The sequel is out now!!

Garfield Logan and Raven Roth were dating in high school. They spent pretty much every day together at first, day in and day out.

Raven was quiet, yet strong, and Gar brought out the best in her.

Gar was the class clown, cracking jokes and putting smiles on people's faces, but Raven brought out the side that nobody ever saw.

They were thought to be inseparable.

And now after all those years of being apart, they had been brought together by sheer luck. They had their ups and downs throughout the year, but the young love affair culminated into one thing.

Raven was alone again.

Raven was alone and now she must find him. She has to find him.

But new student is now in school, and he starts to catch Raven's eye.

All Raven wants is to find her love again. And this boy may be exactly what she needs.

She broke the promise once, so there's no reason she can't break it again. Right?

~~~~~~

Prologue
A Child's Reality
~~~

"Raven, I'm not going anywhere. You're the main reason I came back. Do you think I came back because I wanted to live in the same place where my parents were killed? On the same street? I chose the house. I chose the street. I chose everything involving this move. I wasn't having good days in Washington anymore. I wasn't happy. Trust me." He grabs her shoulders. "I am not going anywhere."

Raven stares at him then shakes her head. The pain stricken look in her eyes allowed her to be read with ease. The words that previously made her smile now brought her to the brink of tears.

"You...you're a liar..." she states. "A LIAR!" She screams. "You left me! How could you?! You said you'd never leave!"

"Raven..."

"What?"

"Raven."

"Raven!"

"Raven!!" The teacher called out to her. She was daydreaming again. "Did you hear what I said?"

"I– uh..."

"No, she didn't, Mrs. Lowe. I bet she wasn't even paying attention." Michael, a former member of Adam's entourage, jeered. In response, Raven promptly kicked him in the shins under their desks. The kids next to them stifled their laughs until their faces flushed.

"Raven, this is the fourth time this week you've done that. Have you been retaining any of the material?"

Raven stares at her blankly and shrugs.

Mrs. Lowe groans, "Raven, come into the hallway with me please."

Eyes bore into her as people watch her walk out. Her steps are lead heavy and everything seems to echo now. The whispering voices echo too. Mark, James, and Michael especially. She shoots them a sharp glare and they immediately stop.

"Raven. You have to pay attention in my class. It's only the first few weeks of school and you've already got a C. Why can't you focus? Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shrugs and downcasts her eyes.

"I don't know what you mean by shrugs, Raven. Speak to me. Use your voice."

Her eyes still unfocused on her teacher, she timidly shakes her head.

Mrs. Lowe, now thoroughly frustrated with Raven, she says: "Raven, I understand your summer was poor, but you can't let that affect your grades in school. Pushing through this makes you stronger. But yielding to it won't help you at all."

Raven's eyes snap upward to her: "You...have no idea what I went through." She spoke diffidently. Is speaking physically taxing for her now? It isn't clear. Especially after she went back into the classroom and grabbed her things with a pained expression on her face.

She leaves. Luckily the bell rang shortly after, and it's time to go home.

For everyone else that is.

Raven, on the other hand, has somewhere to be. She rushes through people, weaving in and out like a chaotic game of Frogger, only to be stopped by that giant log that doesn't seem to end: Michael, James, and Mark.

She grits her teeth and tries to push past them, not paying them any mind.

They're too big though. She's not strong enough to.

"What do you want?" She questions, hushful.

"Oh shit! Guys, she does speak!" Michael exclaims. Raven folds into herself feeling smaller than she already is compared to them. The halls start to empty out rapidly. Going from multiple footsteps on linoleum floors almost in time with one another to pretty much no sound at all. The metronome of those footstep fade as the doors shut and the majority of students are now waiting outside for friends or parents or driving home themselves.

"Why'd you leave class, huh? Went to find a replacement for this lost boyfriend now too? Or did you just want to find someone to screw while you wait?"

Raven imagines bashing their faces in. Instead, she goes for the trusty ol' nut shot, kneeing Michael in between his legs. Not that there was much there to hurt, but it was still satisfying to see his pained expression.

"Ouch! Damnit, you little bitch!" Raven simply walks away.

"...Don't you have anything better to do?" She musters up the courage to say.

"We would if Adam was here. He'd order us to the weight room. But now that you've gotten rid of him," James needn't finish his sentence. It was enough to fire Raven up on the inside. Not with anger though, with satisfaction.

Ah, that bittersweet satisfaction.

Raven groans. Noticing that they've parted a little bit in front of her, she seizes the opportunity and pushes past them, down the stairs, and to her locker.

I really wish I had carried my textbooks with me.

Hoping they didn't follow her, she quickly unlocks it and slams it shut. Books in hand she manages to get to one of the school's side doors.

But not out of it.

The hood of her sweatshirt was tugged at and halted her in her tracks, causing the neckline to cinched around her neck. At least it feels like it is.

She froze. She can hardly breathe. Her breaths are sharp and quick. She struggles against the football player's grip, but he doesn't budge. She takes a cautious step backward in order to ameliorate the tension, which brings her closer to them.

Let me go...please... She continues to pull at her hood with her hands.

"Ha! Look, guys, she thought she'd get to leave!" Max states. "Maybe next time leave your shit in your locker."

James, with her hood in hand, pushes her up against the door that was once a symbol for her freedom. Now? They were simple cell doors with no keyhole.

Her head slammed into it causing her vision to blur. She grows weak for a second but regains her strength quickly.

She kicks back hoping to land it somewhere where it would hurt.

The shins. Good enough. The tension on her neck loosens and she peels off the door in a haze.

"Kick him in the shins? Really?" She doesn't hesitate to push on the door, but one of the other two snatches her back up again. This time by her waist making her extremely uncomfortable. She fights the urge to look back at Michael. But he eventually makes that a much harder task.

Before she realizes it she's tossed into the lockers and the three loom over her. All the lockers on the wall rattled in synchronized incredulity. Not even the walls wanted to stand witness for her. No one did. She was alone in this and she had to get out of it alone.

So she tries, but every time she attempts to get up she's knocked down. Every time she tries to look her eyes are shut by pain. Every time she strives to counterattack she's shut up. She's their impetus, only making it worse for her. The more she tries to fight it the more they fight back. She can't win this way. She won't win this way.

So, thinking quickly, she takes off to the left using all the energy she's got left. Just as she thought the grabbed her hood again sending her reeling backward. Hardly keeping her balance and in one deft motion, she wriggles out of it and flies off, leaving her backpack and all behind along with it.

She'd rather lose her favorite sweatshirt than getting a second concussion.

She automatically makes a beeline for the guidance office and locks the door.

Finally, safety.

"Raven?" An amazingly angelic voice calls from behind her. Amber Oritz-Edwards, AOE. She's never felt such a great wave of relief flow through her. With a smile as rare as diamonds, she runs over and hugs her wordlessly. "Raven, what happened? You look a mess."

She doesn't reply. She simply begins to tear up and cry. Something that's been happening more and more since August. Weakling.

I...I can't... I-I'm scared... I'll just be hurt more...

"Ok... Forget what I said. We'll fix this."

...G-Gar?

Raven looks up at Amber. She never thought she'd give in this quickly. She never wanted to give in this quickly. But she can't do this by herself. It's impossible. She's too weak without him. Her drive is gone. Her ambition is gone. Her love is gone.

I have to fix this mess we started. I need someone else...

"A-Amber...I need help..."

Check out the book for Chapters I and II! Hope you guys enjoy!

~Rae