by Doe, Anna B.
Contents
To my readers
Blurb
Author’s Note
Prologue
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 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Playlist
Other books by Anna B. Doe
About the Author
Text copyright © 2019 Anna B. Doe
All Rights Reserved
Copyediting by Emerald Eyes Editing
Cover Design by Najla Qamber Designs
Logo & Graphic Design by Little Miss Tease
Proofreading by Gem’s Precise Proofreads
Formatting by Pink Elephant Designs
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are production of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
“We are made of all those who have built and broken us.”
― Atticus Poetry, Love Her Wild
To my readers.
I’m thankful for every single one of you.
Your love and support mean the world to me, and I wouldn’t be here without you.
This one’s for you!
Senior year.
Three girls. Three guys.
Truth and consequence.
Broken trust and shattered hearts.
Lost innocence and new experiences.
One more year before running away.
One more year to save her.
The countdown begins.
When Maximillian Sanders moved to Greyford, he had three goals: mend the broken relationship with his sister, keep her safe, and get into a division one college, playing hockey. There he meets the girl who breaks his heart and turns his world upside down, and it's her best friend who helps pick up the pieces.
Brook Taylor learned the hard way that in order to survive this ugly world, she needed to live by her own rules. Then she meets Max and for the first time, she’s tempted to break them. He’s off limits, and she has a plan that doesn't include a hot hockey player.
He says he wants her, but she can see the truth in his eyes. She should have just followed her rules and guarded her heart.
Those three little rules were supposed to save her, until she broke them all.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
Welcome back to the world of Greyford High! I’m so happy to share this final standalone romance with you. Writing this book has put me through emotional and mental hell, but I love this story to pieces.
That being said, I wanted to point out a few things before Brook and Max take you on the journey that is Rules. And when I say journey, I really do mean a journey, because saying this book is a love story just doesn’t cut it. Brook and Max, individually and together, are so much more than even I imagined when I first started writing this whole new world. And for you to properly experience it, you’ll need to go back to the beginning.
Originally, I wanted to start Rules where Habits—which is Andrew and Jeanette’s story—left off, but I soon realized if I do it like that, I won’t do them justice, and both Brook and Max deserve their story to be told completely and truthfully, without holding anything back. That’s why Rules is happening parallelly with Habits, and beyond that, taking place over most of the senior year of high school. It was inevitable, since not only are Jeanette and Max siblings, but they’re also twins, thus their histories intertwine completely. That’s why there will be a certain percentage of this book that might sound like something you’ve read. You probably did if you read Habits. Don’t think they take the majority of the book—they most certainly don’t. And even the chapters that are re-told in Brook and/or Max’s POV have their own personal voice that you didn’t get when you read Habits. Every piece of this book was carefully placed in a certain order to bring you on this journey that I hope makes you feel for these two. Their past experiences are what make Brook and Max the people they are, the people you met if you read previous books in the series.
I’d also like to point out that this book in particular deals with some pretty heavy topics, and therefore isn’t appropriate for people younger than 18 years old.
With that being said, I really do hope you enjoy this story.
Love,
Anna
Prologue
BROOK
Looking through the window at the scenery passing by, I feel the familiar sting in my eyes. Hot, broken tears fill my lids, but I don’t let them slide.
Tilting my head back, I blink furiously a few times, determined to keep them at bay.
I haven’t cried in years. Not one single tear. Even when I was at my lowest, I could hold it back. Keeping my emotions in check has become like turning off the light. One flick of a switch, that’s all it took for me to shut down my feelings and shove them away.
Until now.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I close my eyes tight.
Why won’t they stop?
I need them to stop.
I sniffle as one lone tear slides down my cheek. Angry, I brush it away, but it’s no use. The rest soon follow.
Pulling my legs up on the seat, I hug them to my chest. I lean my chin on my knees and finally give in.
I’m tired. So tired of always fighting against invisible demons. Against myself. Tired of always having to be the strong one.
