Never Giving Up (The Never Series Book 2)

by Kristin MacQueen

  Mom ran off a few months ago with a new boyfriend. Dad’s understandably hurt, wallowing in his own misery. He’s working longer hours, claiming to need extra money for bills but I think it hurts less to immerse himself in work. Macy’s a splitting image of mom, where I look more like dad. He loves his little girl, but it’s hard for him to see her every day and be reminded of mom walking out on him. I’d rather him work than be home anyway, it’s better for all of us.

  Mom didn’t want me or Macy to go with her. She doesn’t want to be strapped down with kids anymore. Her words not mine. It hurt like hell when she left, like my beating heart was ripped out of my chest and stomped on. I’ll never understand how a parent can walk away from their children without a second thought.

  I didn’t tell anyone about mom leaving us. Not even Noah. I don’t want them to pity me, I can handle all of this by myself.

  “I'm home.” Macy calls from the front door.

  “In the kitchen.” I holler back.

  I flip and stir the things in the pan, adding some seasoning then letting it simmer. Macy bounces into the kitchen, her ponytail’s falling out, her hair’s a mess.

  “Woah, girl. Go get changed and bring me a brush. We need to fix this pony before your coach yells at you.”

  “Ok! What’s for dinner?”

  “I'm making chicken fajitas.”

  “Yes! That’s my favorite.”

  “I know, that’s why I'm making it.”

  “You’re the best brother ever!” She runs over, throwing her arms around my waist and squeezing me tight. “Thank you for not leaving me, Liam.”

  My heart breaks for her. No eight-year-old should ever feel like the people they love are going to leave them. I squat down in front of her, take her tiny hands in my own, staring into her big green eyes.

  “Baby girl, I will never leave you. You’re the most important person in the world to me.”

  “What about when you go to college next year? You’re gonna leave me, Liam.” Her eyes well with tears I'm not prepared to deal with.

  “I'm working on it, sweetie.”

  “I don’t want to stay here if you’re not here. I can't live with him.”

  My chest aches with her words. She’s not wrong, there’s no way she can stay here with dad. I can't protect her from college.

  “Look at me, Macy.” I wait until her eyes lock with mine. “I promise you; I’ll figure out something. I won't leave you here.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. I’ll always keep you safe.”

  She throws her arms around me again, holding onto me like she can't live without me. She shouldn’t be going through these things at her age, at any age really. A little girl like Macy deserves to be loved and cherished, not screamed and yelled at.

  “Alright, girly, go get dressed for cheer then we can eat.”

  “Competition, game or practice?”

  “Competition.”

  “Ok. Be right back!”

  She rushes out of the kitchen. I turn back to my homework; I need to get straight A’s if I want to get the scholarships I applied for. That’s the only hope of taking Macy with me. I can't afford tuition, off campus housing and a kid, it would never work. But I meant what I said, I won't leave her behind.

  We eat quickly, just like we do every night. I pull Macy’s hair into a high pony, making sure it’s as smooth as possible. We have to leave early to get to practice, mom took my car when she left. Now we have to walk everywhere. I can deal with that, but it isn't fair to Macy. I’ve asked dad for a new car, especially if I have to play the loving parent role for Macy, that earned me a black eye.

  We walk hand in hand back to the high school. When we get to the gym they use for practice, I squat down in front of her.

  “I'm gonna go to the library and work on my homework. I’ll meet you back here, don’t leave this room without me.”

  “You promise you’ll be back?”

  “I swear I’ll never leave you, Macy.”

  She throws her arms around me. She’s so much more affectionate towards me the past month. I can only imagine how her little brain is processing everything. Mom leaves, basically saying she doesn’t want you. Dad throws himself into working and drinking. He comes home and the littlest thing will set him off, earning me new bruises weekly. I do everything in my power to protect her, I always will.

  Chapter Four

  Miranda

  I RUN INTO THE GYM with seconds to spare. I didn’t expect to drive Liam home or the tears he caused. I had to reapply my makeup to hide the red rings around my eyes.

  “Miranda, thank you for helping me. I know these girls will love to have help from such an amazing cheerleader. I’ll never understand why you didn’t want the captain position.” Miss. Saunders shakes her head, a small smile on her lips.

  “I told ya, I'm there to watch the sexy football players, not lead the team.”

  “You can spout bullshit all day, Miranda, but I see through you. You want people to think you don’t have a care in the world, but you do. A piece of advice, let some people behind the walls you’ve built. Just a few.”

  She walks away, not waiting for me to respond. What the hell was that?

  She blows her whistle, all the girls on the peewee team rush over to her. They’re so excited to cheer, it’s adorable.

