Today, Kaylee sits in the salon, her group on the receiving end of stares and whispers. You know, just like usual. Jealousy rises within me. Settled into my bright blue beanbag in the corner, alone, I watch them all. I watch the way they interact with my aunt, my parents, and their one hired employee, Rick. I notice how Harper pretends to be sweet, and how they're constantly showered with compliments on everything from their hair to their complexion.

    Finally, I close the book I'm been peering over the top of. Placing it in my former seat, I prepare to walk out. I was helping out my parents with costumers, but now I'm on my break, and I refuse to spend it in the shadow of the girl who should be getting her hair cut with me, not a bunch of rude popular girls.

    "Hey, Autumn!"

    I turn to look at Kaylee, not even bothering to hide the withering look on my face. She seems slightly taken back by this, but she retains her perfected smile.

    "Why don't you join us? Ricky here wouldn't mind fixing you up, right?'

    Rick, a young adult who clearly has a crush on the red-head, nods his head. If it were just me asking him, he would have turned me down faster than a bullet can fire. But, since it's Kaylee, her every wish is his command.

    "No thanks. I was just going for a walk, actually."

    Kaylee starts to rise from her chair, but Harper grips her arm and pulls her back into her original position.

    I just roll my eyes, turning away from her. I notice Eva eyeing me. Is that pity? I don't need pity, especially from someone like her. Pity doesn't mean people care; it simply means they see you as someone vulnerable and in distress.

    Walking into the humid air, I breath a sigh of relief. Something about the outdoors relieves my stress and removes the boulder from my chest. My eyes begin to water and I sniff, trying to remind myself that I'm strong, that I don't need anyone. Truth is, being lonely is difficult, and it stabs you right in the heart until finally, you're left bruised and battered.

    I can feel my bandage peeling off, so I slip my fingers into the sleeve of my sweater and try to readjust it. This would probably look odd to any onlookers. Then again, they shouldn't be looking at me, they should be minding their own business. Well, it's not like someone would bother to glance in my direction either way.

    Not paying attention to where I'm walking, I bump into someone. A gasp escapes my lips as my grip on the bandage slips, allowing my Chip to crash onto the concrete. Fear creeps up my spine, and, finally, I force myself to look into the eyes of the person, who still hasn't moved fro their position in front of me.

    Neither of us moves for a while, but I feel like I should recognize this person. Yet, my fear filled brain refuses to work. I jump, snapped out of my thoughts when the person, the boy crouches onto the concrete. To my surprise, he gingerly takes my Chip in the palm of his hand. Then, he stands, takes my hand, and places the Chip in it while I still stand frozen like a statue.

    Finally, looking from his hazel eyes to his messy blonde hair, I recognize him from school. It's Cody Simon. Popular people aren't to be trusted, and this one has a huge secret of mine they can ultimately use against me. I feel like my chest is squeezing in on itself, slowly suffocating me until I feel the need to choke for air.

    "Are you just going to stand their observing me and wait for someone to notice what's in your hand, or.." He trails off.

    I roll my eyes, bringing my sleeve up to my elbow and peeling back my bandage.

    "That's going to get infected."

    I cut him a glare. "Go, go run on and tell the government, will you? They'll believe you because you're popular and perfect, unlike me." I feel like crying, or running away, or both. Why did this have to happen to me? Is the universe against me?

    "I'm not going to tell anyone."

    "Why not?" I challenge, my whole body beginning to shake.

    He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Because, I don't think you've done anything wrong. In fact, you've done something very admirable. How, how did you do it?"

    My eyes must be as wide as saucers. "Admirable? Are you insane?"

    He shrugs. "Maybe, but so is this world. I think we're all a little insane, don't you?

    I yank the now useless bandage off my arm, balling it up and placing my Chip inside. Looking at the square shaped wound on my wrist, I grimace. It's ugly, full of puss and blood. Then, I cast my gaze back to Cody, who is also staring at my wrist intently.

    "You know, I can help you with that."

    I shake my head. "No. I don't need your help, or the help of anyone else. If you're not going to tell anyone, then just forget we ever bumped into each other, won't you?"

    There's something in his eyes that I can't quite decipher. "No."

    "No?"

    "No," He reaffirms. "Meet me here just before curfew. I can help you. I know some things about Chips, but you can't just reattach it. That square piece of metal is so much more than you think. You don't realize what you've done."

    Confusion floods through me, and I practically hop a step away from him. "Of course I don't, because everything just kind of happened. It's nothing important, I'm nothing important. Just drop it."

    "Here, eleven. Or else, you can fend for yourself, but you'll be in a lot of danger."

    With that, Cody spins on his heel and leaves me with my whirlwind of thoughts. My knees feel weak, almost as if I'm going to faint. Everything has happened too fast. First, my Chip got zapped out, and now this. Nothing is making sense to me anymore, but, maybe he can help it make sense.

