Adalyn: Whirlwind (Short Story #10)

See, I told you I would post something at least once a week! I know the week is really over but it doesn't truly start a new week until Monday, right?! Right! Besides, I gave you two posts last week! Anyway, here's a new short story for you guys to enjoy. It's from Adalyn's point of view and if you read Turn It Off you'll know that she mentioned her dad had a history of drug abuse while she was trying to help Peyton with his problem. This is about one of those moments.

Read the short story from last week here: Ronan: It's Always Her (Cont.)

Listen to "Shouldn't Come Back" by Demi Lovato on repeat while reading for the full experience: 

Adalyn: Whirlwind 

                They’re arguing again. I love my dad but I think he’s lost his mind. I know any moment now my brother will come into the room to have someone to escape the madness with. This is an ongoing thing now. He’s always had a history with drug abuse but it seems the addiction is back and all I want is for him to go away. He doesn’t understand the pain he causes when he lets his demon get the best of him. He’s not the same person. 

                My father’s a very successful business man. He owns a chain of “do it yourself” hardware stores across the country. He’s won many awards for his achievements yet he’s a drug addict. No one ever thinks an addict can look as clean cut and intelligent as he is but then again most people don’t know the truth. They only go by what they see in the media and on TV. He’s not the poster child for drug abuse when it comes to looks but his behavior…

                It hurts so much. My mom tries so hard to keep the family together and pretend that it’s all normal but both Mike and I knew. We can hear them through the thin walls. We’ve seen the evidence around the house. The thing about drug addicts is they get sloppy. They can hide it for a while but soon nothing else matters to them but their drugs. It’s the same thing that started to happen to Peyton. It’s how I knew before anyone else. 

                Speaking of Peyton, I wish I could talk to him about it but he’s busy trying to get himself clean in rehab. I can’t tell him that my dad fell off the wagon again while he’s trying so hard to get on. It’s almost like I can’t win. No one else knows about my dad’s problem outside of the family except for Peyton. He’s not only my boyfriend but my best friend. I’ve never felt so alone before. 

                My brother knocks on my door before I yell for him to come in. I already knew who it was. He closes the door behind him and sits on my bed. 

                “They’re going at it again,” he says staring down at the floor.

                “What happened this time?” I ask sitting next to him.

                “Mom found a needle on the floor in the bathroom.” He looked so disgusted when he said it. I felt the same way on the inside. 

                “Oh. I figured it was something like that when mom yelled something about rehab.”

                “Adalyn, is it ever going to get better? Will he ever just quit or is this just going to be a sick cycle?” he asks finally looking up at me.

                I remained quiet for a while before answering. “I don’t know. I hope he just quits and be done with it for good.” I pause before saying what I really wanted. “Sometimes I think we’d be better off without him.”

                Mike looks at me like he wants to disagree but I know he can’t. “I know what you mean,” he says quietly. “But he’s our dad so we have to find a way to help him. I don’t want to lose him to this.”

                “We just might though…”

                I couldn’t be optimistic about anything. My boyfriend was in rehab for the summer while my dad should be in a rehab. Why is this my life at 15? Why is this my brother’s life at 14? We’re too young for these kinds of problems. It’s slowly ruining us. My father is ruining us. That pains me. 

                Maybe he should go away for a while…and maybe he shouldn’t come back. Him being here is just a whirlwind of chaos.

Don't forget to pick up your copy of Turn It Off and the rest of the series here: A Tragic Heart Series

               

 

Ronan: It's Always Her... (Continued)(Short Story #9)

It's been since October that I've written a short story (remember those?!). I missed writing short stories on my characters from the A Tragic Heart series. I believe this series will always be my favorite and the characters will always be the most real to me which is why I write little blurbs about them...so I never have to let them go.

As promised, this one is a continuation to the last one and it's from Ronan's point of view. Clearly it would belong with the second novel, RED and jumps eight years into the future (from where RED left off). You can check out the first part to the story here: Ronan: It's Always Her...

Listen to "Close To You" by Rihanna on repeat while reading to get the full experience:

Ronan: It’s Always Her (Continued)

                There she was. Sitting across from me in an expensive restaurant in Los Angeles just talking away. She had a smile painted across her face as she spoke and her red hair was now dyed blonde; a new look is what she called it. She looked beautiful…even more beautiful than I could remember. Adulthood looked good on her and it was clear that she was far from that high school girl who broke my heart way back when. 

                She went on about her idea for the photoshoot she wanted to collaborate with me on. For the most part it sounded like a good idea but I couldn’t really tell you because I wasn’t listening much. I just kept thinking about how she was the most beautiful girl in the room…in the world. Just a few days ago I was with a gorgeous model in my bedroom and now here I am with my high school lover and thinking about just how unattractive that model was compared to her. She has no idea. 

