by Leigh Allen
Copyright
Hollow Cove Dreams is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
HOLLOW COVE DREAMS: A NOVEL
Copyright © 2019 by Leigh Allen
All rights reserved.
Editing by KP Editing
Cover design by KP Designs
Published by Kingston Publishing Company
The uploading, scanning, and distribution of this book in any form or by any means—including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions of this work, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Table of Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
Extras
1
Mia
Sometimes I think that everyone’s life is screwed up. But others, are just better at hiding it than I am. It was the middle of my sophomore year, and my life was still one big disaster.
“Move freak,” Gina sneered, as she shoved me against my locker. Her long, blonde hair swayed behind her as she sauntered down the halls of Hollow Cove High, like she owned the place. I guess, in a way, she did.
Of course, the hallway was almost completely empty, but still, she felt the need to move me out of her way so she could have the full space to walk.
I hate Gina.
Ever since my parents died six months ago, I had forced myself out of my private school and away from my friends. Reluctantly moving to this hell-hole, they call public school. My brother Isaac, and now guardian, was afforded my parent's life insurance and decided to keep the business my parents ran, but I had to get out of that private school. Even though he begged me to stay there, reassuring me we could afford it, I just couldn’t. I had to get away from everyone I knew when my life was complete. Now, Isaac worked as the manager and owner of our mom’s coffee shop here in Hollow’s Cove. He had to give up his dream of becoming an attorney to take care of me. Thankfully, he was taking night classes at the community college, and working toward a business degree, but still, his life had changed just as much as mine had.
Only, he seemed to be handling everything better than me.
I went from being the popular and fun-loving teen at my private school, to now the angry new kid who no one liked.
“Shut the hell up, Gina,” Grace yelled, as she made her way to my side.
Well, at least one person liked me.
“Looks like the freak found a friend,” Gina laughed, as her group of followers smiled next to her. Her blue eyes burned into me as she looked at me with disgust.
“What is your problem?” I asked, snaking my hands to my hips.
I could feel my anger rising and if she didn’t get away soon, I wasn’t sure what I would do to her pretty little face.
“My problem is you,” she cackled. “You walk around here wearing only black and look like you are going to shoot up the place,” Gina stated. “Maybe you should just go back from where you came from,” she said, before flipping her long, blond curls over her shoulder and stalking away from me. “You think you are better than us here, but you are not.”
“Give it a rest,” another student yelled to Gina. While Gina made me feel like the whole world was out to get me, at least I had a reality check that let me know it was just Gina and her gang of skanks that hated me. For what reason, I had no clue.
I inhaled a sharp breath and closed my eyes. I was trying to remember the calming techniques Ms. Rhonda, my new school counselor, had taught me. We had weekly sessions and she was helping me get past my urges to hit everyone and everything.
Truth is, I never had anger issues until after my parent's accident. Living a perfect life had given me no reason to hate the world around me. Now, I detested life in general.
Maybe one day I could learn to see the bright side of things. But for now, I was left angry and jaded by a world that allowed two innocent people to be killed at the hands of a drunk driver. A vile human who was able to walk away from the accident without any injuries. The monster, who I had learned through police reports, had a severe alcohol addiction that she had been hiding from her husband for years. She thought it would be ok to drown herself in a bottle of vodka as she made her way to the mall. Little did she know, my unexpecting parents were leaving a date night, the same time she decided to chug down the remainder of her alcohol. It only took one unseen red-light for her to destroy my entire world in a blink of an eye.
My brother Isaac and I had sat in a courtroom filled with a jury who looked at us with pitiful eyes. We watched as this evil human cried and begged for forgiveness from us. Her thin frame and thinning, blond hair made her look even more like the victim she pretended to be. For me though, I saw past her fake tears. I saw a selfish human who only thought of herself. Her friends and family all begged my brother and me to drop the charges. They were more concerned with their friend, than how she had destroyed my family-- my world.
Maybe I should have told the judge to give her a second chance. Maybe I should have told her I forgave her. But I couldn’t. She took away the two most important people in my life and left me cold and dark inside. So, I unleashed my hurt and begged the judge to lock her away forever. She had murdered my family.
It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. But, I was quickly learning nothing in life was ever promised, and it damn sure wasn’t fair.
2
Seth
I’ve always wanted to be part of something. You know, part of something much bigger than myself. But, as life had proven to me time and time again, that just wasn’t in the cards for me. I grew up in a poor area of town, made fun of for not having the designer clothes the jocks and preps wore, and realized at too young of an age, that my asshole of a father didn’t want me.
