Losing Her (The Lexington Series Book 1) Read online

  Losing Her

  (The Lexington Series)

  By

  Belle Winters

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

  Copyright © 2016 Shannon Jackson. All rights reserved. Including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.

  Version 2016.06.10

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 1

  I sat at the edge of my bed staring at the clock sitting on the nightstand. I am dreading what is going to happen in the next 10 minutes. Melanie will be here to pick me up so that we can carpool to school. My anxiety has been nonstop madness since last week as the first day of school was approaching. If only I was going to be a senior this year instead of a Junior I would be a little more optimistic… I think. Scared of everything that can go wrong today and knowing I have to endure it for a whole school semester has me breaking out in a horrible sweat. I got so lost in thought I barely registered my mom calling up to me that Mel is outside waiting for me. I grabbed my backpack and made my way downstairs.

  The fear must’ve been evident on my face when I got into the car because Melanie immediately pulled me into a hug. Fucking Landon Miles. How can he cause me so much damn grief and I haven’t even laid eyes on him yet? He was the cause of my bullying, the biggest pain in my ass. Who would’ve thought that at one point, however long ago that may have been, we were friends.

  “Luce, even though you didn’t mention it the past few days, I know that you’re nervous. But this is a new year. You should try to be optimistic… besides; at some point in his life Landon will have to get tired of bothering you or find a new target.” I couldn’t deny that I hated the look of pity in her eyes.

  I sighed. “Mel, that’s just the point. I shouldn’t have to stick it out for another year. I mean, I still don’t understand why he even makes my life hell. Then to make it worst he just has to be popular and have all of his minions following his lead.” She continued to watch me with that look that was twisting my guts. I turned my gaze away from her to the window and muttered “let’s just get this over with”. Sensing my resolve, she put the car in drive and we were off.

  I took my time taking in her body. I stood at the edge of the bed looking at every curve of her body. She wants gentle love huh? That’s what my baby will get.

  It felt like we were getting out the car way too soon, but there’s only so much I can do to avoid school at this point. I quickly scanned the path from the car to the front doors looking for any signs of trouble. I breathed a sigh of relief when my tormentor and his friends were nowhere in sight. Mel looped her arm through mine in encouragement and we headed into the building. I walked through the hall with my head down while still trying to scan the halls to avoid any unwanted encounters. What a fucked up way of having to deal with school. Throughout the morning I went from class to class on high alert.

  The bell just rang indicating lunch time and I have made it thus far without incident. I would call that a small miracle on its own. However, the lunch room is quite far one of the most terrifying places as it’s really hard to hide from anyone here – and they will no doubt be in attendance. Mel and I kind of created a sort of ritual where she meets me by my locker and we head to lunch together. It’s a show of moral support that I appreciate. It does help that I don’t have to face these monsters alone, and thankfully I am the only target and they don’t run her off so I’m able to maintain at least one friend in this school. Mel approaches me at my locker with a huge smile on her face. I opened my mouth to ask her what had her so happy, but she beat me to it.

  “The beast is not in today, there shall be a such thing as a great first day for you my friend.”

  I couldn’t help but beam back at her. I exhaled the breath I didn’t realize I’ve been holding since I woke up this morning. With the ring leader not here, I have a better chance that the rest have forgotten to torture me. My spirits lifted at the moment, but I couldn’t completely let my guard down.

  We entered the cafeteria and by nature my eyes swung to the tables in the corner. That’s where all the popular kids sat. You know the guys on the football and basketball teams. The cheerleaders, girlfriends, and the just all around hot girls. These same people who made my life hell. Why? Because their football star decided that I was prey and they could all feast on me. There were the constant crude comments when passing me in the halls or in class. They tripped me, bumped me, spread rumors about me. The fucked up part about that is everyone knew they hate me so wouldn’t come next to me, but they still fed into the rumors that I get around school. How does that even make sense? It’s just all a part of trying to get to me. I do what I can to avoid it for the most part, but there’s only so much hiding you can do. I noticed that Landon was absent from the table and felt like that was a small victory. I know pathetic isn’t it?

  We got in line for lunch, and I grabbed a sandwich. Mel opted for the chicken fingers. We found our usual table, where we always sat alone and headed towards it. As we were walking, Delilah and her group of bitches passed us and she shoulder checked me. I’m sure I heard her hiss bitch under her breath, but it wasn’t worth thinking about. Delilah is queen of the evil bitches and Landon’s number one fan. She’d probably lick the boy’s shoes if he asked her to. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t lie and say he isn’t attractive because he is. It’s just there’s so much fucking mean and evil in him it’s hard for me to see anything past the way he treats me. She’s infatuated with him, and he seems to enjoy her attention. They’re not actually dating, due to what I’ve seen and heard about him with half of the girls in the school… but if I were to guess, she’s probably his favorite. Thankfully though, that was the only incident I had that day, and I have to admit that I appreciate the small miracles.

