Delinquent

0 | Prologue

Ah, the nickname. He said he started calling me it when I first called him dad because I was the first thing he loved more than Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Once we all stepped into his black Honda Civic—me in the passenger seat, and the girls in the back—dad began to speak again.

"So are you girls planning on doing something today?" He asked as he reversed out of the spot. Which was pretty hard, considering some asshole braked right behind him, eager to take our spot.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Colt and I have plans, remember?" I said, looking to dad with raised eyebrows.

Dad loved Colton like a son, but although he thinks I don't know it, he's worried that puberty is getting to him and that he'll have nasty thoughts.

Well, according to aunt Penelope at least—his other older sister by ten years.

But despite this, he knew he could never separate us. We'd been close since we were nine years old.

At the thought of Colton, I smiled as I pulled out the IPhone I'd gotten for my birthday this year.

Julia: I'm debating on what your punishment should be for leaving me hanging today. Dropping you in a pit of snakes, or making you hang out with Flora for a whole day.

Flora was my twenty-three year old cousin—and aunt Penelope's daughter—who got into a relationship this spring and talks non-stop about him.

After a few minutes passed, he still hadn't answered, and my brows furrowed before turning back to face Riya. "Have you seen or heard from Colton recently?"

She shakes her head simultaneously with Serena. "No," she responded with.

I mumbled a okay as I turned back to face the front of the road. Colton did take a while with answering but he was quick to respond to mine.

After overthinking for a few minutes, I shoved my worries away and started a conversation with the girls to pass the time.

After twenty minutes on the highway, dad parked the car in front of one of the two garage doors, and we all stretched our backs before stepping out together.

I greeted my way too energetic dog, Cooper, when we stepped inside. He's a white Bichon Frise who had been with my family since I was ten years old.

The girls and I decided that we couldn't leave him downstairs so we brought him up to my room, that was still painted with light purple walls and white furniture.

As the Riya and Serena were playing with him, I started to change out of my knee length leggings and loose, dark blue tank top.

"Who you dressing up for?" I heard Riya ask behind me as I slipped into my high waisted, light wash jean shorts and lavender laced crop top.

Before I could respond, Serena beat me to it. "Colton, obviously," she laughed, and Riya followed.

I glared at them but said nothing while grabbing my shoulder bag. Once I'd filled it up with some of my life lines—my phone, lip palm, pocket knife, wallet, keys and headphones—I stared at them with my arms crossed against my chest.

"You guys gonna chill here for a bit or leave now?" I asked, and they both began to stand up, answering my question.

"Probably leave now. If we don't, Yasmin will start talking to us about Nicolas Sparks and her dreams that revolve around finding her prince charming," Serena explained as she spoke about my eleven year old sister, who was currently going through her romance phase.

I nodded in understanding before we all walked downstairs. After talking to dad about staying at Colton's, I walked out and started my ten minute walk to his house.

Since he lived two streets over, I wasn't too worried about walking alone. Especially because our neighborhood was considerably safe compared to Miami, where strangers would honk at you if you were mildly attractive.

As I listened to another song by Ne-Yo, I walked up the three porch steps to Colton's front door before putting my hand on the door handle.

When it wouldn't budge, I was surprised that it was locked.

After knocking and ringing the doorbell twice, I texted Colton.

Julia: Hey, are you home? I'm going to unleash Flora on you, sir!

Another two minutes and no response.

Worry grew in my chest and I didn't think twice before rounding the side of his two-story house. I climbed over the gate separating me from his backyard before starting to crawl up the latter next to his bedroom window.

The window was unlocked to no surprise, so I welcomed myself in. Once I was fully inside, I noticed Colton sitting in front of his desk with his head down.

"I think it's time to purchase some hearing aids old man," I teased, but felt uneasy in my chest when he had yet to look my way.

He hadn't responded until he looked up to meet my gaze. I took a deep breath when I noticed he was wearing a glare. Toward me.

"Do you think that the reason I didn't answer was because I just didn't want to see you?" He pointed out and my brows furrowed as I raised my hands up, mocking surrender.

"Reel it back in, Colton. What did I do that made you so mad?" I asked, trying to calm him down while thinking what I could have possibly done in the last few days that made him upset.

We spoke on the phone last week and everything had been alright.

Instead of answering, he looked back down to his desk. His brown hair was light under the sun when I noticed how messy it looked.

Noticing that something was stressing him out, I stepped forward and dropped my hand on his shoulder for comfort.

That was when he'd done a complete one-eighty.

He stood up quickly, and my hand dropped off of his shoulder as I took a step back.

My eyes widened slightly when I noticed how much taller he'd gotten over the summer, but that thought quickly left my mind when I noticed his eyes narrowed on me.

"Don't touch me," he deadpanned, and my lips parted, not knowing what to say.

For that moment of silence, I took in his features, noticing how they had hardened while I was gone. "Colt... what's going on?"

He shook his head and turned around before leaving his room. I didn't think twice before following him down the stairs.

By the time I reached the first floor, I noticed Colton standing next to the front door, holding it open. I slowly walked up to him with worry.

He nodded his head slightly to the door. "Go," he said, but I stayed in my spot. After a few seconds, he sighed and tightly closed his eyes. "I'll see you at school, Julia," he spoke softly, and my eyes shifted to my feet before nodding once.

I hardly reached the bottom of the porch steps before I heard the door close behind me.

∞

Twenty-one days had passed since the start of school. For the first week, I thought I had entered an alternative reality after I returned back to my city outside of Toronto, since Colton had been completely different since my arrival.

But everything was the same. Everything except him.

Three months into the year. Colton had begun to make friends with boys who weren't good people. He barely started conversations with me, and the girls were telling me to lose all hope in our friendship.

He was allowing high school to change him.

And I listened to their voice of reason.

A year later, violent rumors about Colton caught my attention, but I didn't believe it until I saw it a week later.
He beat up one of Marcello's friends outside of school property.

The last I'd heard about Colton West was the last week of sophomore year when I was drinking green tea with dad.

The news had come on, broadcasting that Colton had been arrested.