Never Back Down (Split Between Worlds Book 1)

Chapter Two

                                                                                        Aerity

What the heck happened last night? Aerity had difficulty thinking past the heavy pounding reverberating through her skull. She hadn't been this jacked up since that trip to New Orleans last year, which was not one of her grandest moments, mind you. In fact, they had even made a pact never to speak of it again. But seeing as how she wasn't uttering the words out loud, then it was perfectly acceptable to talk about it, right? Eh, probably not but who gives a flying fart in space? She just needed an aspirin and some motivation to live on. Some may say dramatic, she said realistic. Tomatoe, tomato. But seriously this headache was no joke.

Suppressing a shiver, she forced her mind to focus on anything other than the current jackhammer having its way with her brain. Squeezing her eyes shut tighter, she willed with all the power vested in her for the past to return, but only a blanket of thick foliage encompassed her memory. Why was that line in her head? Oh dear god, she hoped she didn't accidentally marry someone. That would royally suck. She did not want to get divorced at the ripe age of twenty-one. Although she wasn't proud to admit it, this wasn't the first time she had woken up without any recollection of the night before and it most certainly wouldn't be the last but either way it was still unnerving. She didn't do it very often but when she did, it was a go big or go home kind of deal. She just severely hoped she didn't do something stupid that would have elicited unwarranted attention from the cops.

 Internally wincing, an image of her father's disappointed face flashed through her mind. Being the daughter of a cop had its advantages, such as no one ever picked on you and you always felt safe. She wasn't going to lie and say it didn't also suck though. Wondering if a parent would come home at the end of the day was always in the back of her mind. When that thought was pushed to the side, the less serious side of things was that no one ever wanted to invite you anywhere fun because they didn't want to get into trouble. Eventually, she learned to have her own kind of fun. That was when she wasn't busy with school or training with Mya, her father's work partner. Mya was the only one who didn't treat her like she was made of glass. All the guys at the station maneuvered around her like they were part of a complicated choreographed dance routine. Every time she walked into the room it was like they were dancing on eggshells.

It wouldn't have bothered her so much if they simply weren't interested but she could tell some of them were. Most of the time they were too afraid of getting a stun gun shoved up their rear, in the situation of her dad finding out. And to be real, her dad would have found out. Being the only daughter of a cop either went one of two ways. One, overly protected and two, spoiled. She liked to imagine herself as fitting into the first category, considering that while she had a good life, it wasn't without its pitfalls. Not to mention the pure look of utter fear that crossed a guy's face when she walked into the room followed by her father, who reeked of stern countenance and a rigid demeanor. But come on, did they really think that her and her father were that unobservant and ignorant to not see them staring at her as she walked by? That statement wasn't meant to sound cocky or arrogant. It was just that, a statement. She never thought she was all that special to look at but the wandering eyes begged to differ. That's all it ever was though. Everyone wanted to look but never touch, which was fine with her. She had no desire for their grubby mitts to touch her anyway. She was pretty sure her father would have rammed his 9mm where the sun don't shine if they ever made an attempt to do so, even if she preferred to do that damage herself. Officer Williams didn't mess around when it came to his only daughter. Not that she was opposed to finding a guy. She just wanted someone who waited for permission to touch. Was that so much to ask for? While she appreciated having her father's cockblock, she also knew there wouldn't always be the same protection.