I had my mom, who worked her ass off to make sure I always had a roof over my head and my brothers who were...there. But still, I never felt like I had a team I was part of. My friends were the closest thing I ever had to build a real relationship with anyone, and I would kill for them. Especially now that I am about to be inducted into the Raven Boy's Clubhouse and motorcycle gang. Now that is a real family. That is something much bigger than myself.
I still remember watching them ride a few years ago. I had gone with my buddy, Brody, and his older brother as he drove behind a hearse carrying a married couple who had been selfishly killed by a drunk driver. I remember seeing their stoic faces as they all lined up, letting the couple's children know they had protectors. Like guardian angels with bikes. It was the first time in my life I had ever been envious of someone. It was the first time I realized there was something bigger than this small town, the shit neighborhood I grew up in, and that I too, could be part of something one day.
****
My brother Alex died about six months ago
. He pissed off the wrong guy at a bar and was knocked onto the hard cement floor of a bar, hit his head, and the rest is history. His wife, Britley, was pregnant, but when she learned her cash cow was gone, she decided she didn’t want the kid anymore. She told my family about the baby at the funeral. She never had a desire to play wife and homemaker, she only married my brother because we both sat on a large inheritance left to us by our late grandfather. Only, jokes on her because my terrible grandmother will never let us see a penny from that money. Rumor was, Britley had gotten her old job back at the local strip club. I definitely didn’t want to imagine my future niece or nephew being raised in a place like that. My grandmother had married for money too, and after our grandfather passed, she turned into the bitter old woman she had been hiding away for years. I guess Alex inherited her genes. For me, I didn’t have anything to do with that side of my family. My dad had left my mom for our step-monster and I hadn’t heard from him since. I guess, when you marry a woman almost young enough to be your own daughter, teenage kids aren’t acceptable anymore.
I wish I could say I cared, but I don’t. I have my mom and a soon to be niece or nephew who I will be raising as my own. Not sure how I am going to do this, but I can’t let Britley give this kid up for adoption. Even though I hated my brother, this kid may be the only good piece of him left and, to be honest, he or she is my flesh and blood. Unlike my ass of a dad and brother, I care about family.
“So, you really have given up on dating?” my best friend, Brody asked, handing me a beer.
Brody Raven was part of the elusive Raven Boy's Clubhouse and a biker gang. More importantly, he loved to race cars and paid me good money to design his emblems and cars.
Nodding yes, I took a swig of the cool liquid.
“Yes, I guess,” I stated with a sigh.
I had to think clearly now. I would never find a woman right now who would be interested in a guy about to raise someone else’s kid. I would just have to wait a few years, and once I got my shit together, then I could think about bringing a woman around. For now, I would save my money and hook up with as many one nights stands as I could, until I got the call that my niece was here. Besides, I was still in high school at Hollow Cove High. I had to find a way to get myself straight so I could take care of someone else.
Shaking his head, Brody just smiled at me. “You are a good man. A complete dumbass and pushover, but a good man, nonetheless,” he stated, patting me on the back.
All I could do was agree.
3
Mia
I could hear the loud music vibrating before we even turned into the Hollow Cove school parking lot. Cars lined the roadway as we searched for a clear spot. I couldn’t believe how many people were at school this early, classes didn’t even start for another forty-five minutes. Since deciding to join the art club, I had found myself getting up earlier than usual to make it on time. My brother, Isaac, had begged me to join something, so this was the best I could give. I didn’t really know what to expect. Anyway, the school had placed me with Grace, a sophomore like myself who had attended the club her freshman year. As much as I hated to admit it, the quirky and loud mouth girl had become my best friend.
“Maybe we should just go back to my brother’s house,” I shouted, as we walked up the stairs to the high school. I kicked a rock out of my way with too much force. I watched as it hit the side of the cement stairs, before ricocheting back to hit me in the shin. This was totally not my scene and every instinct in me screamed to run away. I preferred sleeping in and sitting alone. Being part of a club totally wasn’t part of who I was now, however, my brother had asked me to try and get out of the house more. After our parents passed away last year, I had sort of become a prisoner of my own home. The thought of going out and having fun just didn’t sound right—I felt guilty thinking about it now. So, I was forced to move in with my eighteen-year-old brother who was attending the local college at night and working a full-time job during the day.
“Come on, you big baby, put on your big girl panties and have some fun.” Grace said, as she pulled my arm, dragging me through the door and into the chaos that was my first club meeting.
“Shut up,” I sneered, as I slapped her hand away from my arm. “I am not a baby. I just hate…people, I muttered, as I stopped dead in my tracks.
I knew it was unfair to be so cynical, but after my parents were killed, I had sort of lost my faith in humanity. Unfair or not, it helped me heal. Sort of.
Waving her hands, Grace offered me her best smile. “Mia, you are such a downer. Come on and have a little fun,” she laughed, as she spun around and continued walking.
