FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS OF THE CHEATER.FAKER.TROUBLEMAKER SERIES (WATTY'S 2016, FICTION AWARDS 2016, HACHETTE AUDIO 2017), JENNY ROSEN & KRISTEN MAGLONZO.
After bullies, braces, and brutal heartbreak shatters his faith in love, soon-to-be fre...
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CHAPTER 54
Elias
If you'd asked me two and a half months ago if I thought I'd survive the winter, the first thing I probably would've done is laugh in your face. And, you probably would've laughed in mine given that everyone knows California winters are a joke.
Then, I would've explained to you that the season I was talking about surviving had absolutely nothing to do with the always perfect Southern California climate or the picturesque rainbow sherbet sunsets that continually taunted me through the windows of my room.
Never changing.
Always staring back at me as I sat surrounded by the four walls of a never changing home that were far too expensive to be paper thin but were still a constant reminder that no matter how thick walls are bought and built, they couldn't silence a shattered broken home.
They couldn't hide the chills I'd get knowing they were the only thing standing between my dad and me whenever I was home. So, hands down, my answer to survival would've been an absolute, for sure, no. At least that's what I thought.
Then, one day shy of Christmas Eve, after receiving the gift of all gifts from the girl of all girls I gave my heart to—her silent answer to my whispered three words, I, for sure, would've easily said yes. Having her here, being with her at every free moment I could get was enough to get me through. At least, that's what I also thought.
Unfortunately for me, despite handing my heart to the only girl I trust to take care of it, life still wasn't gonna let me down easy. Even after Lacey saved me from caving in on myself.
Even after I begged Tanner to fix things in our family like the hero I'm still convinced he is. Even after it was clear that all his trying wasn't gonna change things.
I was wrong.
Our home situation kept on swinging. Cheap shot after cheap shot.
And two and half months later, I'm still up against the ropes.
In the movies, whenever a guy cheats and finally gets caught, it's always explosive. Huge fights, endless screaming matches, the kind of Hollywood drama that used to be a nightly spectacle at the King house.
But when it happened to our family, when Dad finally did us all in, he was so calm about it. He didn't try to explain himself, or defend his mistake, or apologize, he just sat down on the couch on Christmas morning and told Tanner and me that he was seeing someone else.
That he had been since my birthday.
I guess that explains his out of character gift to me, but it didn't explain anything else.
