Hello everyone! This is my first story, and I just re- wrote the first chapter so I hope you like it! Jasmine Sanders as Zaph Phelo on the side :) Sorry, I have literally changed her character like 3 times. It's just that none of them seem to fit very well. 

By the way, I am a die-hard cliche, so my story definitely has its moments. However, like other authors, I do try to throw in some twists of my own, so try not to expect too much. Feedback would be loved but of course I can't make you, so instead, I just hope you enjoy!

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Stalkers corrupt your brain. 

They make you believe that you have seen something, pushing you to the point where you don't know whether you actually have or not. They are capable of pushing you to limits you didn't even know you were capable of possessing, and then, all at once, they back off. They slink off into the shadows, silently admit defeat, whatever it is that you want to call it.

There is silence.

They give you nothing but a large amount of time, time you use to cloak yourself with a false sense of security.

And just as you begin to get comfortable, when you think you know for a fact that it's over, they strike, leaving you dumbfounded and defenseless. This was real, as real as real could get.

 I was about to find out just how real it was.

I'd been having a feeling for a few weeks that I was being followed and watched at school and at work, but nothing had happened yet, so I just tried to focus on my schoolwork and job.

"Zaph, I want you to close up shop," my manager said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"What, why?" I asked, snapping out of my thoughts. "I've never closed up shop before," I whined, desperate to get out of the bookstore for the night. I gently brushed the pink nail polish I had been scraping off of my nails for the past hour off of the wooden counter, and into the trash next to it.

Call me paranoid for wanting to leave, but I prefer to call it awareness. Even though I happen to live in one of the most boring cities in the United States, where the breaking news consists of antique shops going out of business, you never really knew when people might strike. Always be alert.

"But I've never had to go to a seven o'clock meeting while you're the only employee here," he said tossing me the keys with a sympathetic smile. That's when I began to look around the otherwise silent shop with a small frown. Why was I the only employee here? And who has meetings at seven o'clock? That should be illegal.

I huffed over dramatically as I rounded the counter. "Fine, though it's not like I have much of a choice," I said playfully, looking down at the keys lying in my palm, jingling them back and forth.

"Thanks sweetie," he said coming over to kiss my forehead before grabbing his leather jacket and walking towards the door.

When he was about to walk out, he stopped and turned back around to face me, raising an index finger as emphasis for what he was about to say.

"And don't forget to restock-"

"All the returns, I know, I know. Now get out of here Uncle Sherb, I got it covered." I said interrupting him and shooing at him. He reminds me everyday, so I'm not sure why he still feels the need to repeat it every time he leaves.

He chuckled as he shook his head slowly. "Bye Z, I'll see you Wednesday," he said before walking out the door. The bells on the door chime, letting me know that I was about to be surrounded by silence.  I waved, giving him as small grin as I watched his bulky form disappear into the night.

I sighed and grabbed some books off of the counter to restock, now alone in the store. I grabbed the Nancy Drew books, and restocked those first, knowing that the series was a particular favorite in the store.

I smiled slowly as I glanced at some of the familiar titles, reminding me of my own innocent and awkward tween days when solving Nancy Drew mysteries was all I had to worry about. As I was putting the first pile back, I heard the bell on the door ring, signaling that someone had walked in.

I slowly set the books down as I climbed down the stepladder, and looked in the direction of the door. It shut with a small thud, once again leaving me in silence. 

"Hello?" I called out.

No answer.

I spoke up again. "Umm the store's closed now, but you can come back tomorrow at eight o'clock if you would like," I announced.

The bell's on the door were slowing playing out there haunting tune, the sounds echoing around the room and striking small amounts of fear into me. 

I was now walking in the direction of the door, looking around for the person who rang the bell. The door was in my view, but as I approached it, I paused, confused.

No one was there.

My heart was thundering in my chest. The bells never just go off on their own, Someone had to have opened the door for them to make any noise at all. 

I looked out into the darkness veiling the town, blowing my hair out of my face. As far as my eyes could see, there was nothing and nobody out there. I flipped the sign on the door from open to closed, and peeked out one more time, hoping that whoever it had been, knew the store was closed now.

However, the sickening feeling that I wasn't alone didn't seem dissipate. 