I’m not that strong.
The strength I show to the world is just an illusion. Bravado. It’s a mask I wear to guard myself against the people around me.
I can’t do it anymore. It’s too much.
Some things remain the same no matter where you come from. Like the fact that every story has two sides. And the only one that matters is the one written by victors. Towns are just like stories. Divided in half, and there is only one half that matters. And that half is not mine.
I guess you can already imagine what side I belong to.
I’m the girl from the wrong side of the tracks.
>
I’m the good-for-nothing girl.
White trash.
I’m all that and more.
From an early age, life taught me how to roll with the punches.
How to survive on my own.
Because when you come from where I come from? That’s the only thing you can do.
Survive.
And I’ve gotten good at that. After a while, that is.
Because in the beginning I tried—hoped really—to believe life’s fair.
It’s not.
That you could rise above it.
You can’t.
That people are good and those who are closest to you will love you and protect you above all else.
They won’t.
That fairy tales do exist and everybody will eventually get their happily ever after.
We won’t.
Life’s a cheating son of a bitch, and hope is just an illusion. And sooner or later, the reality will catch up to you and show you just how ugly it really is.
Some people keep holding on to hope that fairy tales are real.
Not me.
Not anymore.
For as long as I can remember, my life was a fucking nightmare. I tried to resist it, I tried to rise above it, but it beat me to the ground. Over and over again. Robbing me of everything I held dear.
Everything that mattered.
And I wasn't naive enough to believe there was actually a way out.
So when my life fell to pieces, I did the only thing I knew how to protect myself. I built the walls, pushing everybody out.
A “Leaving Greyford” sign passes by, and I watch it blend into the background, another sob ripping out of my lungs.
I created the rules, three golden rules to keep me alive.
Three golden rules to survive.
And then… then I broke them all.
And now, I’m paying the price.
Chapter One
BROOK
OCTOBER 31st
“Well that was interesting.” I lean against the wall next to Jeanette standing stoically in her Wonder Woman costume with a water bottle in her hand. Amelia tried to call her to join us on the dance floor on various occasions, but Jeanette was no fun.
“I thought you’d rip him a new one for sure,” she says, not even looking at me, her tone almost as cheery as a heart without a beat.
“What would be the point?” I wave my hand, taking the last sip of my pinktail. “Derek was adamant to make things right, and no matter how much Lia repeats she hates him, we all know she’s lying. She’s hurt, and the last thing I want to see is her suffering more than she already is. Besides, we all know nothing happened.”
A few weeks ago, Lia found her forever crush turned best friend of her bully turned, in the last few months, somewhat of a boyfriend standing basically naked on his front porch kissing another chick. Hurt beyond belief, she ran away, not giving him a chance to explain. Should she have? I’m not the best person to answer that question when it comes to forgiving and forgetting, but what I do know is that Derek is trying. Has been trying since she ran away and closed herself off from everybody.
“Do you think she’ll forgive him?”
I look at the two of them standing chest to chest on the dance floor. The sparks are flying between them as they push and pull, their lips moving rapidly.
“I think she’s ready to listen,” I say with a shrug.
Yes, Amelia is my best friend, but even I don’t know what’s hiding in that thick head of hers. She’s one of those rare people who’s genuinely good. A caring friend, with an innocent, pure soul, understanding and forgiving, but she was hurt badly by what happened.
“I just hope that once she makes her decision, she sticks to it.” My eyes snap to Jeanette’s face, a deep frown between her brows as she looks over my shoulder. “I don’t want to see anybody else get hurt.”
Even though I know I shouldn’t, I can’t help myself. Tilting my head to the side, I glance over my shoulder, my gaze landing on him.
Maximillian Sanders.
Poor little rich boy.
Hotshot hockey player.
Quasi-bad boy.
And Jeanette’s twin brother.