  The girls are split up into their stunt groups. Each group gets a coach or high school cheerleader to work with. I smile at my four cheerleaders. Three of them are super happy, the fourth is upset but trying to fake the happiness of those around her. I spot her pain only because I know that kind of pain.

  “Alright, London, Macy, Ella and Mackenzie. My name’s Miranda, I'm a cheerleader on the varsity team at the high school. I love being a cheerleader and I'm so excited to help you all with your stunts. I want to start off with you all showing me what you can do. Let me see your tumbling abilities... You first.”

  I point to one of the peppy girls. She does a handstand, cartwheel, double back flip and a round off. That’s impressive for a girl her age. I couldn’t tumble at all at her age.

  “Great job! London... Ella, you go next.”

  I call each of the peppy girls, once they show me what they can do, I asked them to wait on the far side of the room.

  “Hey, Macy.” I say softly.

  “Hi.” She’s shy, uncomfortable with the one on one conversation.

  “There’s no reason to be scared, sweetie. I couldn’t do any of this when I was your age. I always fell flat on my face or butt. But I kept trying.” I assume she’s worried about not being as good as the rest of the girls.

  “I'm not worried about tumbling. I can do everything they can do.” Her voice gains confidence as she puts me in my place. I can't help but smile at her. She reminds me of myself.

  “Oh, well then why do you seem upset, sweetie.”

  “Uh, um... I'm not upset.” She wrings her hands uncomfortably.

  “You know you can tell me anything, right? And I'm sworn to secrecy because we’re both cheerleaders.”

  “Really?” Her eyes widen, she looks like a doe in headlights, absolutely adorable.

  “Really. We’re gonna be like besties. We can tell each other all of our secrets. Wanna know one of mine?” She nods eagerly. “I'm always scared before every football game. I'm afraid I'm gonna mess up.”

  “No way!”

  “Yes way! I'm a total scaredy cat. Wanna tell me what’s making you sad.”

  “I don’t want my brother to leave me.”

  “Why would he leave you?” My brows furrow together. She’s really upset about this.

  “Because he’s going to college next year. My mommy left me and now he will too.”

  “Where’d your mommy go?” I'm not sure if she died or if the woman just packed up and left.

  “She moved with her new boyfriend. Daddy’s really mean now. My brother protects me though. I want to go with him.”

  “Aww, I'm sorry, sweetie.” I wr
ap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. My heart aches for this little girl. She doesn’t deserve this. I understand all too well what it feels like to have no one want you.

  My parents couldn’t give a shit less about me. They were ecstatic when I asked to move hundreds of miles away to live with Frankie. They didn’t tell me goodbye, weren’t even home when I left. They hired movers and told me they’d put a monthly allowance into my account so I could support myself and not have to relying on Mrs. Valdo for everything.

  Mrs. Valdo is the mom I always wanted. She loves Frankie with her entire being. She’s involved and always asking questions or handing out advice. I love living with them. She refuses to take any money from me, told me to save it all for college. She’s the type of mom I hope to be one day.

  “Tell you what, I'm going to give you my cell phone number and any time you want to talk, you call me. Maybe we can even go get manicures together.”

  “I always wanted a big sister!”

  “And I always wanted a little sister! You can be my little bestie. Now let’s see your skills, girly.”

  Macy wasn’t lying. She can do everything the others could do, only better. She can do every single flip I can do and more. I'm more than impressed with her skills. We work our way through the routine, I'm shocked at how quickly Macy is picking up the moves, she’s an absolute natural.

  Practice ends all too quickly. I can't wait for the next one so I can work with my girls again. Parents show up to pick up their girls. One by one they leave; soon only Macy’s left. She’s uncomfortable and upset.

  “Sweetie, who’s picking you up?”

  “My brother. He said he was going to the library to study.”

  “The one in the school?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alright. He probably didn’t realize what time it was. How about I walk with you down there and we find him.”

  “You’d do that?”

  “Of course! You’re my little bestie, remember!” We walk over to Miss. Saunders; I have to let her know what’s going on. “Miss. Saunders, Macy’s brother is in the library, I'm going to walk her down there.”

  “Thanks, Miranda. I have to get home, are you alright if I leave?”

  “Yeah, no problem.”

  Macy grabs my hand, holding it the entire way to the library. We talk about cheer and how awesome the competition is going to be. I stay away from heavy topics like family. I don’t want to talk about it and I'm sure she doesn’t either.

  I scan the library when we walk in, I only find one person in here.

  His head is down on the table. I'm pretty sure he’s sound asleep. What a great brother.

  His golden-brown locks are sticking out in curls from under his ball cap. He’s cute, boy next door type. He must play a sport; he’s covered in muscle I’ve only noticed athletes in this school have. I wonder what he plays.

