My fist hit off the punching bag and the sound of my skin hitting the bag filled the empty garage, my hair was stuck to my wet forehead and my biceps were aching from going at it for an hour. My music filled my ears through my earphones but I couldn't shake the sound of his voice shouting at me from inside my head, the sound of my back hitting the wooden floor or a plate smashing off a wall as I ducked. My punches came out fast and hard and soon my arms were hurting from the ache but I didn't stop until a scream ran up my throat and filled the room.

I knew I was crying from how my vision blurred, I sat down on the floor resting my elbows on my knees as I tried to calm my breathing and slowed down my heart rate before I had another panic attack. I unravelled the bandages from my knuckles and was thankful that they were only a little red but it would die down in an hour or so. Grabbing my phone and water I ran out of the garages and back into the apartment building.

Once I was ready in black jeans and a cropped sleeved grey and black baseball top I went back downstairs ready to go out and get some food with some friends. My mum was sitting on the couch with a magazine on her lap as the television was on in the background to fill the silence of the house, "Where you going?" Her voice was sharp and accusing.

I slowly swung my head back and I grabbed my bag and jacket from the hook by the door, "Out for some food with friends from school." I slipped by converse on and before she could answer I left the house.

I was sitting at a table in the old arcade in town that had now turned into a hangout place for high schoolers, no one really played the old arcade games apart from if they were on a date and the guy wanted to impress the girl. It was mainly used for its cheap delicious food and the fact that on weekends the owner would let the senior class have some alcohol, but two drinks was the limit. As if that made it anymore acceptable. "Bacon burger with fries and a coke," the waiter wrote down my order and then went around the rest of the table.

"Cam, are you coming to the beach later? We were thinking about making a night of it." Bex sat across from me her eyes giving me the look 'I'm not really asking because I'll force you to come on the account of you being my best friend', so all I did was nod with a smirk playing on my lips at her.

I had drunk my two designated drinks and was starting to feel the buzz of the alcohol in my blood, we were sitting at the table with our food gone and talking and even though no one had said anything particularly hilarious we were all laughing. This is the part of alcohol I like, where you are still aware of your surroundings and senses but you had a constant buzz of giddiness and everyone seemed to be your friend. "When are we heading to the beach?" I asked the group, it was four girls and six guys.

We had been a whole group for about a year now but most of us had been friends in smaller groups for the majority of high school- like Bex and I- but due to the similar taste in friends we created a larger group. I was close to Bex, her being my best friend for years, and also Macey who was another best friend and I was also close to Grant. I mainly had to be close friends with Grant since him and Bex were dating and it seemed their inability to seperate honeymoon stage was lasting for two years.

"Now." We all grabbed out stuff and piled into the three cars available, I was with Bex, Grant and a boy named Zach. We knew each other but weren't that close, it wasn't that we made an effort not be just our paths didn't seem to cross in the group because he was always with Nick or Jonas rather than Grant of Bex. He seemed cool though and as he played with the radio he stopped when it got to a station playing The Killers. I nodded in approval as Bex started talking her British accent filling the car and I sat looking out of Grant's car window.

We had been at the beach now for about two hours, someone had brought a crate of beer and I was still sipping my first one while most people were onto their second. I was leaning against a rock with my shoes off and my toes dug into the sand sitting just a bit out of the group, my phone started ringing but noticing it was my mum I ended it and looking back out at the ocean which looking terrifying as the sun was gone so it was basically the same colour as the sky.

"Still not on good terms with your mum?" I looked up to see Zach starting to sit down next to me, he looked about as restless and bored as I felt. When I just looked at him he didn't answer he just shrugged, "Not much of a talker I see, you haven't really said much all night. Or the whole year I've known you to be honest."

I laughed slightly, he wasn't saying it in a harsh way just making an observation, "Yeah well when you're best friends with Bex and Macey you kind of get used to just sitting listening. I don't mind it though; I don't really have that much to say half the time anyway."

"I find that hard to believe." I glanced at him slightly and saw he was looking out at the ocean like I was before. Like I said before I didn't really know much about him, we spoke every now and then but it was mainly about the others in the group or a test we may have both done. He was probably just under 6 foot tall, so probably a few inches taller than me, and had dark hair that seemed to curl at the end suggesting that he needed a cut. His skin was slightly tanned; his face was handsome with a sharp jaw line and high cheekbones. I saw a tattoo coming out the collar of his black top.

"What's your tattoo of?" I asked, he glanced at me and then pulled his top down at the collar to reveal a symbol. It was just a dragon, kind of like a Chinese symbol I think. I thought it was cool nonetheless.

As I stared at it a bit Zach began to speak, "I doesn't mean anything just liked the design, and before you give me a lecture of tattoos I know they last forever but you can't spend your entire life worrying about the future just live the life you have now not the one you hope to have in ten years."

I raised an eyebrow as him as he let go of his shirt and it returned back to normal just a bit stretched around the collar, "Chill out Mr Philosophical I like it, I have a tattoo myself actually." He made a face that was a bit of shock and embarrassment; I lifted the left side of my top up to show the tattoo that was on my side just below where my bra started. It was a black and white rose. "My middle name is rose and my dad hates tattoos and my mum hates my middle name. Hence the tattoo of a rose."

A smirk tugged at Zach's lips and he eyed it impressively, "Not normally a fan of flower tattoos I normally think they're pretty girly even for girls, but I like yours. It is a bit more detailed and unique, I like the thorns."

Letting my top go I smiled at him, "Thanks, designed it myself." Obviously impressed he nodded and then we returned to just sitting and looking at the ocean.

Soon it was getting late and my mum kept ringing and I kept ignoring her, I stood up and Zach followed in suit. "You can stay here if you want, I'm going to head home."

"I'll drive you, since you're my only company for this pretty shit beach party."

I said my goodbyes to the others and then followed Zach to his car and thanked him when he opened the door for me. The car ride was quiet with just the radio in the background; it wasn't awkward, the entire night had been like this. But I liked it; Zach's presence seemed to make me feel relaxed and comfortable. I didn't feel on edge like I usually do and the anger that I felt when my mum kept ringing stopped after the third time. I also liked that he didn't ask about why I wasn't answering my phone or why I wanted to annoy my parents with my tattoo.

Once directing him to my apartment block he parked out the front and switched the engine off, "Thanks for the ride and thanks for sitting with me tonight." Just as I was about to leave his hand was on my arm lightly pulling me back in.

I turned to him and saw a crease between his brows, "Wait, I-um-I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow or something? We've been in the same group for a year and I don't really know you that well and I had fun tonight."

I smirked a little how he was rambling in an attempt to explain himself, "Zach its fine, I'd love to see you tomorrow. You've got my number?" He shook his head and I smiled lightly and grabbed a pen from the middle compartment of his car and scribbled it down on the back of his hand, "Here you go. Drive safe and let me know when you get home, I know you've been drinking." He smirked slightly and I grabbed my bag and slipped out of the car and into the building.

Hope you liked the first chapter, I have the next few wrote out but will decide based on the response whether to carry on with it.

Thanks :)