Her Devilish Side

Chapter One

I stood peering over the ledge of the cliff. Before me, lay a one hundred-twenty foot drop (or so I assumed). The river below seemed shallow, too shallow to catch anyone's fall. I couldn't help but think of how many people could have fallen into that river, and not come back alive. What if no one knew that they were done there? Their lifeless body, floating through the canyon with the currents, never to be seen again. Their families report them missing, and no one ever knows what happened to them.

"What are you waiting for?" A shadow-figure appeared next to me. "Jump..." It whispered in my ear. 

I didn't move.

"Here, let me show you." The figure leapt off the cliff and disappeared into the river below, not to be seen again.

I remember the words that my mother always told me. "Be a leader, not a follower. If your friends jump off a bridge, would you do the same?"

You didn't say anything about a cliff. I thought, taking a step off of the ledge.

"Addalynne, pay attention!" My mom told me harshly. My attention was snapped back to the boring presentation about The Resurrection being presented at my church.

I never considered myself a 'catholic girl'. There are so many sins I have committed in this life, and I'm not just talking about skipping school and sneaking out. There was also the time that I beat the shit out of my neighbor, Kenny, after he threw a rock at my brother. It's technically a sin to abuse another human being, but this one was worth it.

Before my mother could snap at me again, I looked up at Pastor Ellis, who was ending a prayer.

"-in Jesus' name."

"Amen." I said along with everyone else in the church. I stood up with the rest of my family and followed everyone out of the isle and into the church parking lot.

"You need to get your head out of the clouds! This is important to our lives!" My mother scolded me.

"Aren't I old enough to decide if I want to go to church or not?" I asked whilst rolling my eyes.

"One, you will be old enough when we say you are, and two, use proper grammar if you're going to be speaking to us like that." Dad told me. I flipped him off behind his back.

"Hey Addie." I rolled my eyes and held back a groan as I turned to face Jaysen Wallace. He goes to my school, as well as my church, and acts like such a snob. My parents are friends with his, and my parents are always telling me about how he will make an 'excellent husband'. At this point I think they're looking forward to an arranged marriage.

"Hey Jaysen." I said in my nicest tone.

"Oh my goodness Jaysen! How are you?" My mom rushed up to him and hugged him.

"I'm doing good. Just got enrolled into some college classes and I made the football team."

"Oh that is amazing! Addalynne should be getting into some college classes, but we haven't heard anything yet." She glanced at me.

"Mom. I have homework I need to get done at home." I said, glaring at Jaysen.

"Why didn't you get it done yesterday? Ugh, seriously Addalynne!" She said, rolling her eyes. "Well, it was nice seeing you Jaysen. We hope to see you soon!"

In the car, Mom went off on a rant about me getting my work done. "And the moment you get home, you are going straight to your room and getting your work done! I am absolutely sick of you always blah, blah, blah..." I tuned her out with my music.

My little brother, Zayn, was staring out the window, watching the world as it flew by. Zayn and I have always had a close relationship, and almost always, we did everything together. Like me, my parents always expect the best of him, and it really gets on our nerves. Once Zayn came home with a failed assignment and my mom literally took away his bedroom door so she could 'make sure he was studying'.

After that incident, Zayn has always said that when he graduates he is gonna run off to California and pursue a career in writing, and never come back. I know that I want to get away from this family, but I'm not sure on where I would go or what I would want to do.

Mom forced me into my room the moment we got home, and told me to get my work done. What she doesn't know is that I only told her I had homework so we could get the hell away from Jaysen. I basically just spent an hour laying on my bed and looking at pictures on Instagram.

Not really just any random pictures, but mainly pictures of girls. Girls that I find attractive.

The only person in the world who knows that I like girls is my two best friends, Jenna and Kobe. Kobe is gay himself, so he was ecstatic when I came out to him. Jenna is straight and has a boyfriend, but she's extremely supportive of me. Jenna has been trying to get me to come out, but Kobe tells me to wait until I am ready, and I feel safe.

I fear that if I do then my parents, mainly my mom, will find out and send me to conversion therapy or something. I read a book about conversion therapy, and I've heard that the therapists will take anything you tell them and make you believe that is why you are gay or transgender. I don't know if it's true or not, but all I know is that I don't wind up in conversion therapy.