The Believers

I walked outside angrily. Why did everyone have to disappoint me, and then act like I had done something wrong?

I turned right at the end of the street; I had to get away; away from my life.

"Abigail!"

Oh no, it was him again. I ran faster than I ever had before.

The jerk wouldn't even call me by the name I preferred, which happens to be Abi.

I didn't bother yelling at him to get lost.

I just ran harder, but I wasn't the only one putting on the speed. Dylan wasn't catching up to me, but he wasn't falling behind either.

I kept running away from the all too familiar voice calling me, "Abigail! Don't go! I didn't kiss her! You're the one I love! I wasn't cheating on you! I love you! Come back! It was just an accident!"

Yeah right, I thought.

You don't kiss any girl like that on accident.

Dylan knew the things he was saying weren't true, and I knew that too.

I wasn't going to let him fool me again.

Then, as if responding to my mood, the sky turned dark, and rain poured down. I wasn't the only one crying, the earth was sharing my tears.

I ran in some direction, not sure where I was going.

"Abi?" Another voice asked.

I turned toward it and ran at full speed. This person was the only one I could go to for comfort.

"Lacey!" I exclaimed as I hugged her.

"Abi! You're getting me wet," she replied, not sounding to mad about it though. Then she noticed the tears streaming down my face, "What's wrong?"

"Dylan was cheating on me," I cried, and then I added, "With Didi, the airhead!"

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked.

"I saw them kissing, and not just your average kiss. Full on lips," I explained.

Instead of telling me everything would be okay she hugged me, and cried with me.

"Abigail!" It was Dylan, he'd found me. "Abigail, I was so worried-"

"Save it meathead!" Lacey yelled at him.

"You got a lot of nerve coming here after what you did to her."

"But-" He tried again, but then I interrupted him.

"Go away Dylan. Leave. Go back and kiss your new girlfriend, and you can have this back," I ripped the string bracelet he'd given me when we had started dating.

"Abiga-"

"You heard her. She said to leave," I smiled, but then frowned. Lacey hadn't said that like I'd first thought.

Whoever had said it was a boy, but which one?

In a small neighborhood in Leona, TX (A/N I don't live there if you were wondering so don't go there to stalk me) everyone knew everyone else. But this voice was new, different.

Whoever had the voice was defiantly from England. I wanted to see who had spoken, but I didn't want to see Dylan.

So I decided to wait until Dylan had left.

"I wasn't talking to you was I Clark?"

Dylan asked challenging _ Clark. I knew Dylan was about to throw his fist any second.

"No, you weren't. But Abi told you to leave, so I think that's the least you could do after you just kissed another girl," said the boy with the British accent.

I sensed before I heard Dylan swing his fist towards the other boy. I waited for the punch to land, but it never did.

I peaked out from behind Lacey to see what was happening.

They were fighting alright.

Dylan kept swinging his arm around, but the other boy kept dodging them easily.

Whenever Blank Clark saw an opening he quickly gave Dylan a fast, well-timed punch, and moved away again.

Finally Dylan's face opened up.

I knew what would happen and I couldn't wait.

Clark didn't disappoint me; he hit Dylan so hard that Dylan fell on his butt.

"Next time try to be a little more nice to the girl you just cheated on okay?"

Dylan just ran away, too afraid to say anything.

"Thank you so much. What's your name?" I asked a little embarrassed that I didn't know it.

"Jerome Clark," He said flashing me a smile.

Jerome, I thought, the name sounded familiar, but I was sure I didn't know a Jerome.

"I just moved in. We have Creative Writing, Math, Spanish, and Gym together."

Oh course!

That's why the name sounded familiar, and why I didn't recognize him was because he hadn't drawn much attention to himself.

I looked at him again; he had hair that was on the bridge between dirty blond and brown. He was tall, and had a smile that made me want to smile too. His shockingly blue eyes that danced with laughter, but seemed to hold a dark secret deep inside them.

I heard a door shut, and I knew Lacey had left knowing I was going to be fine.

I walked away from Lacey's house, and Jerome followed me, "So Abi, tell me about yourself."

I looked at him closely to decide if this was a joke.

When I decided it probably wasn't, I started telling him, "My real name is Abigail Sarah Nicolet Rutter, I prefer Abi though.

I like to play sports like soccer, basketball, and stuff along those lines. I play the saxophone and the piano.

Lacey is my best friend.

I want to be a pilot when I grow up, and fly through the sky.

Away from the hurt, pain, and away from my boring life."