I turned back around to go back to restocking books. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out. It was a text from the unknown number.

Late night shift I see? Don't worry Zaph. I'll walk you home.

My fingers trembled slightly, as I closed my phone, and hoped, no, prayed that this was some joke from some kids at my high school. I took a deep calming breath. It would have to be one of them wouldn't it?

Every now and then I am the target of unnecessary taunting from my peers,which would probably bother me if I actually care about what they thought of me.  But in this moment, I really hoped it was one of them. Intuition told me otherwise. 

I looked around once again, and even checked up and down every single one of the isles in the little store but I still saw no one. My heart rate increased steadily, as my mind began to created wild scenarios. 

I didn't want to be the next victim of some serial killer's fantasy. Uh-uh, not today. 

 My hands became damp as warning bells went off in my head, telling me that something about this situation definitely wasn't right. What I felt right now was different from what it has been in the past. Something just feels dangerous in a way that told me that I wasn't supposed to be here anymore.

Don't panic. Just finish putting everything up, and then you can go home.

I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself, and went back to the box of returns. I finished putting all the books back on their correct shelves and grabbed my backpack from behind the counter as soon as I had finished. I pulled the store keys out of my pocket, and walked briskly towards the door.

I turned off all the lights and exited the cozy store, going out into the uncomfortably cold night. Feeling vulnerable and no longer safe in the warmth of The Book Nook, I quickly locked the door wiggling the knob a few times to make sure it was secure, and started on my way home without looking back.

My phone buzzed once, in my hand, and I slid it open to find that it was the unknown number again.

Why are you walking so fast? Maybe if you slowed down a bit I could catch up.

Bitch you thought!

I tried to keep my mind distracted with humor, but failed epically. There was a time and a place, and this was not it. I looked behind me once again, still seeing nothing but the dim and eerie glow of the streetlights. My feet slapped loudly against the pavement as I quickened my pace. I didn't need to keep looking back to know that something was watching me from the shadows. My heart pounded so loud in my chest, I'm sure the entire country could hear it.

'You're almost home.' I told myself. ' Focus on getting there.'

I turned onto the familiar street of my neighborhood, knowing that my house was coming up, only to hear footsteps behind me match my pace.

I didn't dare turn around again in fear of whom I might see. My pace increased, because there was no way I was going to let something happen when I was so close to home.

Thirty feet.

Twenty feet.

The footsteps behind me were getting closer, as the glorious sight of my lit up house came into view. I pushed myself even harder, even though I felt like passing out. I have never run this much in my entire life. My hair fell out of its loose bun, flowing wildly behind me. I didn't dare look back. 

Fifteen feet.

My neck erupted in goose bumps at the feeling of someone's breath on the back of my neck. Was the person really that close to me? I couldn't look back. If I did, I was done for. 

Five feet.

I ran up my porch, frantically opening my unlocked front door and slamming it hard once inside. I had to take several deep breaths to calm my erratically beating heart down, as I rested my body against the door. I don't run, but I think I could've taken on Usain Bolt right there.

There where two windows on the top of my door. In fear that whoever had been chasing me was standing right there peering in, I refused to stand up from my position. 

I pulled out my inhaler from the side pocket of my bag and took two large gulps of air. My breathing slowed, and I brought my palm up to my sweaty forehead as I made my way to my creaking staircase.

"Zaph honey? Is that you?" A voice came from the kitchen. My nerves calmed slightly at the soothing voice of my mom in the kitchen. I heard the clatter of pots and pans, a familiar and comforting noise.

"Yeah Mom," I said walking up the stairs slowly. I was drained as I dragged my feet up the stairs, matching the pace of a slug.

"Ok, are you feeling alright?" She asked sounding worried. I paused and looked over the banister, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

"Yeah, just a long day at work Ma, nothing to worry about. I'm going to bed."

I wish that was all I had to worry about. 

"Without dinner?"

I chuckled,"Yeah Mom, without dinner."

 If I ate dinner now, I might just throw it all up. That woman was always worried about everyone but herself. She already had enough to worry about, and I knew she didn't need any more burdens. I was going to have to deal with this stalker on my own.

