Chapter One
2004
"Hey Mila! Don't forget to bring over some things for the sleepover at my house after school." A very young girl of fourteen said as she jogged up next to her.
"I know Selena, I won't forget. But I'm surprised that your parents are letting me stay the weekend with you while they're gone." Mila said to her as they walked to their last class of the day.
They were freshmen at Mickelson High School and the school year had barely started, being in their second week. Best friends since middle school, they had known each other since they were five years old. But ended up separating when Mila's parents decided to move to another district, causing her to transfer to a new school.
It wasn't until seventh grade that they found each other again and became fast friends. Eventually, they became best friends and made sure that they both ended up in the same high school. Luckily for them, they had required some of the same classes and that made things a whole lot better to start off the new high school year.
"Well, we won't be the only ones there. My brother is coming home today." She stated a little excitedly.
Mila stopped walking and stared after Selena as she just kept on going. Realizing that her friend wasn't with her anymore, she stopped and turned around to look at her. "What's wrong?"
"I forgot you have a brother, isn't he...well, you know...?"
Selena started laughing at the expression she was giving her. "Oh, come on Mila, those are just rumors that everyone likes to spread around to make him more interesting than he actually is, plus no one knows the truth about it."
She wasn't convinced at all and believed what was being said about Jared Cooper. Supposedly in his freshman year, two years ago, it was said that he had beat up a teacher so badly that he landed him in the hospital. It was rumored it was because the teacher got angry and embarrassed that Jared had shown him up about his own teachings.
He had called the teacher dumb and stupid, and that there was an easier way to solve the difficult problems he was giving to his own students. They got into a heated argument, which led to serious insults, and then Jared went into a rage and lost control. It was also rumored that he had completely vandalized the school's auditorium with graffiti. He had gotten expelled and then was sent to juvenile hall for the act. Selena just took it all in stride and even laughed about it.
"Then what is the truth?" she asked.
Selena looked at her for a moment in thought. "How about this, ask him yourself when we get to my house."
"Why can't you just tell me?" she asked, feeling a little nervous about asking the guy personally.
"Because, I have a feeling that you won't fully believe me if I was the one who told you."
She started walking again with a worried frown, biting her lower lip a bit. "I don't know Sel, even if they are only rumors about him being a delinquent, I don't think I can approach him about it."
She laughed again, making her feel a bit annoyed. "I don't think this is funny at all Sel."
"I know, but it makes me laugh when I think about my older brother in those terms." Selena locked her arm with hers as they reached their classroom. "Alright then, I will ask him with you, it will be like you didn't even want to know at all."
"Um Selena, you already know the truth, so you asking him in front of me will be obvious that I'm actually the one who really wants to know." She said to her pointedly.
Selena's face fell at realizing that. "Oh...that is true and believe me my brother is no dummy. In fact, in any way we try to do this he'll see right through it."
They went inside and moved around the other students to sit at their desks. She sat down and turned around where Selena sat behind her. Selena inched closer to her, seeing that the teacher walked in and was hushing everyone to listen.
"So, there is only one way to actually find out." She told her.
"What's that?"
"That you ask him yourself."
The two girls arrived at Selena's house two and a half hours later. Her best friend walked up to her door and turned the knob to find it still locked.
"Well, I guess no one is here yet." She sighed dramatically.
She turned back around and went to the side of the house to the second window. Mila followed her with a frown, wondering what she was going to do. A pile of rocks laid in a flower bed just beneath the window and Selena bent down, turned a rock that looked like all the others, and pulled out a key.
"How did you know which rock it was?"
"Sorry sweetheart, but that's the whole point."
She rolled her eyes at her, turned to go back to the front door and wait for Selena to open it. When she did, they both walked in quickly, both sighing at the coolness in brought them. The sun was hot outside, since it was late August, and it brought them both relief to feel the air conditioner as they stepped inside.
"Go ahead and go put your belongings in my room. I'm going to get us something to munch on." Selena told her as she walked into the kitchen that was just off to the right of the front door.
She walked down to her room and turned to the left when the hallway made a dividing section. She walked all the way to the end towards Selena's room. She stopped shortly before reaching it. There, hanging on the wall, was a picture of a young boy and a very young Selena. She assumed that was Selena's brother Jared.
She studied the picture for a moment. He had the same black hair and same blue eyes as Selena did, both had light copper colored skin. The only difference between the two was their ages. Selena looked no older than eight years old, while he looked roughly about ten.
At this age, he seemed like a good-looking kid, which was to say he most likely would grow to be quite the looker. She blushed at thinking that, becoming a little nervous all over again. She turned to the door, opened it, and went inside.
Selena's room was decorated with cherry wood furniture, which just happened to be both of their favorite type of wood. There was a long dresser that held nine drawers and a full-sized mirror sitting on top of it. There was one nightstand table that matched just on the side of the full-size bed that was covered with different shaped sized pillows. The walls were decorated with Selena's favorite things; posters of her favorite band, a collage of pictures of her family and friends, a pin up board that had notes, flyers, and drawings that a child had did.
She dropped her bag on the bed and quickly returned to the living room.
"Took you long enough." Sel said, who was on the couch eating a tray of different kinds of fruit.
She was watching their favorite T.V. series called, Bones. Selena's mother thought it was odd that they would be interested in a show like that and wondered about it, remembering what she had said,
"Why aren't you interested in something like, A Teenage Life of an American Teenager or Glee or something like that?" she had asked them and all they did was look at each other and busted up laughing.
For only being fourteen years old, they both liked to think that they were mature for their ages. Silly little things like writing in your diary or gushing over which boy was cute in their school did not appeal to them in the least. Mila sat down on the other couch.
"I've never seen that picture of you and your brother on the wall before." She stated with a little frown as she took a grape and popped it into her mouth.
Selena stopped moving a blueberry halfway to her mouth and thought for a moment. It took about thirty seconds for her to understand what she was talking about.
"Oh! Of course not, my mom just found it in a box in the attic about two days ago. She framed it and put it in the hallway." She shrugged and resumed her eating and attention to the T.V.
Within the ten minutes of silence as they watched the show, they heard voices outside the front door. She looked to her friend in question. Selena jumped up and ran to the door, while she turned around on the couch facing the entryway. She heard the doorknob rattling as if whoever was on the other side was trying to unlock it, but before they could, Selena unlocked it herself and swung it wide open.
"Jared!"