I paused, my parents. They loved me and I knew it. But ever since I was a kid I had been the kid that was weird.

I excelled in all my classes, but I was always getting into fights.

The first time I got kicked out of a school my parents didn't weren't all that happy as you can imagine, but it wasn't just that.

They were really strange, secretive, and didn't tell me the truth about their little 'meetings.'

I spent most of time with my next door neighbor, and elderly lady named Virginia. Virginia had loved me; she'd been my mom when mine was gone.

But then a few days ago she'd died.

The thought of her brought tears to my eyes, but I didn't let them fall.

"Abi? What are your parents like?" He asked as we walked, and I noticed that I didn't know where we were going.

"Where are we going Jerome?"

He smiled, "Answer my question first." I sighed and told him everything. "I'm sorry Abi."

"It's okay," I told him trying to shake of all of the bad vibes.

"No, it's not. And by the way, we're going to my house."

"What about you Jerome?"

"Ah, but you haven't finished answering mine yet."

"What else do you want to know?"

He thought for a second, "What's your favorite movie, book, place to hang out, color, food, song, and thing to do in your free time? Do you like strategy games, or games of chance? Winter or summer? Dylan or me?"

I smiled up at him, "Sorcerer's Apprentice, Unwind, the forest, green, steak, Viva La Vida, read books or write stories/poems, strategy games, summer, and you. Definitely you over him, and not just because he cheated on me."

He grinned while I blushed. I looked down at my feet not sure where else to look, and then I noticed something.

Jerome had stopped.

I turned around and saw him standing in front of a house. I walked back to him, took his hand, and squeezed it softly.

Jerome looked down at me with a blank expression.

I nodded, not sure what else I could do. He took a step forward and I followed without a second thought, no matter how dingy the house seemed.

"You sure?" He whispered quietly into my ear.

"Of course," I told him as if it would be ridiculous that I wouldn't go in, when in fact I did want to go in.

"Okay," Jerome said quietly, almost to himself.

We walked up to the shabby little house and I couldn't help but wonder why Jerome's family could afford nice clothes, but not a nice house.

He took a key from his jacket pocket, and unlocked the door. He then held it open for me to walk in.

After I had, he closed the door behind us.

"This is it," Jerome told me then he added, "Sorry it isn't much."

"I like it though," After I said it I realized that it was true.

"Jerome honey? Is that you?"

"Yes mom," He replied at the same time as another voice did.

"I was talking to Jerome Jr. Honey, sorry," Jerome Jr? I looked at Jerome who was staring at the floor.

"Jr? Who's that next to you?" I looked up and saw a man that looked and sounded almost exactly like Jerome.

"Abi," I told him putting my hand out.

He took it and said, "I'm Jerome nice to meet you. So you finally found yourself a girlfriend eh?"

Jerome's father continued after letting my hand go. I blushed, Jerome grimaced, and his father was smirking.

"No, this is just my friend," Jerome told his dad quickly, and then to me said, "Want to go to my room?"

"Sure," I said hoping his dad wouldn't say anything else.

He didn't.

I followed Jerome up the stairs where we ran into a woman.

She had black hair, tan skin, and a sweet, but shy smile.

"Hi mom. This is Abi," Jerome said quickly introducing me.

"Hi I'm Mrs. Clark, Jerome's mom."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Clark," I liked this woman.

"Please, call me Mara," Not likely I thought.

"Come on Abi, let's go," Jerome whispered tugging me down the hall.

"Bye," was the last thing I got out before I was in Jerome's room.

It was small, but not tiny. There were English covers on the bed, and a little trunk at the foot of it.

"It's not much, but-"

"I love it," I interrupted.

"Wait a minute," I said spinning on him.

"What?"

"You haven't told me about yourself yet."

He smiled down at me then answered, "Forever Strong, Harry Potter, my room or another quiet place I can find, blue, spaghetti, Clocks, pranks, strategy, summer, and you over any girl."

I tried not to beam, giggle, blush, or do anything else stupidly girly, but I couldn't help but blush.

"What about you're family? And what else is there to know about you?" I asked.

"Well, we own a house that's shabby on the outside, nice on the inside. I like to write, and play thinking games. I'm about to get a baby sister, so I won't be an only child anymore. I like to climb trees and rocks. I want to be free when I grow up."

"Free as in how?"

"Well, I don't want anyone telling me what to do, and I want to be free to go anywhere I want." I nodded, I knew how he felt.

