Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 131209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
“Devon!” Mom shouted, coming over to me, but my dad was over to her in a flash. I swear, I blinked and his hand was around her neck, pushing her up against the wall.
My eyes widened, I had never seen him do that before.
“You stupid fucking cunt. Look at him; he can’t even pick up a mess he makes. Is this what you’re doing to my children, huh? Turning them into pussies, who can’t fend for themselves? Answer ME!” he yelled, shoving into her throat harder.
“He’s just a small boy, honey. He’s bleeding, please—”
He started squeezing her neck harder up against the wall and her face started paling. Her eyes were closing and her body was getting sluggish…
“MOM!” I screamed, sitting straight up in bed and gasping for air. I breathed in and out rapidly. I couldn’t catch my breath fast enough and my heart was beating out of my chest.
“Fuck!” I yelled again.
I pulled the sheets off my body and quickly got out of bed; I was drenched in sweat. I looked over at the clock—four AM. I wiped at the sweat on my forehead and then my face, trying to calm myself down to no avail. The dreams were getting worse and more intense, as if I were there, reliving it all over again.
I turned on the shower, leaving it on cold; I knew it was the only thing that would calm me. The icy freeze would shock my system and bring me back to reality.
I couldn’t tell the difference anymore.
And maybe I never did…
<>B<>
A year had gone by and I started my senior year of high school.
“Mmm… you smell good,” Landon said into the back of my neck.
I laughed. “Landon, I need to get up. I have to go.”
“No, stay with me. Let’s have a sleepover.”
“Right… because that’s going to work so well with my parents. Come on, it’s late I need to get home.”
“Come on, baby, just tell them that you’re staying with my sister. Please...” he begged.
The truth was, I didn’t want to spend the night. I knew I could lie to my parents and they wouldn’t think twice about it, but I didn’t want Landon becoming more attached than he already was. It didn’t matter how many times I told him we weren’t serious and we were just having fun, he didn’t believe me. He didn’t want to believe me. I caught him introducing me as his girlfriend to some people I had never met at the party that night, and the more time we spent together, the more he kept telling me he loved me.
“Landon, let go!” I yelled, annoyed.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Brooke, I’m sick of this shit.”
I rolled my eyes; here we go again.
“What is your problem?” I shouted, grabbing my panties and bra.
“You! You’re my fucking problem. What? Am I just your fuck buddy like you constantly love to remind me?”
“Oh my God, why are we always talking about this? I’m so sick of talking about this. I’m going home, Landon, not going to war, so I’ll see you later. Why do you always have to put a label on shit? Why can’t we just be?” I questioned, pulling my skirt up and then putting my shirt on.
“Are you serious? You have the balls to ask me that? Of course, you do because your balls are so much bigger than mine. You act like a man, Brooke, not the woman I love and want to be my fucking girlfriend.”
I rolled my eyes again. “I told you I don’t want that. I want no part of that and I’ve told you since day one. I haven’t lied to you so stop playing the victim; you’re no good at it.”
He jerked back, hurt. “Really? You want to talk about being victims? No one can play it like you can, baby,” he viscously spewed.
“Fuck you!”
“I already did that! Come to think about it, that’s all we ever do. That’s the only goddamn time you will let me get close to you. You won’t even hold my fucking hand in public, let alone have me kiss you. Do you know how embarrassing it is for me to have you turn away from me when I want to touch you and we’re around my friends? They think I’m an idiot and that you’re a bitch. They think I’m wasting my time on you and that you’re not worth it. Can you think of me and how I feel when they say this to me? Huh?” He stepped closer to me until we were a foot apart. “For once, can you think about my feelings?”
“I am thinking of your feelings, and that’s exactly why I like things the way they are. There are no complications that way.”
“Complications for whom? Because I want nothing more than for you to tell me you love me, Brooke. I tell you all the time how much I love you and how much it pains me to see that you’re not the same person anymore. You haven’t been since that night.”