Prologue
Pete
Now, you’re probably wondering what I was doing in a BDSM club, clad in the tightest leather shorts I could find, crying my eyes out and feeling anything but safe.
I was wondering the same thing.
But I wasn’t known to be a quitter, and when it came to love, I apparently didn’t like giving up. So, here I was. All because of him.
Because ofJackson.
Chapter 1
Pete
Two years ago.
“What do you mean you don’t want a party?” Mom asked, looking all confused. We were sitting in the kitchen, eating her homemade apple pie, just the two of us.
I sighed. “Not everyone wants a big party for their sixteenth birthday, Mom.” I wasn’t big on crowds and I felt like I should finally start speaking up about it.
“But what about Mike?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’ll come regardless if we’re having a party or not.” My big brother, Mike, was in college and only visited a few times a year.
She was the one sighing now. “I just wanted one last party before you’re all grown up too.” She still hadn’t gotten used to Mike being gone, and I couldn’t fault her for it, since it had been the three of us since our father left when I turned two. “Maybe I’ll just get a cat or something,” she muttered and stuffed her mouth with pie, truly looking like she was considering it.
“You know I like cats,” I grinned, eating a spoonful myself. My phone dinged and I pulled it out to see a text from my best friend, Dylan.
Dylan: Game?
Me: 5 min
I didn’t want to leave Mom in a rush. She had made the pie for us to enjoy together, and I liked spending time with her. She was usually busy working her ass off, paying for Mike’s college and our house. It wasn’t easy when she was on her own. I was starting work with her in just a month and was so excited to finally train to become a medium. It hadn’t been easy to convince her, since she wanted me to wait until I turned twenty before getting started, but I was too eager to begin. I wasn’t allowed to be a true medium until I turnedeighteen, so I would simply be in training for two years before getting a work partner.
As soon as I’d inhaled the last crumbs, I did the dishes and went to my room. Dylan and I had become obsessed with a new game, which wasn’t anything new. Being the competitive spirit that I was, finding a best friend that was just as competitive was a feat. How we continued to be best friends was a mystery to my mom and our other friends, to us too, to be honest. But winning against Dylan felt better than winning over anyone else, because I knew how much he hated losing—as much as I did. Whenever he won, I was fuming with anger, feeling the need to better myself next time. It was truly a rush.
Sitting down on my bed, I leaned over and turned on my console. I was still glad I’d saved up for it. Dylan and I had so much fun together ever since we both got the newest model. The true genius part was that we always wished for the same games, making it that much easier for us to continue gaming together. I did own two that weren’t multiplayer, but I saved those for when Dylan couldn’t play.
“Hey, Dyl,” I greeted, watching the loading screen as my avatar appeared. I’d gone with a female character this time and added a pink pixie cut.
“Hey,Petey. I really want to defeat the emerald dragon tonight, then we can move on to the main quest after that, okay?”
“Sure. I got good news.”
“What news?”
“Mom is finally letting me work with her.”
“Seriously? Man, that’s amazing!”
“I know! I hope they teach me how to remove them, so we don’t have to deal with those bastards in your house anymore.”
Dylan had seven ghosts in his house, all relatively okay, but two of them were homophobes, which meant I hated them as much as they hated me. And Dylan’s two moms didn’t deserve to live in a house haunted by ghosts who sneered at them. I wasn’t allowed to banish ghosts before I got permission from the Mediums, which was an organization that worked closely with the FBI and police on cases where they could help. Speaking with ghosts came in handy, who knew?
He laughed, “I fucking hope so. I’m tired of waking up to blinking lights in the middle of the night, wondering if it’s because my moms are getting it on or not.” I shivered. Yeah, I wouldn’t care for that either.
“Here’s to hoping.”
