Things That Change

Sample. (Preface and Chapter One.)

    Her name is Bernadette Addison Reese. 24 years old and knowing exactly where she wants to go in life; happiness. Her big, rich brown eyes give a glimpse into her soul; innocent, bright, and mature. As much as she loves the name her father picked out for her sometimes she feels it's a little not her so, she goes by Birdie. Yes, Birdie. Sometimes her dad likes to call her Addie Bird which she loves. It's different; like her.

Being a teenager in the town she grew up in was hard for everyone but it was especially hard for her. There were no fun activities around town to keep people busy, the school system was failing everyone, and drugs were one of the only things to get into. Her mom left when she was a baby and has never been heard from or of since and her dad was doing his best. She was lucky enough that he at least wasn't some drunk asshole like the rest of what the town had to offer. He's a good man; runs a garage on the outer edge of town, supports her and her dreams, and raised her to be different.

        She's not the type of girl to be into the scene the town has to offer. She's relatively kind to strangers but she doesn't go out of her way to make friends. She's one of those people who's been told she was born with an old soul. She works with her dad at the family business and also down at Dean's diner on the west side of town. Her only friends are her dad, Dean, and boyfriend Jonah. Quite a private person.

She and her boyfriend Jonah have been together for going on four years. His father is the pastor at a big church on Main Street. Jonah is one of four children and is the only boy. He's in college on a football scholarship although he didn't need it considering he comes from a wealthy family and isn't afraid to let that be known. They're an unlikely pair, like everyone in the town, especially the church said when they started dating. A happy couple in everyone's eyes nonetheless. In their eyes, they quite literally have it all it seems.

What people don't know is that he knocks her around worse than teammates on the opposing side during a game. She hides it well so her dad doesn't worry. Sometimes she'd hit back too but has learned that from him she'll never win so, she complies. Jonah didn't like how she expressed herself through her hair and cars but he knew he couldn't change that, so eventually, he just stopped trying.

She has cotton candy pink hair color, is very short standing at just five feet, and has a stocky but feminine body type. Her skin is tan from working outside but mostly because of her black heritage background from her father. She didn't know very much about her mother; not because her dad kept it from her but because she didn't care to know anything. The only thing she knew was her name and it was Heidi.

Growing up without a mother is hard for a girl but she was lucky to have Bobby as her father. He never let her down, when things got confusing for her he did the research for himself and took mind of things from his past of being with her mother.

    Heidi and Bobby were together for two years. They got together when Bobby was eighteen and she got pregnant when he was only nineteen. Throughout that time, Bobby worked hard to build his house and garage and move the shop his dad started twenty years before to his land. He had a name for himself and he wouldn't let his father down. Heidi ended up getting pregnant even though she never wanted children.

        Bobby had a lot of friends, unlike his daughter. A few of them worked in the garage with him as she grew up; Charlie, Skeeter, John, and Dale were the main ones. He'd gone to school with all of them except Skeeter.

        Skeeter was Clyde's son who her dad had been close enough to be considered brothers as they were growing up. Clyde and his wife Judith were involved in a bad car accident when Skeeter was in his twenties, unfortunately, both of them passed away not long after. She would spend a lot of time with them especially around holidays when she was younger. She was in her teens when it happened and remembered how distant Skeeter got from them.