Chapter 01: Criminal Recap A message had been written on the side of a stuffed raccoon: You may be the world's worst driver, but you know how to drive me crazy. He'd planted these chicken scratch messages all across the pasture, with the expectation that I would get here. Eventually. The wind rustled the bare branches of the trees around us, but I felt warm. "You were the first person I could stand up to," I said, "I never realized that until now. Somehow, I was always comfortable with you." "I loved that," Luke confessed, "And I loved watching how your confidence grew. You faced the school down, a gang, my friends and even your own. You're strong, Millie." I shook my head, hoping he wouldn't notice the emotion in the tears that clouded my eyes. "If I'm strong, it's only because I've been weak." I stared at the strong, handsome boy in front of me. So many people had walked away from me. So many people had never bothered to get to know me. How is it possible that the one person who did was Luke Dawson? The friend I never asked for, but the one I always needed. "Luke," I gasped, suddenly realizing where we were. "I know where you're taking me now! I recognize the road." His arms were wrapped around my waist and my hands were on his chest. He smiled, his stunning smile that revealed perfect white teeth, and leaned his head down over my mouth. He didn't stifle my words, but he let his lips hover over mine, enjoying the moment. "Yes, you do, Minnie," he whispered, "It's to the place we met. I'm taking you back to the beginning." "No," I smiled mischievously, "The beginning started with a raccoon." ** ** Saturday evening An ice cube could have melted over him and it wouldn't have changed a damn thing. He was smoking hot. And the heat intensified the closer I got. Oh that rhymes. I like to give myself mental high-fives for poetic wording. Sometimes, I really think I deserve a better grade in English- Focus! His hot breath was on my skin and my name on his lips. "Millie," he whispered. The double "l" rolled off the top of the tongue. I was melting in his arms and he held me closer. His closed eyes hiding the blueness beneath. The warmth of his body heat engulfed me. That's when I knew. I've peaked in high school. ** ** Sunday morning It's easy to lose yourself when someone else is letting you go. That's something my mother used to say... back to her psychiatrist while they downed shots on a Monday. Mum always gave great advice to her shot glass. She was a presence in my life, unlike my dad, who walked out one morning and never came back. Longest game of hide and seek I've ever played. These memories were flooding back now. I promised myself I would never end up here... And yet here I was. The police station was quiet this Sunday morning. An officer was typing my information into the system and I could hear the click clack of the keys while I looked around for the snack station. "Are you listening to me, Miss Ripley?" "No, I was thinking about donuts," I blurted out and immediately clapped my hands over my mouth. Donuts were probably not the right food to mention to a cop. But I'm hungry. I didn't want to mess around with the police. Not after they had me in handcuffs at the Laughing Heads bar. It was thanks to the biker gang that I didn't end up here. Well, I still ended up here. "Pay attention if you want to be taken seriously," the officer said, cracking his fingers by habit. "My advice to you is to avoid attracting attention from now on." My stomach grumbled. Like I said, I'm hungry. "That's it, sir? Aren't you going to investigate?" I grumbled. My stomach and I are on the same level. He disagreed. "If we were to get involved in every teenage drama, it would consume department resources and it's not in my job description." "But my house was vandalized with graffiti, my necklace was stolen and I'm receiving threatening letters. That's blackmail, petty theft and libel-" Yes, I googled those before I came in this morning. "No one was hurt," he said, "and you are not the first teenager to be bullied in this country." "My friends were hurt," I argued, "A gang attacked them for my stolen necklace after it was planted on Chad's car." "Gang violence we take very seriously, which is why I have recorded your statement about that incident into the system." "Ok but recording it doesn't do anything!" "Are you related to Eleanor Ripley?" he asked, swiveling his chair around so that the computer wasn't between us any longer. I stared at his bushy eyebrows and nodded. "She's my mother." "I thought so. Your mother was a regular at the station over a decade ago. We have many files on her, all at her request. She used to come in here with tales not too different to yours." Tales? I remembered that. My sister and I would come with my mum when she was trying to find my father and, at the same time, accuse him of all kinds of crimes. It was a dark time for us. "I am not making this up," I said, sticking to the present. He didn't believe me. He was judging me for my background. So I stuck to the present. I want to focus on the future... Because I want it to be brighter than the past. Random sentimental moment there. "You should speak to your school counselor. This kind of thing is more in their domain than ours," the officer said, standing up to show me out, "You seem like a nice girl, so I'll give you one more piece of advice. Follow in your dad's footsteps, and not your mum's." Oof. I'd follow his footsteps out the door. ** My attempt at being responsible had backfired. I left the police station, knowing that my parents' history was imprinted on my name. I stared down at the crumpled letter in my hand: YoU hAvE iGnOrEd My EvErY wArNiNg. NoW cOmE cOnSeQuEnCeS. tHe NeCkLaCe WaS jUsT tHe BeGiNnInG. Someone was threatening me. Someone cared enough about my relationships to try to break them. Who would do such a thing? I knew it wasn't the last time my blackmailer would contact me. The first letter I ever got told me to stay away from the Dawson brothers. That didn't happen. That so did not happen. I folded it back into my binder for safekeeping and I began the long walk home. I would've taken my car, but I technically don't it have right now. It's still parked outside Austin's home and I wasn't about to spend $30 on an uber ride to get me there. Logistics in life: it's so underrated. I should've thought that through before I popped into Austin's home with flowers plucked from Luke's backyard. Luke had whisked me away on our date then and there. Our date. The day he took me in his car and drove back to where it all began... The way he kissed me and melted every theoretical ice cube in North America. Who would've thought such an obnoxious boy would ask me out? Who would've thought his ego had space for me? We've had a roller coaster of a journey to get to this part. I felt my pocket buzz and I checked my phone. Candy crush notification. Let's be real, I secretly wanted a message from my real-life crush. My mind drifted back to our date again. I couldn't stop replaying it in my mind, like a song you can't get out of your head. It went on repeat. His smooth-like-butter moves were a melody and his catchy one-liners were the chorus. You may be the world's worst driver, but you know how to drive me crazy, he'd said. He's the only guy I know who can give a compliment and insult at the same time. It's a skill. He cute... but it makes me crazy. I remembered the beginning of our date, when we were standing in the pastures. My heart weighed heavy from the emotion while my hands weighed heavy on his body. I could almost hear the wind rustle the bare branches of the trees around us, though I felt warm. His arms were wrapped around my waist and my arms were on his chest, slowly feeling the muscles that covered his body... I checked my phone again. Messages? Zero. I only need one. Call me optimistic, call me pathetic, but damn it Luke, call me.