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measuring heartbeats
01 | escape plan #1 = fail

It's twenty-two minutes past midnight and the wind outside is howling against the window shutters in my best friend's bedroom.

Ten more minutes and then I'll be free. I won't have to listen to those whispers behind my back, no more pitiful looks in my direction and no one treating me like I'm breakable. A fresh start somewhere away from this small town where no one knows what happened. Where nobody knows what I did.

But that's the thing with fresh starts, sometimes they don't exactly happen as you want them to.

My eyes move away from the wall I had been staring at and turn to look down at the vibrating phone which is beside my head on the pillow.

Dean: B there in 5 babe, we're nearly out :)

A small smile makes its way onto my face as I type out a quick reply back.

me: ok. see you soon.

My best friend chooses this exact moment to roll herself over which means she's now facing the wall, away from me. I wait a few seconds until I can hear her light snores start up again before making my move.

Slowly I remove the blanket that's on me and push myself up into a somewhat crunching position on top of the thin mattress I had been sleeping on the last two weeks. My backpack is already packed beside me on the floor only holding the necessaries and a few more personal items.

Grabbing my backpack and phone, I slowly stand up on the wooden floors and quietly tip toe towards the bedroom door. I open the door a little, just so I can peek my head out to see if the coast is clear. It is.

"I'm sorry Sofia but this is something I've got to do, even you don't know my greatest secret and I hope you never find out." Because you'll never look at me the same way ever again.

Leaving Sofia sound asleep in her room, I move further along the hallway passing her parents room. The lights are off. I continue down the stairs, overstepping the last creaking one and placing my feet firmly on the front door rug. I try not to take too much notice of the picture frames decorating the wall beside me as I sneak up to the door.

My mum had done the exact same in our house, a whole wall dedicated to family photos. Turning my eyes away from the wall and sad memories, I go up to the front door and unlock it as quietly as I can.

"It's time to get out of here."

And with that, I slip through the crack and out into the cold winters air.

§

"You look like you're freezing your ass off!"

I roll my eyes at my boyfriends comment.

"Oh really? You don't say." I grumble getting into his BMW and throwing my bag in the backseat.

"Oh don't be like that babe, you know I was just joking." Dean tells me starting the engine back up.

You're probably wondering why, Jupiter, are you in a relationship with this jerk. Well the simple answer is, I had wanted to piss my parents off and being with Dean certainly did that job.

I mean he isn't always a bad guy, sure he has some issues and drinks a lot more than the average twenty year old should but he's been there for me when my parents hadn't. He sure played the 'bad guy' look well, being tall with bulging muscles and shaved head who works at a local nightclub.

"Yeah yeah I know, I'm sorry babe." I lean over the clutch and peak his cheek, he grins.

"So are you ready to get out of here?" He asks me. I nod my head as I click my seatbelt in; I don't want anymore accidents so soon after the last one.

"Have you got a jumper I can borrow Dean?" I ask him as he doesn't look like he's going to turn the heaters on anytime soon.

"Do I look like I have a jumper you can borrow? Don't be stupid."

I bite my tongue from snapping something back at him and choose to look out the window instead. Fifteen minutes go by and we're finally coming up to the bridge that takes us out of the little town I've grown up in my whole life.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

For a minute I think there's someone else in the car with us because Dean would never have asked me that, let alone care about something other than his car and himself.

"I can't stay in this place anymore Dean, there's too many sad memories here..." I mumble. And no one to create new happy memories with, not that I deserve to be happy anymore however.

At this, my phone starts ringing in my hands and I look down at the number.

"Are you going to answer that?" I shake my head, letting it go straight to voicemail.

"Let's just get out of this place first." Dean nods his head in agreement, his dark grey eyes turning back towards the road ahead of us.

That's when I see the flashing blue and red lights coming up fast behind us.

"Damn it!" I cry out realising who must be behind it. "Can you speed up?"

"Are you kidding me? You want me to race the cops?" Dean yells glancing over at me in the passengers side.

"I need to get out of here Dean, please!" I beg him.

"You are crazy! This is not fast and furious babe, I'm not invincible like those dudes."

The police car behind us is gaining quickly. I look up at the bridge ahead of us, we're so close yet so far. Before either of us can say or do anything, the other car has overtaken us and come to a stop across the road blocking us from crossing the bridge.

I hold onto anything I can grab as Dean slams on the breaks hard, we go sliding on the slippery roads and Dean throws an arm out to support me.

"Are you alright?" Dean asks once we've come to a stop inches before the cop car.

No I'm not, I'm furious but I sigh and nod.

"You tried your best." I tell him instead, trying to offer him a small smile but I think it comes out as more of a grimace. There's a sudden knock on Dean's window which he rolls down, and I see a very angry Mr. Grace. He spots me immediately.

"You are in so much trouble young lady! We've done nothing but let you into our family after your family's... accident and yet you sneak around with-" Mr Grace stops talking just enough to look across at Dean. "This idiot who doesn't even treat you right and try to skip town together."

I lower my head too tired to fight.

"Hey man, come on she's-" Dean tries to intervene but is shut down almost immediately.

"You are so lucky I care more about my daughters best friend, otherwise I would've been taking you in man." Sofia's father sends a sharp glare in Dean's direction before looking back towards me. "Jupiter, get out of this poor excuse of a vehicle and into my car. Now."

"But Mr Grac-" he directs his glare at me now but softens slightly as he sees the bag I'm hugging to my chest.

"Come now dear, let's go. You have an important visitor coming to see you tomorrow and I think we both know that it's best you come back now before Sofia or Addison wake up and see that you're missing."

A visitor? I don't like the sound of that at all.

I admit defeat and open the side door. Dean gives me a 'are you serious right now' look but I ignore him as I step out. Mr Grace glares once more at him before walking back over to his vehicle turning the lights off.

"Babe? Are we still cool?" Dean yells out before I can shut the door behind me. I turn back to look over at him, his dark eyes watching me.

"Babe, we've never been cool." I slam the door as I make my way over to Mr Grace's car, my bag bumping against my hip as I walk.

"I may not be happy with you running away but I'm proud you've finally grown up enough to get rid of that idiot tonight."

I buckle my seatbelt, placing the bag down by my feet as I turn to face him. Dean's car shoots pass us in a hurry and goes along the bridge, I know he's just doing that to show off but it still hurts nevertheless.

He can go anywhere he wants whereas I'm stuck here until my eighteenth or until I can successfully run away but with Sofia's dad as the local sheriff, my chances are pretty slim.

"Your parents would be proud too Jupiter." I look away from him in pain.

My parents wouldn't be proud of me. No matter how many good things I could do now, it'd never make up for the bad things I've done in life, including that night.