My Twisted Teenage Romance

''You have just won a free trip to the Bahamas!''

''Yea? And pigs might fly out of my ass.'' I said, slamming the phone down. Stupid telemarketers.

Jenny was at work and Jason was on a date. I had been over to see Jenny earlier, but then it got busy and I had to leave. My parents were at work, so now I was sitting alone in my living room flipping aimlessly through the channels. I threw down the remote; it was hopeless, daytime TV sucks. I got up, wandered to the kitchen and then looked pointlessly through the fridge, I wasn't even hungry. I grabbed a bottle of water and continued to wander around my house.

I went out into the garage where my crappy little car was sitting. It was an old red mustang convertible, my dad had bought it for me when I was sixteen and it ran fine until one day it just decided to stop. I would have taken it to a mechanic had my dad not insisted on fixing it himself, which he hadn't exactly gotten around to. I grabbed the keys off the pegboard and walked around to the driver's side. I got in and put the keys in the ignition, it hadn’t worked in ages but it was worth a shot. I gently turned the key and the engine sputtered and then roared to life.

''YES!'' I cheered to myself. I needed to get out of this house.

I opened the garage and put the car in gear. I reversed out of the driveway and onto the road. I looked at Jenny's house next door, even Michael wasn't home. I put the car into drive and took off slowly down the street. I figured that it was only luck that my car was actually working, and I didn’t dare push it.

''I'll just stay on the main road, that way if I break down, I wont be far from help.'' I thought

''But if I do break down on a main road, I'll look like an idiot for even trying to drive this car.'' I was torn, my pride and my logic locked in a constant argument.

I decided that the side roads were the way to go, I'd just stay on the ones with houses. I turned onto a side road and just drove, the top down and the windows open. It was good to be out of the house. I fiddled with the knobs on the radio until it blared to life, then I found a station and turned the volume up almost all the way. As I drove, I sang loudly and horribly off key, then the song was over and the weather came on. The forecast was calling for a chance of light showers later in the afternoon. I didn't pay it any mind; I would be gone long before then.

I drove past an old farmhouse where an old couple were sitting on a porch swing. They waved and I waved back. Suddenly I found myself thinking about my own future. Where was I going when I finished my education? What would I end up doing with my life? Would I be successful? Would I ever get married? What about kids? Would I end up a divorcee? Or growing happily older like the couple on the porch swing?

I thought about this for a while, lost in my own fantasies and nightmares about my future. When I was finally pulled back to reality it was by a loud crack of thunder and I was on a road I didn’t recognize in the slightest. It was a long dirt road that didn’t seem to have any houses on it.
Then my engine started to stutter.

''Please, please, please no.'' I begged as the engine continued to stutter and I slowed to thirty kilometres an hour.

''You piece of crap!'' I yelled at it.

Then the engine died.

''I'm sorry, I didn’t mean it, you're beautiful, I love you.'' I said as I tried desperately to restart my car.
It was no use it was dead. I took out my cell phone and naturally there was no service. I shoved it back into my pocket ad tried again to start the car. There was another loud crack of thunder and I felt a raindrop hit my face.

''Shit.'' I said out loud.

My car was dead, I was on some deserted road, I had no cell phone signal and there was a storm coming.
Another few raindrops bounced of the windshield and then it really started to pour. So much for light showers. I jumped out of the car and hurried around to the back to put up the top. I was amazed at just how fast the dirt road had turned into a muddy death trap that kept trying to eat my shoes.
I got to the back and opened the clips on the fold down roof. I started to pull on the roof, begging for it to go up, but I had no such luck. I pulled with everything I had. I was so frustrated that I started to cry. Jenny would end her shift soon, and then she'd be wondering where I was.

I decided to try to start it again, using up whatever hope I had left. As I passed the rear wheels, my right foot got stuck in the mud. I put a hand on the car for balance and tried to pull it out, but it was stuck. I took my hand off the car for a spilt second to brush my wet hair out of my eyes, but that was all it took. My left foot slipped and I fell, my right foot popped out of the mud with a sucking sound as I landed right on my but in the mud. I had hit my back on the side of the car on the way down and I knew there would be a bruise.

