Chapter One
It was three months into Addi's sophomore year and she hated every moment of it. Living in Ocala, Florida was not exactly fun for anyone, but little did she know Ocala, Florida was about to get a lot more interesting.
Addison Lucas crawled out of bed forcing her body to wake up, and it wasn't exactly cooperating. As she stood up and stretched she regretted staying up until one with her phone in her face.
She glanced at her clock across the room while it continued to regurgitate the horrific sound of her alarm. It was Monday and like the rest of humanity, Addi hated Mondays.
"Addison!" G-ma yelled, "Are you ready to go?"
"Almost damn it!" Addi yelled out while she wrapped a towel around her wet body.
This was an everyday thing for them. Addi did not like being to school early, or on time, so she set her alarm ten minutes later than the reasonable to time to wake up and get ready. This has been her intentional habit since she started junior high school. It originally started as a way to avoid having to talk to people she didn't like before school, but then it just became normal.
Addi looked through her drawers at a rather limited selection of clothes. Nothing she would pick out would match. She looked over at her overflowing basket, the pile of clothes was now as high as her dresser.
"G-ma! Can you wash my clothes today?"
G-ma didn't answer, but she didn't need to, Addi knew it would get done.
Addi stood in front of the mirror and stared at her mismatched selection and shrugged, not like anyone would notice.
G-ma, a rather tall older woman in her early sixties, stood by the kitchen counter watching the mini television she kept on the counter.
G-ma was not Addi's real mother, or grandmother. Addi has been adopted at the age of three, but she had been given up just after birth. G-ma, whose real name was Lisa, and Jenkins Monroe had always wanted a child, but were never able to conceive. As hard as they tried G-ma never became pregnant. Eventually, and little late in life, they decided to adopt Addi. Addi, however, was given up after her parents had named her and took her home. It took them just three days to change their mind, at least that is what child services told G-ma and Jenkins. After hearing the story they decided to let her keep her birth name and allow her to find her birth parents when she grows up.
Addison came racing down the stairs in hopes to leave without having to be driven. They lived exactly two blocks from the high school and she wasn't allowed to walk alone.
"Hey where are you going?" G-ma called stopping Addi in her tracks. When Addi turned around G-ma's head cocked back in surprise. "What in the good Lord's name are you wearing Addison?"
Addi rolled her eyes and sighed. "Clothes, G-ma."
"I see, but why don't you match?"
Addi shrugged, "I need my clothes washed."
"Yes I know. I will have them done later for you." G-ma picked up an apple and handed it Addi, she knew if she didn't physically hand Addi food in the morning, she wouldn't eat.
"Thanks, I'll let you know if I am coming home or staying with Eli and Brook."
G-ma sighed, "Alright." She grabbed her car keys. "Are you ready?"
"Do you have to drive me? I can walk you know. You are just wasting gas, think of all the pollution you are putting into the air." Addi said this at least three times a week.
"Yes, I know, I will give a damn about my car's pollution when they stop kidnapping children." This was a big deal to G-ma, you could tell because she used the word damn.
Brooklyn Johnson was Addi's best friend and also went by the name Brook. Anyone who called her Brooklyn, that wasn't an adult, would catch hell. She held a fiery personality to match her stellar looks. She was on track to be a private investigator. Brook trusted no one, except Addi and sometimes Ezra. Ezra was tricky because he often lied, but she still trusted him. When she wanted answers she would do whatever she needed to find them.
Brook lacked what people call a filter. Once it was in her head, it came out of her mouth and she didn't care how you or anyone else felt about it. Brook in many ways was the opposite of Addi, but she kept a low profile for Addi's sake. In a way the two of them balanced each other out.
When Addi got out of the car Brook was waiting for her at the curb. Brook refused to walk to class without her.
"What no backpack?" Brook stared.
Addi shook her head. "Real funny Brooklyn."
"You're lucky I love you, you bitch because you know I hate that name."
"Just like you know I will not walk through this school with a rolling book bag. I don't know what she was thinking."
The school seemed empty, which meant class started already. Addi was not the most social person, it wasn't that she had anxieties, but that she just didn't like people. She could instantly tell when people were not being sincere and in junior high and high school, there were a lot of people that weren't. Brook didn't mind speaking to people but she couldn't stand liars and well, everyone lies, this is where the two complimented each other in their friendship.
"Me either, I like your outfit." Brook winked.
Although Addi didn't match at all Brook liked her insane taste because she would never have the guts to wear clothes that didn't perfectly go together.
"Thanks," Addi smiled, "Where's Ezra?"
"He is in class. Something about the coach bitching about lateness in the morning."
Ezra played baseball; he was one of the best in the school so the coach cared about little thing he did. While Ezra listened and got good grades, it was obvious to Addi and Brook that he didn't really care about playing baseball. He hardly went to practices and when he played both Addi and Brook could see the boredom in face. This was something no one else noticed because Ezra didn't spend time with anyone else. Brook noticed how Ezra pushed away anyone who tried to be his friend, except them. At first it bothered her because she knew there was something wrong with him, but slowly she accepted it because she took a little bit of pride in knowing the best looking guy in school only wanted to be friends with her and her best friend. The other part of her accepting this was the fact that he lived completely alone and didn't seem to have a person in the world. While Ezra claimed to have family up north, Brook didn't believe it and Addi wasn't too sure either. As much as Brook questioned everything, she didn't question that because she felt bad, especially since Addi was adopted, Brook figured it best not bother him about it.
Walking into class Addi noticed that the stack of late passes the teacher collected was pretty high, which meant that they have evaded detention for another week.
