t w e n t y t w o ;

They reached Dieter and Liesl's house within a few minutes of driving and Dieter shut off the car engine, leaving the car in the drive way. The three got out of the car and Liesl skipped up the path that led up to the house, her red hair bouncing past her shoulders as she happily hummed a tune Louise didn't recognize. Louise watched her and wondered to herself just how someone could be like her. So pretty, so happy. And everyone seemed to love her easily. When Dieter had been handing out her campaign buttons, many of the people had offered to help plaster flyers of her over the town. Everyone in their small town knew each other, and they were all like family. But to Louise it was a strange concept. 

She most marveled at the fact that most people seemed completely enamored with the red headed teenager. While Louise could barely get one guy to even glance at her. She was surprised Dieter was still around after getting to know her a bit. She was a foul mouthed teenager who was the complete opposite of him. He was the same as his sister. So handsome, so perfect. She just wanted to reach over and slap his handsome face. But that surely would be unacceptable.

Liesl disappeared into the house without another glance at them while the other two lingered outside for a few moments. Louise stayed behind because Dieter wasn't moving, and she wondered if he was maybe having second thoughts about inviting her over to his house. She also didn't just want to barge into his house like she owned the place. In front of Dieter she would exercise the few amount of manners she knew. She needed to be a whole new version of herself if she wanted to impress him.

She had been lost in her thoughts, thinking how hard it would probably be to behave herself, until she was taken by surprise by the feeling of Dieter's lips on hers. It had been a quick kiss, merely a peck, that sent her heart into overdrive. As Dieter pulled away from her, he seemed nervous and he watched her expression for any reaction, biting down on his lip. Then he began to offer her a sheepish apology. "I'm sorry. I'd just really been wanting to do that all night, and I couldn't because Liesl was in the way." He immediately started playing with his hands, rubbing his fingers nervously, and Louise stared at his hands. They were nice and looked smooth. She wondered how his hand would feel in hers.

For possibly the first time in her life, Louise felt herself go red in the face. She shyly looked down at her feet and said nothing of their shared moment. What could she say to him? It wasn't like the kiss had bothered her. If anything, she liked it and was hoping he would do it again. Or maybe she could go for it herself. 

When he saw that she wasn't going to say anything about it, he gestured for her to follow him up the small path that led up to the house. As they walked, he reached for her hand and held it in his. Their yard was well kept with little flower beds in front of a porch with a swing on it. On the ground in front of the door was a mat that read welcome with a friendly smiley face on it. It was the complete opposite of what she knew from back home. It seemed like these type of people only existed in movies. They were so polite, and so perfect. It was like being in another world.

Dieter got out his set of keys out of his pocket and opened the front door after fumbling in the moonlight to find the right one, since Liesl seemed to have locked the door when she went inside. In the living room, his parents were sitting watching a movie together. Liesl was nowhere to be found, and Louise assumed she had gone straight to her bedroom. Mrs. Park was leaning her head on Mr. Park's shoulder like a young couple in love. They both smiled politely at the two teenagers as they entered the house. It wasn't too late at night, but they did seem rather confused that their son was bringing someone home with him. Dieter led Louise past his parents and up stairs without saying anything to them. His bedroom was the first one, nearest to the hall and the stair case. He asked her to wait for him there and that he would talk to his parents, assuring her that they would understand.

Louise gave a nod of her head, and waited a total of thirty seconds after he left the room to follow him and listen to their conversation from the top of the stairs.

"Why didn't you let us know we were having a guest tonight, Dieter Munich Park?" His mother asked in a whisper, calling him by his full name. There were no ill feelings in her words. But she did want to know why he was bringing someone home without first asking his parents for permission. 

Dieter ran a hand through his red hair nervously as he started to explain. "She has nowhere to go. She was staying with her sister's boyfriend, but they got into an argument and she doesn't want to be at his place anymore. Besides, I didn't really like the way that he looks at her." He thought it was going to be easier. Normally his parents didn't question him much when he brought friends to sleep over. But they were usually boys, since his parents were traditional, and they were normally people his parents already knew. They were people whose parents his parents talked to. But they didn't know Louise at all. She was new in town, and the people of their small town were usually weary of new people.

His father gave a shake of his head, immediately refusing to let her stay at their house. He was the same as Mrs. Park. It wasn't that he had anything against her. He just thought it wasn't such a good idea to let her stay under the circumstances. He had his reasons.  "I think she should go back to her brother in law's house. They might be looking for her and we don't want any trouble. She's only seventeen and if he's her legal guardian, he can call the police on us."

Louise bit down on her lip as she felt tears stinging her eyes. She hated living at school where she felt like she was in a jail. Logan clearly didn't want her at his house, since he was being mean to her and calling her fat. And the one person who did seem to care about her, Dieter, could not get permission from his parents for her to stay with them one night. It was just one night and then she would go back to Logan's place so that he could take her back to school. Her tears were bitter ones and she wiped them away with the back of her hand. 