I leaned back against my car, the machine that got me into this mess, and slammed my head against the door. I felt like such a loser, sitting there in the mud and rain, leaning against my crappy broken down car, with no one around to even hear me scream. I quickly came to the sad realization that I'd have to walk back to town, even though I had no clue where town was from here, and for that matter, I didn’t know where here was either.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them. I rested my forehead on my knees and let myself cry. How could I have been stupid enough to take the side roads? Now I was completely lost! What if no one ever found me! I slammed my head back against the car again then pulled my knees closer to my chest. I was doomed. I didn't bother to get up or even try to get in the car, I was covered in mud and soaking wet and I didn't want the inside of my car to look anything like the backside of my jeans.

Then I heard something, a quiet background noise and I brushed it off, until it got louder. I leaned forward and looked down the road, and I could see something coming this way. It was probably a hallucination but I stood up anyways. As the object got closer I could see it was a black car, the noise got louder and I knew it wasn't a hallucination. I stood up and stepped out into the middle of the road, waving my arms a bit.

''What if it's not someone I want to be picked up by? Like a serial killer!'' a tiny voice in my head piped up but I quickly shushed it. Even if it was a serial killer, at least I wouldn’t be alone on this muddy road anymore.

The car got closer and even louder, it was going really fast even with the rain and mud, this person didn't seem to care. I waved my arms a bit more but the car didn't seem to slow down at all. It was a hundred feet away still going top speed, maybe they didn't see me. I jumped back against my car, just missing being hit by the black car but not missing the shower of mud it shot at me as it sped by. I didn't even see who was driving for one it was going way to fast, and two I had gotten covered in mud all the way up to my chest.

''Asshole!' I screamed after the car and surprisingly, it came to a screeching halt. The car reversed very fast towards me. Oh god, what if it was a serial killer?

When the car stopped in front of me I got a better look at it, it looked so familiar. It was black with windows tinted so dark that I couldn't see in, it was a ford mustang. Oh god, now I knew whose car it was.

''Nikki?'' Jacob said after he had rolled down the passenger's window.
He opened his door, popped an umbrella and walked around the car to me.

''Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! Are you ok?'' He asked, putting the umbrella over both of us.

''Do I look ok? I'm freezing, soaking wet, covered in mud and you almost just ran me over!'' I said angrily.

''I'm really sorry.'' he said, looking sincere.

''Mmhm.'' I mumbled, folding my arms and looking away, his perfect face looked so hurt.

''Why are you stopped out here anyway?'' he asked

''You know I just randomly stop on the side of the road in the pouring rain.'' I said sarcastically.

''Car broke down?'' he confirmed

''OH yea.'' I sighed

''Come on let me drive you home.'' he said.

I finally looked back up at him, he had moved a step closer to cover me completely with the umbrella and we were standing almost chest-to-chest. He was staring down at me with the most beautiful pair of blue eyes I had seen in my life, how could I say no?

I guess my facial expression was giving me away because he put a hand on my back and gently guided me to the passenger's door. He opened the door and held it for me. The interior was black leather and the dashboard and centre console was black as well, the car didn't even look like it had been used, and here I was, covered in mud, about to get in.

''Jacob, I'm going to ruin your seats.'' I said, stepping back a bit.

''That’s the good thing about leather, it wipes clean.'' he said with a warm smile and I melted a little inside.

''But I don’t want to-'' I started but he cut me off.

''Nikki, if you don't get in, I'm going to have to force you.'' he said, his smile turning into more of a devilish smirk.

''I'd like to see you try.'' I grinned and he rolled his eyes playfully.

''Fine fine I'll get in.'' I said and stepped back towards the car and he smiled triumphantly.

''Are you sure you want me to- AHH!'' I screamed as I fell to the ground. As I had lifted my foot to step into the car, my other foot had slipped causing me to fall.

''Nikki! Are you ok!'' Jacob said, bending down next to me.

''I'm good!'' I said trying to stand back up. He laughed and held out a hand for me, which I gladly took.

''Not exactly the most graceful ballerina now are we?'' he said as I stood back up and brushed some of the mud off my but.

''Shut up, we can't all look like ballerinas when we move or life wouldn't be very interesting now would it?'' I said. I lifted my foot to get in again and felt my balance start to disappear. I grabbed the top of the car but it was slippery, I was going to fall, again. I was already covered in mud, so there really was no point in fighting the fact.

