"Damn girl. You're cute." One of them say. I feel my cheeks get red.
"Aww look at her. She's blushing. I think we have a virgin on our hands!" One announces to the group. I feel my face get hotter.
"What did you just say?!" My dad says, leaning forward so they could see him.
"Oh shit!" The driver says, pressing on the gas. They peel out, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.
"That's what I'm talking about. I swear, if I ever-"
"I won't talk to them." I say. He only nods. The light turns green and I turn to down the street that leads to the house.
***
I toss and turn in my bed, waiting for Cassandra to walk through our bedroom door. I look at my alarm clock, 3:26 a.m. She usually is home at midnight. I close my eyes, praying that she is safe. Just when I say "amen" the door creaks open. I open my eyes and see Cassandra. She was holding her boots in her hands, while her face was streaked from tears.
"Cassie. Are you ok?" I ask. Cassandra just curls up in her bed.
"Goodnight Evelyn." She says. I don't push her. I put my head on my pillow, rolling over to face the wall. "Evelyn?" She says. I look over at her. She looks at me, her face full if sincerity.
"Never be like me." She says, rolling over. I'm silent for a minute.
"I love you." I say.
"You shouldn't." She replies. I close my eyes, falling asleep to her quiet sobbing.
***
What would it be like to be someone else? To live another life? To have a different name, different family, a different identity all together? I think this as I stare at the ceiling above my bed. I stare at the black dot above me, imagining that I could squeeze through it and have a better life.
It's kind of a ritual that I do every morning before Dad comes in to wake us up. I think about everything in my life. I think about all the pain and all the good. I try and think of what my mother would do and hope that life will soon get better for me. I roll over and look at Cassandra. She's sound asleep. Her angel face is calm, the pain from last night is gone for now. Maybe life will be like that soon, calm and painless. I hear my door open and I quickly shut my eyes.
"Girls. It's time to wake up." Dad says sternly. I pretend to wake up as I groggily stretch. Cassandra rolls over and covers her face with the blanket. "Cassandra. Wake up." He says again. She lets out a sleepy moan. He starts to get irritated. He walks over to her bed, grabbing her foot, and yanking her out. She lands on the hardwood floor with a thud, smacking her head on the bed post. Dad gets down to her level so they were eye to eye.
"When I say get up, get. Up." He says through his teeth. She rubs the back of her head and nods.
"Yes sir." She says. He gets up and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him. Cassandra looks over at me.
"I hate him with every fiber of my being. Mom would've hated what he's become." I stay silent. I'm seventeen now. It's been five years since our mother's death. Five years of Dad getting drunk six nights of the week and hitting us profusely. Five years of complete solitude from everybody but a select few. I try hard not to think of how life used to be. The thought of happiness is a distant memory that burns a whole in my brain. I'm never able to talk about how it used to be in front of Dad. It only makes him angry. I made the mistake once and I have the scars to prove it.
"Evelyn. I need you to run down to Joe's." I hear Dad yell. I get out of my bed and get dressed. I slip on some shorts and a baggy black t-shirt. I put my naturally curly hair into a pony tail and walk towards the door.
"Evelyn. You're so gorgeous. Why do you hide it?" Cassandra asks. I look at her and shrug my shoulders, then left the room.
***
I open to door to Joe's butcher shop and the bell rings.
"One second!" Joe yells from the back. I look at the list Dad gave me.
• 2 pounds of bacon
• 5 pounds of beef
• 4 chicken Breasts
"Oh hey Evelyn." Joe says. I look up to see him wiping his hands and staring at me. "What can I get you today?" He asks me smiling. I hand him the list. He quickly runs through it.
"Okay. I'll get everything ready. Pull the truck around back." He tells me. I nod and grab the keys from my back pocket. I walk out, only to bump into someone. The body I hit was hard, and I fell to the ground.
"Oops. I'm sorry." He says. I look up to see a familiar face offering me their hand.
"Uhh... It's ok." I say, taking his hand. They pull me up with ease.
"There you go. Light as a feather." He jokes. I stare at him, trying to place his face.
"Umm... Did I just made a total douche of myself?" He asks. I shake my head quickly.
"No, no, no, no. You just look really familiar." He chuckles, his dimples showing. I bite my lower lip and look at the ground.
"Well. I just moved here, and I would remember someone that looked like you." My head snaps up and I gasp.
"Oh God, no. You're the driver from Fourth of July. I'm... I... Uhh... I gotta go." I say, starting towards my car. He lightly grabs my arm.
"Wait. What's wrong? I don't really remember Fourth of July... Did you hook up with Brad? He was talking about some townie he nailed... That sounds bad. I'm sorry if I did anything to you." I laugh and look at him.
"You didn't do anything... Sorta. But it's not that. I'm not allowed to be talking to you." He's silent for a minute, then breaks out into a fit of laughter.
"You're not allowed... To talk... To me?" He says in between laughs. I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. He muffles his laughter with his hand and soon controls himself.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's just, you don't know me, so how can you not be able to talk to me?" He asks, getting closer. I move back, but my truck stops me.
"It's a really long story." I say. He leans against the truck next to me.
"Well. I got time... What's your name?"
"Evelyn." He nods and smiles again, his dimples more noticeable than before.
"Well Evelyn. My name is Grayson." I smile and stare into his green eyes. I get lost for a second, but snap back to reality.
"It was really nice to meet you but I gotta go." I say, opening the truck door. He grabs my hand.
"When can I see you again?" He asks.
"Never. Evelyn. What are you doing talking to that boy? I know your daddy said you were never to speak with them." Joe said. We both jumped and looked at Joe.
"Sir. She was just going. And she told me she wasn't allowed to talk to me. I pushed her." Grayson pleaded. Joe glared at him. Joe wasn't the violent type, but he looked scarier than all hell.
"Go." Joe said. Grayson looked at Joe and then at me. He waved and then started walking in the other direction. I starred at him as he walked. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at him. He rounded the corner and disappeared.
"Evelyn May." Joe said. I snapped my head in his direction. "I won't tell your father about this. But next time I see you talking to one of them again, you better believe he'll find out." I nodded my head. I start to help Joe load everything. I hand him the money and he pulls me in for an embrace.
"Your father and I only want the best for you." He says, planting a kiss on my forehead. I nod and hop in the truck. I start it up, giving him a parting smile and took off down the road.
Chapter One
Start from the beginning