My stomach rolls uncomfortably, making me realize that I drank much more than I’m used to drinking—which is part of the reason why I’m here chatting about random stuff with Jeanette instead of ditching the party or hiding in some dark corner.
Liar.
That’s the story I’m rolling with anyway.
He’s standing in the shadows, his back pressed against the wall, eyes glued to the couple swaying on the dance floor. Even with the distance between us and the dim lights, I notice his hand clenched tightly around the beer bottle he’s holding.
Always trying to be the good guy.
The hero.
I want to barf at the irony. The guy’s a poser if I’ve ever seen one. He’s full of contradictions, the way he looks and the way he acts are so different, it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around him. It’s hard to figure him out. To understand him.
From the moment my eyes landed on him, I couldn’t stand him. That’s not saying much though since I can’t stand a lot of people. I’m simply not a people person. I like my solitude and silence. I’m a quiet observer. Always looking, standing on the sidelines, but never actually participating. And something about him doesn’t sit well with me.
Dressing in all black with his leather jacket, biker boots and black Ducati, you’d think he’s some kind of rebel.
A bad boy.
But as soon as he opens his mouth, contradictions come out. And what he did tonight just proves that.
Maximillian Sanders is just like Lia.
A good guy, a good friend who puts other people first without thinking about himself.
Or just plain stupid because what he did tonight can’t be described otherwise.
You might think I’m harsh, but I’m only realistic. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is that good. That selfless. Including Max.
His jaw clenches. The hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle tightens so hard his knuckles turn white as he brings it to his lips and takes a long pull.
I watch his throat work as he swallows, my mouth going dry as one drop falls on the corner of his lips and starts sliding down, only to be caught by the swift swipe of his tongue.
Forcing my gaze away from him, I turn and look at what he’s watching. Lia and Derek, kissing in the middle of the dance floor like their lives depend on it.
Something ugly wraps around my insides, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I lift the cup to my lips, but there is nothing that could wash away the sourness.
“I’m going to get a refill,” I say over my shoulder, only Jeanette’s not there. She’s already walking toward her brother.
* * *
MAX
“You like her.” My twin’s intent gaze drills into me. Even if we didn’t have this stupid twin connection or whatever you want to call it, she’s so annoying it’s difficult to ignore her.
“I do.” My eyes don’t leave the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the room. Although they should, because looking at her in his arms is a special kind of torture I like to put myself through. If for no other reason than to remind myself that she belongs to him now. She has always belonged to him. “But not the way you think.”
“Right,” she huffs, which is a clear enough giveaway that she doesn’t believe me. And she shouldn’t because I’m full of crap.
I shrug, not saying anything. I don’t really care what she thinks she knows. What anyone thinks they know. The only thing that matters to me is that she’s happy, even if it’s with a guy who’s not me.
Taking a long pull from the beer bottle, I let the buzz spread through my body. Thank God Jeanette volunteered to be our DD for the night because I don’t know if I’d be able to survive it alcohol free.
After all, it’s not every day a guy helps another dude win the girl he likes.
The first time I met Amelia Campbell, it was like I’d met an angel. There was something around her; I don’t know really, but all I could see was light, perfection, and innocence. She was everything good and pure in this world put into one person, and I wanted a part of that for myself. I wanted to touch her, be close to her, protect her.
At first, it was innocent, but the more I got to know her, the more I liked her. And no matter how many times I told myself to forget about her and put distance between us before somebody—mainly me—gets hurt, I just couldn’t do it.
And when Derek messed up, for a split second I entertained the idea of stepping in, but in the end, I couldn’t. Not because I didn’t like her, but because I knew no matter how much she likes me, Amelia still loves Derek.
Even when he’s acting like a jerk. Even when he messed up. Hell, even these past ten years when he let his friend bully her, she still loves him.
So no matter how much it made my insides revolt, I did what was right for Amelia. Even if it meant helping Derek form a plan to tell her the truth of what really happened and get his girl back.