She finally decided that she'd rather stay on the streets. 

"Maybe we should call a family member to come pick her up if you think she shouldn't go back to her brother in law's house." His mother suggested, all the while Dieter was practically begging for them to let her stay.

But Louise could hear no more of it. She quietly made her way down the stairs and slowly slipped out of the house through the sliding glass door in their kitchen. She went around the back yard and walked down the street in an unknown direction. Maybe if she was lucky enough, she could find Logan's house and she could sleep on his porch. 

She continued walking until she reached the main street, where all the little shops were located. The street lights barely illuminated the side walk, but they were mostly covered up by a row of trees. She stopped in front of Park's Pharmacy where there was a white wooden bench next to a newspaper dispenser. With a sigh, she plopped down on the bench, pulling her phone out of her pocket. It was nearing midnight, and she could see the carnival in the distance. It was dark and the rides had been shut down. The posters on the light poles stated that the carnival ended at eleven at night. It was a whole hour after that time.

Louise looked ahead at the empty main street. There was the diner a few ways away, the old theater. Then were was also a small town square with more trees and an open space for people to meet up and talk. It was the typical small town.

Soon she started to feel her eyelids growing heavy and she leaned back on the bench. Perhaps she could sleep there and maybe find her way back to Logan's in the morning. Otherwise, she would need to fess up and call Annie and Aimee. They could tell mother superior her situation and they would send for her immediately. She would be in deep trouble, but at least she would no longer be lost. Maybe then she would have learned her lesson.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard laughter and footsteps coming from the end of the street. The sound was enough to wake her, and she looked to see a group of four tall boys, likely not much older than her. But they didn't seem to be in high school. They seemed more like they were from the local community college a few blocks away. Some of them stumbled, but they all talked loudly and cracked jokes with each other. Though their conversation ceased when they saw the seventeen year old by herself on that bench in front of the pharmacy.

Instead of continuing in their way, they stopped a few feet away from her.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all by herself?" One of them asked her in a slur, and she could smell the alcohol radiating off them. Louise crinkled up her nose in disgust. They were probably coming back from a party in the neighborhood nearby.

She merely ignored them and hoped they would get the message and walk away. But when she didn't reply, they seemed to want an answer from her more eagerly. 

"Aren't you going to answer the question?" Another one of them asked her.

Louise crossed her arms over her chest and pretended like they weren't there. But she was prepared to scream for help if necessary, and she was prepared to run. They would be sloppy running after her anyway, since they were clearly intoxicated. She had the advantage there, and she didn't worry too much about getting away. She had always had exceptional luck when it came to situations in which she might be in danger. 

When she didn't answer them again, the group of guys seemed to get angry very quickly. One of them reached for her arm, but she pulled away with enough force to send him stumbling forward onto the bench. Next thing she knew, she was back on her feet and she took off running down towards the carnival, where all the rides and booths were shut down. But there were enough places there for her to hide. They were drunk--she could easily outrun them and outsmart them if she put her mind to it.

She hopped over the barricade that shut off the carnival from the rest of the town. A part of her hoped there would be a security guard nearby, but she remembered Dieter mentioning there were hardly any crimes in their small town. It was so peaceful there, that they only had one police chief, and two other officers. That was only three people to guard the entire town, and it was enough for them. 

Louise ran until her legs burned and she turned the corner into an alley that led to another one. She could no longer hear them and she stopped, keening over with her hands on her knees as she tried hard to catch her breath. She looked up when she heard the noises of their talking. They were talking about her, and what they would do to her upon finding her. Louise felt her heart drop and she took off running in the opposite direction of their voices. 

But even in their drunken state, they had been smart enough to split up. Two had gone to one end of the alley, while the other two took the other. They were closing in on her and she had no room to escape. 

One of the guys grabbed her upper arm and shook her harshly. Louise flinched, knowing it was likely going to leave a bruise. She had always been so fearless. But this was different. This time, there was a real chance something would happen to her. She tried to will the experience away and closed her eyes tight. She felt as they half pulled and half dragged her out of the alley and out towards the street. 

That was when she heard the loud screeching of tires as they skidded across the road below. There was an abrupt stop and she heard a car door open with the engine still running. Soon, she heard a familiar voice as it rang in her ears. 

"Let my girlfriend go right now and leave before I fucking kill you. I have a gun on me and I'm not afraid to shoot your brains out."

-

a bit of a filler that got dramatic towards the end there.

sorry if its not as good as what i used to write. the last time i wrote for this story was two years ago, and i  kind of want to get back into the swing of things. but its going to take some time.

so please bear with me.

also, a big thanks to those of you who were still reading and supporting this story. i know its been way too long since i posted anything. but i do intend on finishing this. so please stay tuned for more. i will definitely be posting updates from now on. 

-clary