  This isn’t the type of behavior you would expect in such a prominent charter high school as Clearance, smack dab in the center of our small town… I know right? But there you have it. A bunch of entitled pricks! We are supposed to wear uniforms to eliminate social gaps and kind of put students on even levels… yeah right. I opt for my baggy clothing to avoid drawing attention to my body, while the other girls wear short skirts, knee highs, and super tight clothes. Not to mention there’s no way to not notice that 90% of the student body comes from money from the high end cars and jewelry and shoes. I’m in the other 10% with the middle class and it doesn’t bother me a bit. I’m quite fond of my modest clothes and living. However, I could do with a car instead of depending on rides. I’m planning to rectify that soon by getting me a job.

  When Mel pulled up to my house afterschool, I was surprised to see my mom’s car in the driveway. It was weird for her to be home from work this early. She had her own shop that sold all types o
f girly goods. She’s been pretty good with the store until the last few months where business was getting pretty slow. She normally doesn’t close the shop until about 6, which means I’m home before her. We have a routine, I would normally hop in the kitchen when I’m in from school and make dinner. I set her food aside (even though she can be the ultimate bitch) to make sure that she has a meal in her stomach to offset all the wine she will probably consume while I’m holed up in my room. She’s been bitter since my dad died when I was a baby, the pictures of the past shows that she was once a happy woman. It’s either that or she’s one hell of a photogenic actor. In any event, she seems to become a fairly decent mom when she has a man in her life that she ‘loves and can’t live without’. Needless to say, they obviously don’t last long. To be honest, I stopped caring long ago when my life went to shit when the devil himself decided I was his worst enemy and she didn’t believe someone would pick on me for no reason. It was at that point I realized she basically didn’t give a shit about the drama in my life and I was alone. That was until I met Mel in the 9th grade. She had just moved out to our small town and didn’t know anyone. We hit it off in English class during an exercise of getting to know your peers. After class, I heard her being warned off from hanging out with me. I mean it is a small town so we all basically grew up together. It was public knowledge Landon ensured I was an outcast. It was either stay away from me afraid of joining my lowly ranks or take part in the torment to hopefully be on the ins with him. Fortunately she was unafraid of being picked on by befriending me.

  Anyways I shrug and lean over and pull Mel into a hug, “See ya in the morning babe”.

  She saluted me as I was getting out, “later babe”. And she was off to her house.

  I went into the house and dropped my book bag by the door. Hey, easier for me in the morning… it’s the first day of school not like there’s homework today. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a caprisun out of the fridge. I will ask that no one judges me for my love of the kiddie juices they’re fucking awesome. I took a seat at the table across from my mom waiting for her to explain why she’s here early. She’s been staring absently at the table since I walked in and I’m quite sure she’s so zoned out that she didn’t even noticed I’m here. After another 2 minutes of waiting for her to snap out of it my impatience got the best of me and I found myself snapping my fingers in front of her face.

  She jumped as if I shook her and finally looked up. There was guilt in her face and that immediately made me worry.

  “Lucy dear, we need to talk.” She didn’t continue so I nodded my head for her to continue. “The shop isn’t doing so well, and I’m going to close it down.” That immediately had me on edge. I wanted to ask her 10 things at once but stopped myself when she held up her hand signaling she wasn’t done. “I’ve also been seeing someone. I’ve never mentioned him… well because I didn’t know where it was leading, but we’re serious. Very serious actually…” she clasped her hands together and shifted her eyes to avoid my gaze. My mouth suddenly went dry and my palms started to sweat. My anxiety was kicking into high gear. That is definitely one of my mom’s tells when she’s either going to lie, feels guilty, or is going to say something I will NOT like. It’s wreaking havoc on me not knowing which one it will be. I lean in closer.

  “Who is this guy?” was all I could force out with all the different things running through my mind.

  “His name is Dean, and well ... we care about each other very much, and I guess I should just get to the point already right.” With a deep sigh her eyes lock back on mine. “We’re engaged and we will be moving into his home with him and his children.”

  Well that is not what I was expecting. I mean I haven’t even met the guy and she’s already finalized were moving? What type of shit is that? I mean I know she could be selfish, but what the hell! I continued hurling insults at her in my head while I just sat there gaping at her pretty sure my mouth is hanging wide open, and then I realized she was still talking.

  “… Meet on Friday. I’m sure his children are as lovely as I’ve heard. So obviously you won’t be in school this week, but it works out since it’s the first week and there really isn’t much going on. You should have more than enough time between now and then yes?”

  The last piece of what I caught that she said finally registered and a sick feeling settled in my stomach. Missing school? Meet Friday? Enough time…? I was almost afraid to ask her to repeat what was supposed to be happening, but I’m a glutton for punishment aren’t I? “I’m sorry mom, but what’s happening Friday? You kind of lost me there.”