I peeked into the twins' room and saw them sleeping. I smiled softly as I soundlessly went in and kissed both of their foreheads before walking out, and closing the door behind me.

I entered my room and locked the door behind me. I then proceeded to go to the window and make sure it was locked as well. I peered out into darkness, and I thought I could vaguely make out a silhouette walking out of my neighborhood. I shuddered and closed the blinds as my imagination once again went wild. My heart wasn't letting up, and was still beating a mile a minute.  

I walked into my bathroom and turned on the light, closing the door, but leaving enough space for a little light to get through to my dark room.

Paranoid about being in complete darkness, and thankful for my bathroom light, I threw my bag on the floor, and collapsed onto my bed with my school uniform on. I tried not to think about anything remotely frightening, which was way easier said than done. Finally, I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, attempting to leave my secular problems behind for a couple of hours.

***

I groaned as sunlight blinded me, and threw an arm over my eyes. I really don't know if I can handle the dangerous jungle today, or any day for that matter.

Monday.

It's already the worst day of the week automatically; I don't need other things to make it worse. I think yesterday's fiasco was enough excitement to carry me through the rest of the school year.

I usually drive to school, but my car was currently in the shop, so I had to walk when I was already behind on schedule. My mom and the twins were already gone by the time I was bounding down the steps, so I simply grabbed an apple, filled up my pug's food bowl, and locked the door, making my way down the street to school.

High school was, as I explained before, a jungle; only the well-equipped would survive. However, I believe I am in that special group of plants that eventually begin evolving with the stealthy method of natural selection. These are the smart ones that survive because they've figured out what characteristics they need to blend in.

 I was about five to ten minutes into my walk when a Range Rover, pulled up and slowed down next to me. "Hey there little lady. Do you wanna get with this? I can make you so wet."

You thought. You really did. 

I looked over and saw that a guy with a really young looking face was smirking at me while fist-pounding his buddies. I scoffed, knowing for a fact that there was no way he could be a day older than fifteen.

What has our society come to?

I just kept walking, ignoring him as he repeated the same line over and over. If they were expecting to get a reaction out of me, they would be thoroughly disappointed. It wasn't any funnier this time than it was the first. The one driving the car pulled even closer to the curb, coming within feet of me.

Oh frabjous day, callooh, callay.

"Idiots," I mumbled, glancing at them for a split second. I plugged my headphones into my iPod, and clicked shuffle, a random song coming up. I turned the volume up to the point when I could no longer hear them.

However, in that moment I failed to notice the massive puddle about three feet away from me until it was too late.

I backpedaled, hoping that by the time they guys ran over it, I wouldn't be in splashing range, but I had no such luck. The guys purposely increased their speed as they saw me trying to get away, and drove over the puddle, soaking me a good amount.

I froze and just stared at the car that had erupted with laughter, watching angrily as the boys high-fived each other. I ripped my headphones out of my ears, and shook myself of as much mud, grass, and, I sniffed, whatever else was on me as I could.

''Could this day get any worse?" I mumbled to myself, continuing to shake off. Our school uniform was a white shirt and a maroon skirt. Luckily I was wearing a black bra, so it wasn't too bad. at least, that's what I tried to convince myself.

"Told you I could make you wet!" The guy shouted as the car skidded around the next corner and drove out of sight, but before it did, one out of many bumper stickers caught my eye.

Oh great. I rolled my eyes. I hoped those guys accidentally over steered and spun into a telephone pole. With minor injuries of course, I don't want them to die. I just want to see their faces go from humorous to distraught.

Asford High School~ we make those smiles brighter!

That's the school I go to, but that slogan is a straight up lie. You know how I said that high school was a jungle? Well, unless you love the testosterone-filled hallways full of sex-craving monkeys, you would understand why I dread five of the seven days every week.

I was almost certain I had never cracked a smile that was school related in all my three years at this place. I loathed the it, dare I say detested it, but it's the only one my mom can afford since my dad decided to ditch us.

Life can get hard without a man in the house, but every time I think that, I remember that no man is better than a drunk man. Or at least it is in my book.

I was once again so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't notice that there was a rock jutting out from the front yard of the upcoming house. My foot was snagged, and I stumbled over myself trying to catch my balance but failed. I tripped face first into someone's neatly kept yet extremely annoying lawn. 