We stood there in silence until Jerome said, "So Abi, I was wondering where you go to when you go to the forest."

I laughed, "My tree."

"Your tree?" His eyes danced with happiness, and his face showed pure curiosity.

I decided to answer honestly, "There's this tree that's hollowed out. It's kind of made it my go-to place."

He nodded thoughtfully, "Fancy going there now?"

I hesitated to answer.

"Only if you want to that is."

"I'd love to Jerome." He smiled and opened a window, and gestured for me to climb out.

I grinned at him; this was my kind of exit.

I climbed through out onto a small ledge. I heard Jerome close the window and climb out next to me.

I saw him jump off, and landed lightly on the ground.

"Coming?" He asked over his shoulder.

I jumped off, landed next to him, and sprinted off into the forest, "Coming?" I asked mimicking his voice.

I heard laughter behind me, and I couldn't help but laugh myself.

Then...silence.

I turned around, where was Jerome?

"Ahhh!" I screamed and I heard a laugh, "Jerome!"

"Yes?"

"Not funny," although as I said it I was laughing too. "Come on we're almost there."

Jerome grinned widely & I grinned back. We walked slowly with me slightly in the lead.

I stopped in front of a huge tree.

"Is this the tree Abi?"

"No Jerome, this is Santa's Workshop," I said my voice dripping with sarcasm.

He grimaced, but I could tell he was holding in his laughter. "How do we get in?"

That was a better question, "Follow me."

I led him to the back of the tree where a crevice in the bark showed. "I don't think I can fit in there Abi."

"Sure you can. Just do what I do."

I grabbed a small part of the tree near the bottom part of the crevice, and I pulled as hard as I could.

Jerome gasped as the tree moved to open the crevice up wider.

"What the heck?" Jerome asked. Instead of answering I walked inside.

Once Jerome was in I hit a small round button and the crevice closed back up, leaving us in the dark.

"Abi?" I hit the light switch I'd installed when I had first found this tree.

"Welcome to my go-to place Jerome," I said in a big voice.

He looked around in awe, there was a hammock, and a stair case around the base of the tree that looked like it went all the way to top. I had to say, it was a sight to see.

"So what do you think?"

For a moment Jerome didn't answer the he said, "Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."

"Thanks, I worked really hard on it."

"I wasn't talking about the tree." He stepped forward so we were right next to each other, "I was talking about you."

I smiled at him; he smiled back, "So do you want to see the top?"

"Sure." I took his hand and started up the staircase. "Abi?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering-"

"Come out here! Abi! I know you're in there!" a voice outside yelled.

It was Dylan.

JEROME'S POV

I looked at Abi.

Why was Dylan here?

Abi looked pale and jumped lightly off the stairs, which was okay because we weren't very high off the ground.

She turned off the light, came back up next to me, and whispered, "Don't say anything. He must've followed us, because I've never showed this place to anyone. Let's go to the top, and wait till he leaves."

Abi grabbed my hand and lead me up.

After a while of climbing through the dark my eyes had adjusted.

Dylan was still yelling at Abi to come out. Suddenly Abi stopped and stepped to the right.

I followed her example and found myself in a little pocket sticking out of the giant tree. There was a little opening that Abi went straight to.

I looked through it too, and saw Dylan pacing around the tree.

Abi sighed and sat down on the floor.

It was covered in blankets and pillows; she must've put these here before.

I sat next to her putting an arm around her. She scooted closer and put her head on my shoulder.

"Jerome?" Abi whispered quietly.

"Yes, love?"

"I really like-" She was cut of by a loud noise.

"What the heck was that?" I asked.

"I don't know, but it's gone now."

"What do you really like Abi?" I didn't need to see her face to know she was smiling.

"You," Her voice caressed my face and she touched her lips softly to mine.

We were kissing.

Abi's lips were as light as feathers. I pulled her closer to my body not wanting to be separated from her.

Come on Jerome, I told myself, it's just a girl, there are lots of girls. But right now this was the only girl I wanted.

Abi pulled away, grinning ear to ear, and I grinned back.

This was perfect, completely and absolutely perfect.

Epilogue-

Jerome Jr. and Abi lived happily ever after, Dylan died in a hole, and Lacey met a guy named Tyson. Abi's parents, Nina & Fabian and the rest of the Sibuna people all went on a cruise & brought their children along too. They told their kids about the House of Anubis, and had a great time on the cruise.

THE END

Sorry I know it's really bad, but I was super bored, so… COMMENT

:D