She was lucky I liked her. Underneath her perky smile and obnoxiously peppy attitude, I had found a cool chick who liked to have fun, was up to listening to all genres of music, and was down to earth. Everything about her I had hated, but after talking to her, I realized she was sort of cool. She liked rock music and didn’t judge others, even if she also looked like the stereotypical popular girl, which she was totally not. I mean, I would hate her if she were. She was loud, abrasive, and way too intrusive, but I loved her anyway. Rolling my eyes, I followed her as we walked into the school.
“I saw that,” Grace laughed again, while walking.
Her short, blonde curls bounced as she ignored my pleas to leave. Her baby blue eyes sparkled against the florescent lights hanging above us. My dragonfly necklace was showing through my shirt and the hallway lights seemed to bounce off the silver from my nose ring. Truth be told, I had gotten the nose ring after my parents died. My brother hated it, but let it go because it was really my only act of defiance after my parent's death. Honestly, he was the only person who truly got me. Well, except for Grace. I had piercings before I turned seventeen. And, I loved to draw and create amazing masterpieces. I was an artist or at least hoped to be one someday.
Rolling my eyes, I tugged on my black leather skirt and adjusted my purple and black tank top. Grace had insisted on dressing me for the day, I guess she was afraid I would embarrass her in something I would normally wear, which was black. All black. But, I refused to allow her to dress me like I was her own personal gothic Barbie Doll or something.
“Fine,” I huffed. “But, I’m staying for an hour, after that, I am leaving.” I folded my arms across my chest in protest. Grace knew me well enough to know I was lying. This was an art class and regardless of how many people showed up, we both knew I would get lost in the colors and shapes on my canvas and forget about anyone else.
Grace only rolled her eyes as she stepped through the doorway. Scanning the art room, I searched for a place to sit where I wouldn’t be the center of attention. The small room was full of students already finding their easels. Finally, I spotted a chair next to a very old looking couch. Strange to see a couch in an art room, but with the new art teacher this year, I had no idea what to expect. Especially, since they were having an art club before school. Who does that?
Shoving my way past a couple of girls standing and talking in the middle of the room, I plopped myself down in front of a blank canvas and claimed it as my own. I began to stare at the white page in front of me. My mind began to flash images, shapes, and colors as I allowed my creative juices to flow. I was so totally locked away in my own head, I didn’t see him walk up beside me. I didn’t even hear him, but I felt him. Something about the atmosphere in the room seemed to shift as I felt him sit down next to me.
“You don’t belong here,” a strong, deep, and husky voice escaped from the stranger, as he stood towering over me like a tree. My head popped up as I felt the voice next to my ear. His breath sent cold chills and something else like a spark, down my spine. I tried to be angry, but something made me more interested in him, by the way he so brazenly walked up to me.
Turning, I found myself face-to-face with a dark-haired, green-eyed guy in my way. His tight jeans and black t-shirt told me he was a little bit dangerous, which led me to believe that he too, didn’t belong here either.
“Excuse me?” I replied, scooting myself farther away from him. I was sure he was going to hit on me, or make fun of me. Great, now I had my perfect excuse to leave.
Leaning in and ignoring the fact that I had just moved away from him, he took me in. “I said, you don’t belong here,” he smirked at me, before scanning the room again. He had a look of disgust on his seemingly perfect face.
My mind was shouting at me to ignore this guy, to block his voice, but instead, I allowed a totally different feeling to take over. I was shocked. How dare this stranger tell me I don’t belong somewhere? If anyone didn’t belong here, it was him. Who did he think he was? Jumping up, I put my hands on my hips and prepared myself to give this jerk a piece of my mind. “I don’t know who you think you are, but it is rude to tell someone they don’t belong.” I was shouting, but no one else seemed to hear me or notice my verbal assault. “I may not be like most of these girls around here, but I can promise you that I am not the girl to mess with,” I sneered, as I looked him dead in the eyes.
Laughing, the guy just stared at me, allowing me to continue my rant. “Why don’t I belong? Am I not pretty enough? Am I not the typical popular girl? Go ahead, tell me why I don’t belong?” I was just begging for him to say something rude, so I’d have a reason to punch him square in his pretty little nose.
Leaning in, he opened his mouth to speak. “I said you don’t belong here because you look uncomfortable. I can tell this is not your scene. Most kids who come to these clubs are here because their parents force them too, or they are part of some clique.” His matter of fact tone caught me off guard. I had just yelled at him, even insulted him. How could he be so calm? My knees began to tremble and I was grateful that I was sitting down, or else I might just collapse right here in front of this dark stranger.
“Oh,” I replied, reaching for the back of the chair. Forgetting his smirk and the fact that he had just kind of insulted me, my anger began to rise again.