Dear Jane Doe

I ran out of the back door onto an urban garden slightly too small for the amount of people it was attempting to hold. In desperation, I searched for a way out of this nightmare or at least a decent hiding place.

I still couldn’t believe I’d allowed Joe to talk me into coming to this atrocious party. “It’ll be good for socialising” he’d coaxed “especially since you’ll be coming up to college next year.”

How stupid did that all sound now? How gullible was I?

America was home to the most stupid, hurtful people on this planet. I wanted to go home.

A hand extended from beside to grasp desperately at my arm. The overpowering fowl stench of alcohol clung to the boy’s breath and wafted over me as he came closer. “Hey pretty thing” his voice was just as nasty “I haven’t seen you around before.”

In disgust I yanked my arm from his grip so he stumbled around mindlessly. This guy was smashed out of his head!

“Wait a second” Jo called, coming up to stand beside me “don’t listen to Alec Bradshaw, he’s just a twat.” I harrumphed in sign that he was more than just a twat. “Okay okay he’s a jerk but don’t let it affect you… he’s just been pissed this week for some reason.”

I knew that I should just brush off this peculiar Alec’s words but my shy nature took it hard. He hadn’t been directly really hurtful but his tone, his snarl, his spite made me shudder at the recent memory. To make matters worse I had thought he was really attractive… he’d been on my mind the whole week as some kind of a saviour. But it had turned out that Alec Bradshaw was just like all the other guys: bastards.

“Just leave me alone Jo” I murmured, pulling away from him to walk grudgingly back through the house and out the front door. Bodies pressed up tightly against me as I wedged between the throng of adolescents. Cool night air hit me once again. The sidewalk met my feet as I hastily walked to my car, just desperate to go home and hide behind my pillow for the night.

“I’m sorry” someone’s jumbled words washed over me just as the car keys were poised eagerly in my hands. It was the bloody Alec Bradshaw. He stumbled around for a second on the sidewalk before slumping down onto a random person’s garden. Great he was a drunkard and now a trespasser. He patted the dew stained grass covered in the streetlamps dingy glow.

How freaking romantic.

To my immense horror, I pocketed the keys again to sink down beside him with a sigh. “I really am sorry” he said after a few minutes of silence… I think he was just as shocked I had taken up his invite as I was.

“It doesn’t really matter” I shrugged “it isn’t like I have feelings or anything.”

Despite the alcohol seeping through his system, the boy actually picked up on my bitter sarcastic tone. “I’m such an idiot” he cried out, in surprise I flinched away. “This week has just been really crap and I know that isn’t an excuse as to why I was such a jerk but at least hear me out…”

Alec’s eyes stared deeply into mine and I just forgot how to be angry. In a way I was curious as to what had made his life so upset but it was mainly because he smelt so good.

I mean really good.

It didn’t matter that every now and then the wind caught his breath and blinded everything with alcohols defined aroma because his musky scent prevented me from sensing it.

But Alec didn’t continue, opening and closing his mouth like an uncoordinated fish strewn on land, and instead turned to look up at the moon. He leant his arms back onto the grass so he could study the sky with a more focused eye. The shirt that Alec wore rode up slightly to reveal a tight torso that left me slightly flushed.

The red across my cheeks increased as I felt the familiar vibrator rocket through my body. Pulling out my phone from a pocket, my mother’s name flashed up on the caller ID.

Could she have picked a better moment to ring?

I sighed and pushed myself up from the ground to stand awkwardly. “I forgive you” I said quietly to Alec who had shot up at my sudden movement. He gave me a strange pleading look which I chose to ignore.

Before any other inappropriate things could run through my mind I got in my car and drove speedily away. My phone still rang desperately on the passenger seat.

Stupid mum. Stupid Jo. Stupid attractive saviour Alec.