                “Enough about work,” I interrupted her as I reached across the table and grabbed her hands. Her nails were painted black and her skin was smooth. “How have you been, Peyton?”

                She gave me a smirk before answering, it was almost a blush. “I’ve been great, actually. I’m in a really good place and things just keep getting better. I never thought I’d say that but…here I am,” she replied.

                “That’s good. You seem really happy,” I responded with a little disappointment in my tone. I was happy that she was happy but there was a part of me that wanted her to confess that she missed me. I wanted her to say that she still needed me even though we’ve been apart for eight years. 

                “Before coming here I got to spend time with Mason and the rest of the family. The kids are getting so big…they’re not even kids anymore. Can you believe that?!” she asked. “Lila’s going to be starting college soon!”

                Lila’s her baby cousin. Mason is her dad’s first cousin who took her in after both her parents died while she was still a baby. For her, his kids are basically her little sister and brothers. 

                “That’s crazy. Time really does fly. Who would’ve thought we’d be here? A lot has happened,” I said taking on a slightly tighter grip onto her hands. 

                “It really has. I can’t even keep up anymore,” she basically mumbled. 

                Before I could say another word the waiter came and interrupted us asking if we were ready to order. She wasn’t sure what she wanted so I ordered for the both of us. I told her not to worry she’ll love it and she responded with a “you always knew me so well.” 

                We talked more over dinner, mostly about work and how I would make her vision come to life. She loved my input and told me this is why I’m her go to person for things like this. We make a great team. If only she knew what that truly means to me. It’s crazy how she was the one to hurt me so I let her go but I’m the one longing for her again. Most people will say I’m insane but they’re obviously the ones who never met Peyton Hayley Giordano. 

                She suggested we go back to my condo where I have an in house studio. She wanted to get a visual of how things will be set up. Of course I wouldn’t object to it. She’s always welcomed in my home. Aside from being my ex she’s also one of my oldest friends. Nothing will ever change that. 

                We walked inside together and I offered her a drink. She declined. All she wanted was for me to show her to the studio so I did. 

                “I have an idea,” she announced. 

                I lifted my head to look at her, letting her know she had my attention. “What is it?” I asked. 

                “Let’s do things a little differently. I want a photoshoot tonight. Just on a whim kind of thing. All natural,” she replied.

                “Okay. Let me get my camera set up,” I said about to walk out of the room before she stopped me.

                “Here’s the catch!” she said staring at me biting her bottom lip. 

                “Go on,” I urged curiously.

                “I want to be nude. Nothing covered. All natural, like I said. No retouches, nothing but my natural self.”

                I was speechless. “Peyton-“

                “I wanted a shoot like this for a while and I could’ve asked anyone but I wanted you to do it. I mean, who better than you? You’ve already seen the package.”

                “That was years ago,” I replied. “It’s different now.”

                “Are you seeing someone?” she asked.

                “No. Not really,” I responded quickly.

                “Then what’s the problem?”

                The problem was I was still in love with her and seeing her that naked will definitely send me over the edge. I couldn’t tell her that though.

                “I’ll go get my camera.”

                When I came back she started to undress slowly. I watched her take off every piece of clothing and I wanted to forget about the photoshoot. I just wanted her. 

                “Ready?” I asked not able to take my eyes off of her.

                “As ready as I can be,” she said pushing her newly blonde hair out of her face. 

                We took shots on the bed, the shower, my balcony…almost everywhere. Not once did she feel uncomfortable. The photos came out beautiful. She was just about to start putting her clothes back on when I said something to get her attention.

                “What if I didn’t want you to put those back on just yet?” I asked boldly.

                She stopped and stared for a bit so I walked closer to her. She didn’t make a move. She seemed shocked. 

                “Roe, what are you saying?” she asked as I ran my fingers up and down her arm. I always loved the softness of her skin. 

                “I’m saying that I still have feelings for you and I can’t let you leave me tonight…not like this.”

                “Roe-I don’t think-“

                I cut her off with a kiss. She pulled back but before she could interrupt I kissed her again. This time she let it happen. She let her panties drop out of her hands and wrapped her arms around my waist. I guess this was happening on my balcony in the middle of the night. Let’s just hope paparazzi didn’t follow us here…

Don't forget to pick up your copy of RED and the rest of the series here: A Tragic Heart Series

 

 

Peyton Hayley: No Need to Catch Me (I'm Not Falling)-Short Story

It's been a while since I wrote a short story based on the characters from my book series (RED Tragedies aka A Tragic Heart series) but tonight I'm giving you another short story. This one is from the POV of Peyton Hayley (Peyton and Taylor's daughter). If it were to fit into a book it would be part of RED (Book 2). It's a short scene between her, Alex and Jackson.