  My mother took on a look of complete aggravation as she fixed me with a glare. “Listen Lucy Carmichael, this is not up for debate. You are a big girl and you need to act like it. We will be moving in with Dean this Friday and you will have the opportunity to meet them then. You will pack your stuff and have it ready to go by Thursday night as we will be moving in the morning, and whatever is not ready will be left behind. Am I clear?” she shifted her chair back moving to get up from the table. She grabbed a glass and a bottle of wine and disappeared into the living room. I was stuck glued to the seat in complete disbelief.

  Once I shook myself out of a state of shock, I shook my head and muttered “did that really just fucking happen?” at that I got up from the table and went to my room to get my head together. Talk about a fucking day. I called up Melanie to inform her I will not need a ride and gave her the very condensed version of what was going on. With a few gasps and as I expected ‘what the fucks’ in the right places I told her I will call her back when my brain is once again functioning properly.

  I sat on the edge of my bed thinking of how I can get through to my mom that this whole situation was completely absurd. I mean really?! I ran through the entire conversation in my head three times. It doesn’t even sound like she’s met his kids. How old were they? And I mean I haven’t even met HIM. What if I don’t like him? What if he’s a creep? What if he shit’s with the door open? I mean come on there are certain things that should be considered total fucking rule breakers and I have no idea what type of situation we’re going to be walking into! This is a total nightmare. What if one of his kids is a baby that stays up all night crying? I will be sleeping on the roof; I cherish my sleep too much. It’s the happiest time of the day for me. I dropped back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. This is too much, way too much. When I got to the point of seriously considering running away I bust out my journal. I needed clarity. I’ve taken to writing in my journal or drawing and painting when my friends starting dropping like flies and needed a way to get things off my chest. It’s become too much of a part of me to stop that even though I have Mel, my journal and my art knows me the best. When I was done, I allowed sleep to take me. I fell asleep with a smile on my face because I was pretty sure after my mom sleeps this off she’ll come to her senses and see just how insane this whole idea is.

  It’s Thursday evening, and I’m sitting on my bed cross legged facing Mel.

  “I cannot believe this is really happening! I’ve heard of some insane shit, but this… it takes the cake. You don’t even know where you’re moving to. Why won’t she tell you? What’s the big secret? I mean you are going to be living there in a few hours.” Mel rolls her eyes, clearly frustrated. We’ve been trying to figure out who this man is to try to find… well anything really on him so I’m not walking in completely blind. However, my mom is being so tight lipped about everything (when she’s here) and well I mean I don’t have a lot of people to really get info from, now do I?

  “She’s probably afraid I’ll bomb the place if I knew to prevent us from having to go there.” I muttered only partially joking. I mean the thought did cross my mind.

  My room is mostly packed. There’s only a few things left to go, things I was saving for last minute like toiletries and a few clothes to get me through the remainder of the week. Mel stopped by afterschool to help me pack. However, I informed her I could care less abou
t anything other than what’s mine. She wants to make hasty decisions she can pack shit herself. And from the looks of it, she’s got a hell of a lot to go. I’ll enjoy watching her sweat. Mel stayed by for a few more hours hanging with me and watching movies with ice cream. When she left for home, I turned in. I decided it’ll be best to wake up early and put the last of these things in my final box. All the bigger stuff I’m assuming the movers will be breaking down, because there’s no way in hell I can carry it.

  I woke up at 6:47am the next morning. If there was ever a thing as a horrible night’s sleep… that was it. I hauled ass to the bathroom I’m sure looking like the zombie that I feel like to relieve my bladder. I scan my room trying to decide my next move. The anxiety is building the closer it gets to 9am. It’s finally dawning on me that this is really fucking happening. I’m moving out. Out of the life I’ve always known. I’m moving in. Into a life unknown with complete strangers. Well shit. We live in Lexington. It’s a small town in West Virginia. Our home is located kind of in the center, where it’s considered to be modest or middle class. It’s quiet and I like the fact that yes, it’s a small place but not so small where I run any real chances of running into anyone from school. The rich kind of stayed in their territory, further to the edge of town. My eyes widened as I realized that I didn’t even know if we were moving to another City. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, the last thing I need is to add more stuff for me to worry about.

  It’s 8:15 when I hop out of the shower. I wipe down the fog off the mirror and look at my reflection. My eyes don’t seem to reflect the panic and turmoil rolling through every inch of my body. I’m fortunate not to have bags under my eyes, after last night’s sleep. My hazel eyes look clear. My eyes are a bit slanted and chinky giving me a sort of exotic look. The flush showing on my chest leading to the tops of my size D chest is the only tell that something is up. I plug in the blow dryer to straighten my hair. I never leave my hair done naturally outside the house. My hair has these naturally tight wild curls which is really rare around here, and kind of opens up the question to what my nationality is. Unfortunately I can’t answer that question, well because I don’t know what my dad looks like. I thought back to the last time I’ve worn my hair natural was the second day of school in the 7th grade and Landon decided it would be a good idea to yank a handful of curls. It was game on for him after that, and I’ve always blamed them for his negative attention.