off the weird feeling and hurried inside.

As soon as I entered the house, I was greeted with the delicious aroma of baked pizza. It felt warm and comforting. The only person who could make this house feel like a home was finally here.

"Hey, Mom," I said, walking into the kitchen and hugging her from behind.

My mother smiled tiredly at me. "Hey, honey. How was shopping? Did you enjoy it?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom. I mean, who doesn't enjoy shopping? It's the last thing on earth to hate," I said cheerfully, pulling out a chair.

After eating the pizza, I told her about my day. Obviously, I left out the car incident, otherwise my mom would ban me from leaving the house, which I definitely didn't want to happen. I asked her about her day at the clinic, but my mood dropped when she suggested applying for another job.

"No, I am not letting you work for so long," I protested, shaking my head.

"But I have to, dear!" she sighed. "Who else will look after you and Alex?"

My sister, Alex, was four years younger than me. She was the most cheerful girl you could ever meet. Like normal sisters, we fought, played, had fun, and loved each other. She had gone on a school study tour, so it was just my mom and me alone in the house for two weeks.

"How is she doing?" I asked my mother, wanting to change the subject.

"Enjoying the tour. If you ask me, Alex thinks it's more of a picnic than an educational trip," my mother smiled.

I laughed along, knowing that sounded exactly like my sister.

We watched television together for a while. Soon, the warmth of the room caught up with me, and I felt my eyes shutting on their own. Yawning, I rubbed my face. "Okay, Mom, I'll just go to bed. Today was a very hectic day for me."

When she didn't respond, I looked over at the other end of the couch. She was already fast asleep.

I chuckled softly.

She just worked way past her own capacity. Working two jobs to pay the bills would make any woman her age look tired and sad. I knew my mother better than anyone. Even though she didn't show it and tried to conceal her emotions, I knew she was deeply sad. On many late nights, I had heard soft sniffling sounds coming out of her room. But even if I wanted to go in and hold her, I knew I couldn't. She needed space and time, just like I did.

Alex and I had suggested she start dating again, but it was always a solid no from her. Twice she reluctantly agreed to go out, but those relationships never lasted for a week. Alex thought it was our fault; she thought our mother was still in love with our father. But I knew the real reason. I knew the dark truth behind those tired eyes. It was a heavy burden I was forced to live with and hide from my little sister.

Not wanting to disturb her much-needed rest, I quietly turned off the T.V. and covered her with a knit blanket. I walked into the kitchen and cleaned our dishes, making sure not to make much noise. When everything was done, I headed down the hall to my room.

I took a quick, hot shower and climbed into bed. It was half-past twelve. I lay down, waiting for sleep to overtake me, yet my mind wouldn't shut off. I couldn't help but start thinking about that mysterious car.

Why did I keep seeing it everywhere? Was it really just an illusion, or was someone actually following me? Would I be kidnapped? Or worse, killed?

But what freaked me out more than the thought of a stalker was my own reaction to it. Deep down, I wasn't actually scared. I didn't feel the creepiness terrifying me like it should.

Oh God!

I groaned and rolled over into my pillow. I really needed to stop watching so many crime shows.