Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 65041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Jace was staring out at the water for what felt like forever until he finally asked, “What do you want, Cove?”
His question surprised me. “How did you know I was here?”
“I’m trained to.”
“You could feel me like a superhero does?”
He turned to face me. “Something like that.”
Only then did I see how different he looked from what I was used to. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were bright red and super glossy. It didn’t look like he’d been crying, but the strong smell of liquor blew in my face. He was holding a bottle of what I heard my dad call whiskey. Sometimes he’d act funny if he had too many glasses.
I smiled a little, stepping toward Jace to let him know I was only there to try to make him feel better. Once I stood in front of him, I tried handing him my piece of cake and stuffed animal.
“I made your favorite cake for you. It’s red velvet, and this is my bunny. It always makes me feel better, so you can borrow it for as long as you want. You can keep it too. It’s my present for you.”
I never expected what happened next.
I thought… I don’t know what I thought, but what he did hurt me in ways I never thought he would.
He took one look at my gifts before smacking them right out of my hands, making me gasp loudly.
“Jace—”
In a mean voice, he snapped, “What are you doing here, Cove? You’re not even family.”
I jerked back, frowning.
“You’re always here. Always around. You’re not my parents’ responsibility.”
“I’m sorry, Jace.” I could feel the tears in my eyes. “I was just trying to help make you feel better. I didn’t mean to make you mad at me.”
“Make me feel better?” he taunted.
“I’m… I’m… I was just… I mean… I’m sorry your mom died.”
I saw it clear as day. His bright-blue eyes turned dark like he was suddenly the villain in one of my Disney movies.
“What you should be sorry for,” he scolded, “is following me out here and not minding your own damn business.”
“Why are you being so mean to me?”
“You think this is mean? You have no idea what I’m capable of. The things I’ve seen and done…” He shook his head for a second, almost like he remembered something he didn’t want to. “What you need to do is turn your ass around and go waste someone else’s time. I don’t need anything from you, Cove. Do you understand me?”
I couldn’t help it. I burst into tears, running back up to their house. I didn’t want him to see me cry.
Because the truth was, Jace Beckham wasn’t just my first real crush. He was also the first guy…
To break my heart completely.
One
Cove
Now: 10 years later
“Cove, have you seen my purse?” Mom asked, walking into the kitchen.
“I think it’s by the door.”
“Honey, you need some makeup. You’re looking pale.”
I sighed. “Gee, thanks, Mom. Nice to see you too.”
“What’s with the attitude?”
“No attitude. I just haven’t seen you in two weeks, and the first thing you say is how shitty I look.”
“Don’t cuss. It’s not ladylike, and I didn’t use the word shitty.”
“Right…”
“Darling, would you rather I lie to you? You’re not going to be homecoming queen looking pale. Now, are you?”
“I have no desire to be homecoming queen, and you’d know that if you were involved in my life.”
“I was homecoming queen, and so was your grandmother and great-grandmother. It’s practically a tradition. You wouldn’t want to disappoint me, would you?”
The sad thing was, I didn’t. I kept thinking if I checked off all her boxes, she’d eventually love me in the way I needed her to. In the way I needed them both to. It was a dumb and naive assumption, but it didn’t take away the desire to please them.
“How dare if I did, right?”
“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady. You’ve had everything you’ve ever wanted. I would have killed to have a mother like me. You should be grateful we’ve always treated you like an adult and not a child.”
“Except when I was actually a child,” I mumbled under my breath.
“Now be a doll and go put on some blush. I refuse to have a daughter who doesn’t look her best at all times. How do you think I’ve kept your father happy all these years? Beautiful women get far in life, Cove.”
“Yeah, so do smart ones.”
“You don’t need to be smart, sweetheart. You just need to marry a man who is. And let’s face it, you’re not the brightest crayon in the box.”
“Mom, I have a 3.9 cumulative GPA, and every college I’ve applied to has offered me a full scholarship.”
She shut the fridge, not paying me any mind. “Hmm… that’s nice, honey.”
She wasn’t even listening to me. She never did. Most of the time, it seemed as if I was a burden to both of them rather than their daughter. However, she wasn’t lying. They always gave me everything I ever wanted except for their love and attention. The older I got, the worse it seemed to get.