Don't ask me how; I said I was unlucky.

I groaned. The most inconvenient part about this all, was that I was mildly allergic to grass, and it was now stuck to me due to the muddy magnetic water from my previous unfortunate incident.

So now, with one eye beginning to slowly swell, while scratching profusely and a slight limp from the way my ankle awkwardly landed from the fall, I continued on my way to school.

If you saw me, you would either run away scared, or feel bad for me, but still run away.

I'm sure my hair was a bird's nest, considering the fact that it was already looking pretty rough when I woke up, and I was most definitely not following the dress code with all that neat and tidy shit, but screw that.

Would they really expect me to go home and possibly suffer through all of this again? I would rather have detention, and that's really saying something.

I am usually on my teachers' good sides, I have pretty decent grades, and blah blah blah I'm not going to bore you with facts about myself that even I get bored hearing. I may meet that stereotype of being a "nerd" but I believe myself to be a willing anti-socialite. If I ever got a cold in the near future and began to talk nasally, 'tis true that I could pass as a couple of cheerleaders I knew here. There's a difference.

Joney, my best and only friend is probably going to interrogate me once I get to class, seeing as I have probably never looked this bad in all the time she has known me, and I don't even know how long she has known me, because it's been that long.

We couldn't be more different, but I love the girl; she's helped me survive. When we sat together at lunch, I couldn't help but wonder why someone would want to be in the popular group at my school. 

I wasn't sure what it was like being well known at other schools, but here, being popular was a one way ticket to being stabbed in the back by your so called "friends".

Doesn't sound very appealing to me, but I won't tell them how to live their lives because they sure as hell won't be telling me how to live mine.

"Finally," I muttered when I saw the approaching school grounds. Never, in all my life, have I been so ecstatic to get to school. I felt a buzzing in my pocket and pulled out my phone. I expected to either see a text from Joney asking where I was or my mom wondering if I had gotten to school safely. Instead it was the unknown number from last night.

Did you get to school safely Zaph? By the looks of it, you might want to do something about that limp.

Yours Truly, X

"Can I please get a break?" I cried to no one."Please?" I asked myself looking around.

 I'm getting sick and tired of this "X" character, whoever he or she was. How do they always seem to know where I am? I am not interesting, so what makes me worthy of being stalked?

Even though it was clear that I was only acting more brave because it wasn't dark outside, I really would appreciate if they would just go on and let me live my delicately boring life. 

I heard a rustling in the bushes nearby, and stared it down wondering if it is a sane possibility that someone might be hiding in that bush. I sighed after I realized that I have jumped off the deep end. I think the grass may be getting to my head.

Why would someone hide in a prickly bush? I looked around. 

There were plenty of trees and better things to hide behind. Still, my curiosity was getting the best of me, and I at least wanted to know what it was that was in the bush. I looked at my watch.

Eight-fifteen.

I shrugged. Well I was already late so at this point does it really matter what time I came in? I would be late regardless.

I walked slowly towards the bushes, taking a book out of my bag (Geometry of course. I am willing to sacrifice it for the greater good), preparing to hit whoever or whatever came out. As my hand gently parted the branches, a striped cat shot out and onto my no no square.

"Holy crap!" I dropped my book and turned to run into the safety of the school building, when instead I ran into a massive steel wall.

Well, not an actually wall, but you know what I mean.

I let out a strangled yelp as I swung blindly in an attempted to right myself, but there was no use. The person I ran into and I both fell over into a heap of tangled limbs. I let out a cry of frustration as I looked up at the sky.

"You know what?" I exclaimed, trying to regain focus on my surroundings," I have had a rough day so far, and it's only eight-fifteen on a freakin' Monday morning, so I suggest you don't bother-" My snippy attitude quickly faded into a stance nothing short of timid.

Because as I looked down, I realized that I just ran into and gave attitude to the leader of the most feared and respected group in school. And Jacen Matthews did not look amused in the slightest. To top it off?

I was straddling him.

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Well that's the first chapter! I hope you guys liked it and will hopefully vote and comment!

xoxo,

jean_margaret