Ezra Miller was the guy almost every girl wished they could have, or at least be friends with, but he didn't want to be friends. No one in school could out why he picked the two girls in school only hung out with each other to be best friends with. Since it has been over a year, everyone was used to it now.
Ezra sat in his seat with his sunglasses on and put his hand up to high five Addi and Brook as they walked past him to their seats. Addi used to think he would forget to shower or used to women's lotion because sometimes she could swear his skin glistened or shined in the sunlight. The other reason would be because his hair so shaggy and in disarray, there was no way he washed it.
Brook being Brook she one day asked Ezra why his hair always looked messy but his clothes were always perfect. The answer, of course, was that he didn't like to do his hair.
So there he was with shaggy black hair and blue eyes, when he didn't wear the sunglasses.
Once the teacher began talking Addi put her head down and went right back to sleep. As she slowly went through the stages her mind began to dream. She was in class and the teacher, Ms. Hoffman, was sitting her desk. There was complete silence in the class and everyone was working, including Addi and Brook. After a minute Ezra leaned over and started talking, but he wasn't making any sense to her. She tried to tell him to slow down and speak calmly but he wouldn't listen. He kept going and it was beginning to drive Addi crazy. She reached over to slap him.
Addi jumped up in class and had managed to scare herself awake. Brook and Ezra watched her scared out of her mind, trying to hold back laughter.
"What was it this time?" Ezra whispered.
Addi took a deep breath and gathered herself. "It was you, you wouldn't shut up." She left the part out about slapping him because she felt bad about it.
Brook and Ezra always had a quiet laughing fit when Addi would scare herself awake, this happened at least once a week to her. Sometimes they would be scary dreams, but sometimes it would be complete nonsense.
When class was over Addi and Ezra walked Brook to her class two doors over. As they slowly walked to Brook's class Ezra decided it would be the best time to break some news to them since both Addi and Brook were in a good mood.
"So, my cousin is coming to stay with me." Ezra said. He was still wearing his sunglasses, which he used to cover how terrible of a liar he was. He could lie to anyone effortlessly and they wouldn't suspect a thing, but not Addi and Brook. Ezra was well aware that they both could tell when he was lying, so he wore the sunglasses so they wouldn't see when he couldn't look at them in the eyes.
"Which one?" Addi asked.
Brook wouldn't care to ask since she didn't believe that had any actual family. Addi and Brook had met exactly two of Ezra's family members, both were said to be cousins, but Brook didn't believe it.
"You guys haven't met him yet, his name is Eli. He is just very cool, quiet, to himself and is just looking for a change of scenery." Ezra's lie came out so flawlessly he surprised himself.
Brook stopped just outside of her classroom door. "No one who wants a change of scenery comes to Ocala Ezra. For that you go to like Orlando and Miami."
Ezra sighed a little bit frustrated that Brook wasn't someone to just believe what he said. "Brook please, he is family, don't start this."
Addi took one look at Brook's face and knew that she needed to stop whatever Brook was thinking of doing. Addi stood in between the two of them. "Brook relax," Addi whispered, "remember, we can't get into any trouble."
"He's family? Really Ezra? Addi and I are more family to you than anyone. I don't see any of your supposed family helping you."
"Brook!" Ezra was tired of the same fight. He knew she was right, but he just didn't know why she couldn't just accept the lie. "You can't know everything!"
With that Addi pushed Brook into her classroom and pulled Ezra away toward their next class.
"Are you stupid or something Ezra?" Addi said as they walked up the stairs.
"No! Look, I know how she is, but when it comes to family, I'm there, she can't know every single thing she wants. Sometimes I need certain things to be private until I am ready to talk about it."
"I know Ezra, but you know Brook, you shouldn't have said anything until you were ready."
"Yeah, well he comes next week, so there wasn't much time left."
Addi and Brook had an interesting arrangement with their parents. If they stayed out of trouble this school year and attended school everyday, they could have sleepovers at Ezra's house whenever they wanted. As odd of an arrangement as it was, it was more out of sympathy for Ezra. They knew he lived alone and had no family and their parents didn't see him as a threat. Anyone who saw the three of them together who never think Ezra was trying to hit on Addi and Brook. Everyone believed anything Ezra said, except Addi and Brook, they both knew he had some kind of secret about his family, but he kept it well hidden.
"Are you guys coming over today?" Ezra asked Addi after class.
"Yeah, I told G-ma I would let her know. I'll ask Brook, when she isn't mad at you."
"Alright cool, maybe we can cut out after lunch?"
Addi shrugged, Ezra was a great friend to have because there wasn't anyone to tell that they weren't in school. He has no parents and lived completely alone. According to Ezra and the rest of the town, his house was inherited from his parents before their death, along with a large sum of money. Ezra had only come back to Florida as recently as two years ago when he managed to become an emancipated minor.
Ezra had said he lived with his grandmother, but Brook and Addi took note that he never spoke of his grandmother or spoken to her since they have known him.
After lunch the three of them left walking to Ezra's house. Ezra had a car, but he didn't take it school in case he wanted to leave early. They don't just let kids drive away from school in the middle of a school day.
As they walked Ezra managed to talk to Brook about her anger problems and explained to her the same thing he explained to Addi about waiting until he is ready. She couldn't stay mad at him, which was probably why she was still friend's with him, even though he often lied.
"Eli comes next week, on Monday. He is enrolled in school already." Ezra explained at the dinner table. "I expect you to be nice to him." He said glaring at Brook.
Brook gave him an eye roll. "I just hope he isn't as much of a liar as you."
"You'll live. I don't know how long he is staying, I just want it all to go smoothly."
"It will be fine." Addi said before Brook could say something about Ezra being a liar.
Addi didn't know what was the truth, but she knew soon things were about to get really interesting.