• Chapter 6
    No Heart
    I staggered back as I stared at them with wide eyes. Ashlee was in the corner, and clutching onto Keaton’s shirt. Keaton had his hands against the back of the bathroom wall and the wall of another building next to it. Suddenly, Keaton jerked back and spun around, and when he saw me his eyes went wide.
    “Charlotte….” He began, but I didn’t give him a chance to speak.
    “YOU SON OF A b***h!! YOU…..” I heard Scarlet yelling at him, but I soon drifted out of ear shot as I ran and pushed through the crowd, everybody immediately stopping and staring at the goth girl running with tears in her eyes.
    I had no idea where I was going, but I knew I was going somewhere. Soon enough, I found myself in the dark. Turning around, I tried to remember which way I had come from. There was no light. Only darkness.
    But then I collapsed on the ground, crying. It didn’t matter where I was. As long as I was far away from the rest of the world.
    ‘I’m so stupid!’ I thought to myself. ‘How could I ever believe that he actually loved me!? How could I ever love him, for one second!? SO STUPID!!! He’s one year older. He’s popular. Of course he was going to end up loving Ashlee, just like everybody suspected.’
    The whole time I was in the darkness, I was crying, and putting myself down, just thinking of how stupid I was to love Keaton, and believe he loved me. But no matter what I thought, or how hard I tried to get over him, I still wanted that girl Keaton loved and kissed to be me.
    The sound of voices brought me out of my hysteria. Sitting up, I listened harder. I could still hear them, but not what they were saying.
    Standing up, I followed the voices, and they got louder and clearer. Finally, I got out of the darkness, only to get swallowed by the night. Apparently, I was in a tunnel that was right next to an alley, a couple blocks away from Disneyland. The rain that was pouring soon hid my fallen tears.
    And the voices were coming from a drunken gang.
    “Hey, pretty lady. Watcha doin’ out here alone??” One of the gang members stumbled closer to me, and I took an abrupt step back.
    “Yeah, sexy. A fine babe like you needs a man by her side.” Another one slurred from behind me. I jumped and turned around, only to find his face inches away from mine. I could smell the strong scent of liquor on his breath, and, following my instincts, I pushed him away, turned around again, and attempted to run out of the alley.
    One of the men grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me back. I screamed in pain, and he pulled me to the ground, and my head hit it hard. Gasping in shock and even more pain, I flung my hands up in an attempt to pry his hands off, but it didn’t work. He dragged me further into the alley by my hair, and with each yank escaped a strangled scream.
    My back hit the wall of the back of the alley, and I instantly felt the back of my head.
    It was drenched in blood.
    Gasping, I kicked and screamed and threw my arms around wildly. But one of the men grabbed one of my flying arms and twisted it around. I started to scream, but another kicked me in the stomach and it forced me back into the wall again, winding me.
    I tried to inhale. Exhale. Anything!
    But none of it worked, and I just fell to the ground with my back against the wall.
    “What’s your name, pretty lady?” The guy who had called me ‘sexy’ bent down to my face again and grabbed my chin with his hand and took in the features of my face.
    “None of your s**t.” I managed to respond as I threw a punch at the guy’s stomach. He dodged, and he and the others laughed.
    “I like her. She’s feisty.”
    I glared at him, and spit at his feet.
    He then saw the right side of my face. The side that I had been hiding with my long bangs for the past week. He touched it, and I flinched at the pain.
    Because there was a huge, brown scar over the area of my right eye, with two red gashes right above that eye.
    He gasped and staggered back, and the others did the same.
    “Woah, dude, what’s up with her face?” One asked, shocked and horrified.
    “Dunno, man….” Another answered. The guy who had discovered the scar leaned back forward, grabbed my chin again and forced me up, so I was standing, but still pressed against the wall.
    “Well, I sure don’t care. She’s still hot.” The other guys wooed and cheered.
    “Well, that’s just too bad. Because you can’t have her.” A new, younger, smoother voice, suddenly came out of the dark.
    My eyes darted ahead, and I squinted through the darkness. And soon, I saw Keaton walking forward.
    “Oh God….” I breathed. My eyes widened as I realized what was going to happen. “KEATON! NO!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!!! DON’T BE STUPID AND GET YOURSELF KILLED!!!!!!” The gang and even Keaton looked at me in shock, not knowing I had this much emotion. I was even shocked myself.The guy who had tried to make a move on me now grinned.
    “Looks like we’ve found Little Miss Hottie's boyfriend.” He let go of me and I fell to the ground. I struggled to throw my damp hair over my scar, but Keaton had already seen it. He stared at me, wide eyes in shock. “Come on, boy. Show me watcha got.”
    Keaton’s eyes dragged over to the guy’s face, and a smirk formed across Keaton’s heavenly features, a dark glint lingering in his eyes. My own eyes widened. What had just gotten into him?
    Keaton started to walk slowly toward the man, but then broke into a run.
    “KEATON, NO!!!!!!” I screeched with so much passion in my voice. But it was too late.
    But that didn’t mean it was a bad thing.
    Keaton tackled the man, punched his face, and kneed him in his balls. The man groaned in pain, and Keaton kept beating him up, with so much hatred and disgust.
    Then, standing up, Keaton made sure to step on his stomach while he took a few more steps forward and bent down before me.
    “Come on.” He whispered soothingly as he extended his hand to mind. But I didn’t take it. Because I was afraid.
    I was afraid of him.
    The other gang members ran off, and I just stared at Keaton. I started feeling dizzy from all the loss of blood, and soon, I passed out.
    The last thing I remembered was being held in strong arms, hearing somebody whisper something into my ear, and then something wet, yet warm, being pressed against my lips…