ChapterOne
OLIVIA
I get off the bus. The wind blows my hair around my face as the heavy rain pours down. It’s a harsh welcome to Darlinton; part of me wants to turn around and get back onto the bus.
Back to Newhope, where everything is familiar. Back to my family, where my Mom and I can veg out in front of Netflix, eat our favorite ice cream and laugh until our sides hurt. Back to my room, with all my stuff around me, my books on the shelves, my clothes organized and smelling of Mom’s lily laundry liquid and my slippers on the floor.
Except I can’t go back. Because I’ll put my family in danger. I’m in Darlinton now and I need to be responsible for making sure no one gets hurt. I feel guilty for even being here, but I have nowhere else to go, and my brother Kade insisted I come to stay with him. I’ve got no money and no job, two things I intend to get on top of as soon as possible. But first I have to survive this cold wind and get to my brother’s house.
I trudge up the sidewalk, wincing as the freezing wind blows part of my rain hood down. I’m sure it’s also cold in Newhope, but the wind here has an extra chill. Or maybe I'm extra sensitive because of my blue mood. I grab my cell from my coat pocket so I can check Kade’s address and stand under an awning outside a shop to escape the rain.
Great. I’ve walked in a circle. I swipe my fingers across the screen to look at the map again and it goes dark.
Shit. The battery’s dead.
Part of me wants to throw the phone in the street and the other part wants to cry. My backpack is so heavy I have to take it off for a second. I shift the weight to one side, so I can extract my arm, and the sudden shift makes me lose my balance for a second. I topple over and manage to get one knee underneath me, soaking my jeans in the splash from the lurking puddle.
I’m not sure if I can get up, so I take a deep breath and pause.
“Hey, are you okay?” A deep male voice comes from what seems like miles above my head.
I could say yes, but I’ve always been too honest for my own good.
“No. I can’t get up.” I don’t dare move my head in case it shifts the enormous backpack to the side any further and I go over completely.
“Let me give you a hand.” The owner of the voice sounds a little amused. I’m glad someone thinks this is funny.
A huge hand appears under my nose and at the same time the weight of the backpack is lifted from my back. I grab onto the hand and I’m suddenly on my feet again, looking into a pair of quizzical blue eyes.
I know those eyes, but I’m not sure where from. I’m still grasping this huge guy’s hand as I stare up at him. He’s at least a foot taller than me, with big shoulders and muscles everywhere. Unlike me, he’s dressed for this cold weather. He makes his khaki parka and jeans look good.
Reallygood.
He’s staring back at me with a line between his eyebrows. He’s Kade’s age, ten years or so older than me, with a sprinkling of silver in his brown hair.
Kade. This gorgeous guy has something to do with him, I’m sure. He clears his throat. “That’s a big backpack. Are you moving house or going camping?”
I smile. “I’m running away from home.”Too honest, Olivia. “I mean, I’m joking. I’m staying here for a while. Could you give me some directions, my phone’s died?”
“Sure.” He smiles back and looks expectantly at me.
This is the part where I need to stop gawping at him and ask him a coherent question. “Uh…my brother lives on Taden Road. How do I get there?”
“Do you know if it’s the apartments or the houses on Taden?” He gazes down at me. He’s still holding on to my backpack as if he’s worried I’m going to slip over again.
“It’s the apartments. I think it’s number six, but I can’t check with my cell out of juice.”
Cute guy stares at me. “Number six? Kade Brook’s apartment?”
“You know Kade? He’s my brother.” I stare at him. “Oh my god. It’s Aron, isn’t it? I haven’t seen you in ten years since I moved in with Mom. I’m Olivia.”
“Wow, Olivia! Last time I saw you, you had braids and were obsessed withBarbie’s Dreamhouse.” He laughs.
“Don’t knockBarbie’s Dreamhouse. It gave me some useful life skills. I didn’t recognize you without the beard and the hair.” I survey Aron again. With or without a beard, he’s an incredibly handsome guy. The Langstone brothers were famous back in our part of Arizona for their cuteness, not that I cared about that at the age of ten.
“Yeah, I leave the beard to Cole. He’s got that whole burly bear thing going on. Good thing his wife is into it! Okay, so I’ll walk you over. I’ll text Kade and let him know we’re on our way. It’s not far but this backpack is going to slow you down.” He doesn’t wait for me to say yes, extricating my arms from the straps and hoisting it onto his broad shoulders in one easy movement.
I stare at him. I guess I can’t tell him I’ll handle it myself. Attempting to wrestle back some kind of control, I walk off into the rain. It’s lighter than before, just a drizzle now.