My foot slipped and I knew what was next, I would fall through the air and land in the ankle deep mud, then get up and maybe even fall again. But this time was different, this time before I started my uncoordinated decent to the ground, I felt a hand grab my waist then pull me back up into a standing position with surprising ease.

''I said I didn't mind if you dirtied my car, but bringing the whole road with you, is out of the question.'' Jacob said with a smile. I laughed and rolled my eyes. This time when I tried to get in the car, he didn't let go.

The second I was in the car Jacob shut the door and hurried around to the driver's side. Even with all the mud and rain and wind, Jacob still looked so abnormally graceful as he walked. He opened the door, closed the umbrella and jumped in the car.

''Ready?'' he smiled and I nodded. He started the car and revved the engine a bit; boys and their toys, and then he took off down the road.

I looked over the almost new car. In most cars, after they've been driven a bit you can see the usual dust and the floor mats pushed out of place, but everything in his car was perfect, like he had just bought it. I looked out my window and noticed that the in the rear view mirror on my side, I could see Jacobs faced perfectly. Was he looking at me? I looked discreetly through the mirror at him; he looked so amazing, everything about him made me want to stare even more. He glanced at the mirror and caught me red handed, I felt my cheeks go pink and I quickly looked away.

''Do you mind if we stop off at my house? I have to drop off some things for my brothers.'' Jacob said.

''Sounds good.'' I said and then shivered a bit. I just realized how cold I was.

''I really am sorry I almost ran you over.'' he said, fiddling with the seat heater.

''It's ok, really. I didn't like these jeans anyway.'' I said with a smile and he laughed a bit.

''Do you mind if I put the radio on?'' he asked, I don't know why though, it was his car.

''No Jacob I hate music.'' I said and he looked at me like I was insane.

''Kidding!'' I laughed and he smiled and pushed a button on the radio. Crushcrushcrush by Paramore was playing and I leaned back in my seat. It was one of my favourite songs by them. I didn't realize that I was lip-syncing until I noticed Jacob staring.

''Can I help you?'' I asked and he grinned.

''We're here.'' he said and I looked out my window.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob looking at me through the mirror and I felt my cheeks go red, then I heard a tiny buzz as the mirror was set back to its original position.

''Don't let them scare you, they can be a little too, hmm what's the word, outgoing sometimes.'' Jacob said as we pulled into a long driveway where a beautiful white house stood at the end.

''Who's them?'' I asked, pulling my eyes away from the beautiful house.

''My brothers.'' he answered with a slight grin.

''Should I be carrying mace?'' I joked and he laughed.

''Do you want to come in? I might be a minute.'' he said, about to open his door. My need to know what the inside of his house looked like won the fight with my pride, which was screaming ''you're covered in mud!''

''Sure.'' I said, moving to open my door.

''I'll come around and get you.'' Jacob said with a slight grin.

''Yea, who knows, I could break my neck.'' I said sarcastically.

He got out, walked around and opened my door then held out his hand.

''Now I feel like a princess.'' I joked and he shot me a charming smile.

''I'm letting go, don't fall now.'' Jacob said, putting my hand on the passenger's door and then leaning into the backseat of the car. He grabbed a box from the backseat and tucked it under his right arm, then held his left out for me.

''Ready?'' he asked, nudging my arm playfully with his.

''Considering I'm covered in mud and my hair is probably a train wreck, I'm as ready as I'll ever be.'' I said and took his arm, even though we were on his paved driveway and I was certain I could make it to the house by myself.

''So what's in the box?'' I asked on the way to the door.

''Nothing important.'' he said, suddenly very serious.

''Oh god your drug dealers aren't you.'' I said, the fact that his family was rich suddenly hitting me.

''No we're not drug dealers.'' he laughed.

''Contract killers then? And there's guns in the box?'' I said, nodding towards the box and Jacob laughed.

''Yes Nikki, you've got it, we're contract killers.'' he said sarcastically and I realized he was not going to tell me what was in his box.

''Ok, so just don't feel intimidated by my brothers, they're very friendly.'' Jacob reminded me.

''Yes sir!'' I said with a mock salute. He rolled his eyes and opened the door.

''GUYS! I'M BACK!'' he called as we stepped in the door.