    Instead of heading back to the salon, I decide to walk to the ice cream parlor. Ice cream solves all of life's problems, right? Well, I like to think so, and Ash once did as well. Maybe I adopted the mentality from her, and that's why I've frequented the location. Healthy or not, it's definitely a treat.

    As I enter the shop, I inhale the smell of my favorite treat. This is the only ice cream shop for miles, so I'm lucky that I don't live far from it. Old memories feel like a smack in the face, but I choke them down, walking up to the counter.

    My heart is still pounding because of what occurred not long ago. As I wipe my sweaty palms on my shorts, I study the menu. It still hasn't changed since I first started coming here when I was three.

    The shop is full of warm colors and a scattering of tables. This is one of the only places that doesn't own a drive-thru or some form of electronic ordering. It's really old fashioned. I can still see the table my cousin and I always sat at, tucked into a corner away from the man focus point of the shop.

    "Next!" The lady behind the counter calls, patting down the fly-away hairs escaping from her bun.

    "Hi!" I greet the young woman, digging my nails into my palm to prevent my body from shaking. "I'd like a Fruity Rainbow Swirl on a chocolate cone, please." That flavor has always been my favorite. It was the first one I tried, and I've never tried any other flavor.

    The woman slightly nods, then pulls out a handheld scanning device. "Please hold out your left wrist."

    That's where my Chip is supposed to be implanted in my flesh. "Okay," I respond, holding out my wrist for her to scan. Luckily, I had shoved the bandage back into my sleeve, which is good enough for the scanner.

    The hands me my ice cream cone, which her colleague must have been working on while she scanned me. I hand her a twenty, then turn to find a seat. She looks upset that I didn't leave her a tip. Sorry, but I only have a twenty, lady.

    I plop down army usual table, glancing out of the window beside it. The sky is an ominous gray, which contrast everyone's vivid clothes. It's almost like one's mocking the other, but the one being mocked doesn't really care. It also mirrors the storm of emotions within me.

    Despite the bleak-looking weather, everyone on the street seems blissfully happy. People are smiling, holding hands, skipping, talking on their watches, and younger kids are even playing. Everyone seems content with their lives. They seem blissfully unaware of the truth.

    My mind keeps wandering back to the incident, even though I keep trying to block it out. I've decided that I should go, just to see. My life is so bleak and bland, maybe a little bit of adventure could spice it up. Plus, I want to know why this is so important, and what can happen next.

    By the time I finish my ice cream and leave, the sun is setting. Well, it should be. The rain pummeling to the ground and the dark clouds completely block out the sun, leaving civilians dashing for cover.

    I don't even bother to shield myself from the rain. The drops are cool against my flesh and easily soak my clothes. The breeze teases my hair, which I constantly have to brush out of my face. My face also feels like it's melting as my makeup washes off.

    When I enter the salon, my parents are still hard at work. Only one customer sits under the hairdryer, but my mom is sweeping and my dad is typing away at their computer. They can always find something to do, a way to improve and keep busy.

    Dad glances up from behind the counter as I walk in, stepping away from the computer he was just furiously typing at.

    "The rain got to you, huh?"

    I absentmindedly nod. "Yeah. I just came to tell you guys I'm going to head home." Eleven o'clock will be here before I know it, and I need to prepare myself both mentally and psychically.

    Dad shakes his head back and forth, grabbing an umbrella from behind the counter and heading towards the door. "No, it's raining. I'll take you."

    "Dad, it's-"

    "No buts," He says sternly, opening the umbrella and dashing outside. I run after him, not minding the pouring rain since I'm already soaked to the bone. Once he unlocks the car from his watch, I hurry inside, leaning back against the plush seats.

He sits with his arms behind his head, staring straight ahead through the windshield. Thank God cars can drive themselves because Dad is a horrendous driver. Trust me. Once, he tried to drive on Manual and crashed into the neighbor's house. I was in the car with Ash. Luckily, we just got a few scratches.

    "What happened?" Dad gently prods.

    "Nothing!" I quickly exclaim. I hate that he can read me like a book. Well, when he's not obsessed with his work and everyone but me.

    "Autumn?"

    I shake my head, glancing down at my lap. "You wouldn't understand."

    "Try me," he smiles, glancing at me as my eyes snap to his vibrant green ones. I got my looks from him, minus his freckles. He reminds me of Ash, who looked so much like her father, my dad's twin. It causes my stomach to drop.

    I shrug. Honestly, it's a lot of things. What just happened, people, the ache of losing Ash still raw. It's not something I can easily express in words, so one we arrive home, I hurry out of the vehicle and into the torrential downpour.

______

Thanks for the votes so far! Please give me your honest opinion! I've worked really hard on this book and the sequel. I'll be posting randomly but often since the chapters are already written, I just have to copy them from my documents.

-Sarah