Listen to "Throwing Punches" by Paramore on repeat while reading:

Peyton Hayley: No Need to Catch Me (I’m Not Falling)

            I lie across Alex’s bed stuffing strawberries into my mouth as we talked about nothing important. I was in one of his t-shirts that met just at my thighs and his hand rested just above my knee. It’s hard to pay attention to anything he’s saying because I can only think about how much I’ve missed him. We were forced to stay away from each other by almost everyone. My uncle, Jackson, forbid us to be together mostly because I was 17 and he was 25 and he claims he knows Alex better than I ever would; but I know that’s not true. They may have been close friends but Alex has shown me parts of him that no one else was ever able to see. Now that I’m 18, there’s nothing stopping us from being together. 

             I stop him in the middle of his sentence with a kiss. He responds just as I want him to and before I know it the strawberries I was eating were scattered on the floor while he was on top of me. It didn’t get too out of hand, mostly because it never got the chance to. We were interrupted by the doorbell. 

            “Ignore it,” I urge pulling him into another kiss. He obeys and we’re both acting as if we’re afraid to part.

            The way Alex and I started wasn’t exactly applauded. I was underage and he was a major rockstar. I had a faithful and charming boyfriend and he was a good friend of my very famous uncle. We were a recipe for disaster. So many things were sacrificed for us to be together but the only thing that matters is that we are together. Age was never an issue for either of us. Since that kiss in his car when I was 16, I knew somewhere deep down we would be together along the road. It was only a matter of time and growing up. We vowed to wait until I was 18 to go any further but that didn’t happen…we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other and I’m glad we didn’t. Everything had to fall apart so they can fall together.

            “I’m so glad I have you,” he whispered in my ear before lightly tugging on my earlobes. I giggled before kissing him on his neck. I was just about to kiss his lips again until the doorbell rang once more.

            He looked me in the eyes and told me not to lose the feeling because he’d be right back. I roll my eyes as he gets up and walks out of the room. 

            “Might as well clean up these strawberries,” I say to myself as I begin picking them up one by one. No one’s ever “right back” once they answer the door. 

            After I clean up the mess we made I realize that things were taking a little longer than they should have. I gave it a few more minutes before I decided to walk down the stairs to see who it was. It was 10pm and unusual for it to be one of Alex’s bandmates. They always call before they just show up. 

            “Hey, Al! Who is it?” I ask before I fully make it down the stairs. I stop in my tracks when I see Jackson standing there. He hates Alex, why would he be here?

            “Jack?!”

            “Peyton…of course you’re here with him.” Jackson turns away and laughs to himself for a second before speaking up again. “You know what, this was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come by.”

            “Why did you?” I ask folding my arms across my chest. Jackson has always been one of my favorite people. We were so close it was hard to believe we were niece and uncle. He’s the coolest uncle anyone could ever have. He was more like a big brother or best friend. We fell apart once Alex and I got together. 

            “I wanted to make amends with Alex. We’ve been friends for some time and I don’t want us to be enemies anymore but I just got a reminder on why we are. You could’ve at least put on clothes before coming down to see who it is.”

            “I didn’t know it was anyone worth putting on clothes for,” I shot back. 

            “Woah! Guys come on. Let’s not,” Alex interrupts. “I would like for all of us to get along. Jack and Peyton you guys are family…act like it…and Jack I’m sorry. Look, I know she’s your niece and you helped raise her but I’m in love with her.” He looks at me and I have no expression. I never heard him admit it out loud. 

            “Alex, you love yourself,” Jackson replies as if he was correcting him.

            “You may not believe me yet but it’s different with her. She’s young, I know that but…what we have is good and you’re going to have to accept that sooner or later.”

            “Don’t fucking tell me what I have to accept,” Jack raises his voice and steps a little too close to Alex. The last time they were this close, Jackson left Alex with a bloody nose.

            I rushed between the both of them just to insure Jackson wouldn’t throw any punches. I don’t want a repeat of last time. 

            “Jack, you should go. There’s no need for you to be here,” I say staring him in his eyes. It’s a cold stare. Never would I have thought Jackson would be my enemy. 

            “Peyton, you’re making a huge mistake. Just come back with me and things can be a lot different,” he pleaded.

            “I don’t want things to be different. I want Alex and if you can’t accept that then you have no reason to be here…or in my life.” I could tell it broke his heart, hearing me say such harsh words but if he truly wanted to make amends, he would know he’d have to accept this.

            “Okay. I got it. I hope you two are happy,” he says before walking away towards the door. Before he left he turned around and said, “Peyton, I may not be there for you when you need me because trust me, you’re going to need me.”

            For some reason his words struck me hard…almost hard enough to knock me over. Alex gently touched my shoulders and kissed my neck. I wanted it to relax me but all it did was send a chill down my spine. Alex and I will be okay…Jack will see just like everyone else will…

Don't forget to pick up your copy of RED and the rest of the series here: http://www.amazon.com/S.-Elle-Cameron/e/B00FNI34X4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1