  I march over to his side, tapping him firmly on the shoulder. He startles, jumping in his seat. His eyes widen when his gaze lands on Macy. My own eyes widen but for a different reason.

  “Oh my gosh, Macy, what time is it?”

  “Practice was over and you weren’t there.” She’s close to crying, which only breaks my heart even more.

  I stare at the man in front of me. I can't believe Liam is Macy’s brother.

  “I told you to stay in the gym.” He says softly.

  “Practice was over twenty minutes ago, Liam.” I sigh. I'm out of patience with him today.

  His eyes snap to mine, widening when he realizes it’s me.

  “What are you doing here? Why are you with my sister?” His voice hardens slightly from the soft tone he used with Macy. I should expect that, which is why the pain in my chest confuses me.

  “I’m helping the peewee squad. I'm Macy’s stunt group’s coach.”

  “Of course you are.”

  “She’s my big bestie!” Macy jumps, clapping her hands in excitement.

  Liam raises a brow at me, I smile down at Macy. I love this girl.

  “She’s my little bestie.”

  “Great, just what I need.” He grumbles under his breath. “I'm sorry, Macy. I didn’t leave you; I just fell asleep while studying.”

  “It’s ok. Can we go home now?”

  “Sure, girly. Do you have all your stuff?”

  “Yup. Can you carry me home? I'm really tired.”

  “Definitely.” He stands, throwing his schoolbag over his shoulder, then picks her up like she weighs nothing. I'm sure her weight is nothing when you have as many muscles as he does.

  “You’re walking home?” I ask stupidly.

  “Yup. Mommy took Liam’s car when she left.”

  Liam’s eyes slam shut, he sucks in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He’s clenching his jaw so tightly I can see the muscle jumping under the tension.

  “Macy, we don’t talk about that.”

  “It’s ok, Liam. Miranda’s sworn to secrecy because we’re both cheerleaders.”

  “Did you tell her that?”

  I shrug, what else am I supposed to say? I didn’t tell her that because she’s Liam’s sister. I had no clue who she was until we walked into the library.

  “Yes. I didn’t know she was your sister, Liam.”

  “Leave us alone, Miranda.”

  “Liam, stop... Macy, can I talk to your brother for a minute? You can play a game on my phone while you wait.”

  I hand over my phone, showing her where all the games are. I grab Liam’s arm and practically drag him across the library.

  “What the hell is your problem?”

  “You! You’re my problem.”

  “What did I do?”

  “Why can't you stay out of my business? Since you couldn’t get information out of me, you go after my sister?”

  “Dammit, Liam! I didn’t know she was your sister until I woke you up.”

  “I want you to stay away from her.” He growls.

  “What! Why?”

  “Because I don’t want you involved in our lives.”

  “What are you so afraid of? That I might get to know you?”

  “I don’t want your pity, Miranda.”

  “Why would I pity you?”

  “Because our mom walked out on us and our dad doesn’t give a shit about us. I'm taking care of her all by myself. I don’t want pity or sympathy. I just want to get through the rest of this year so I can figure out how to get custody of her.”

  His chest rises and falls rapidly. His anger is palpable and I can't blame him. I have the same type of anger and hatred towards my own parents. Liam and I are a lot more alike than he thinks.

  “I don’t pity you.”

  “Oh, please. Of course you do. I don’t need anyone’s help; I can do this all by myself.”

  “I'm only offering friendship, Liam. I'm not trying to bulldoze into your life and take over. I just want to be a friend you can talk to.”

  “I have one.”

  “Yeah, so do I. But, guess what? Both of our friends are so wrapped up in each other they barely pay attention to the world around them. It gets a little lonely. We’re more alike than you’d think.”

  “Why can't you just let it go?”

  “It’s not who I am. I'm never giving up on you, Liam.”

  “Even if I don’t want you around?”

  “Nope! I'm resilient, I don’t really care what you want. That little girl,” I toss a thumb over my shoulder at Macy. “She needs people who care about her. She’s terrified next year you’re gonna leave her. I want to be there for her.”

  “Why?” His voice is barely a whisper.

  “Because, when my brother left for college, I was lost without him. I understand her.”

  “But why do you want to be there for her? You don’t know her.”

  “I don’t need to know her to know I want to help her. She’s a total sweetheart. She deserves the perfect life, so do you. If I can help even a little bit to make your lives better, why not let me?”r />
  He stares over at Macy. His mind is working a mile a minute, trying to figure out what his next move should be. When his eyes find mine again, I'm overwhelmed by the emotion flooding them.

  “You can't hurt her.”

  “I’d never hurt her, Liam.”

  “This doesn’t make us friends.”

  “That’s fine, but this does make Macy and I friends.”

  “You can have a trial period with her. If you’re a pain in the ass I get to kick you to the curb.”

  “Deal. Now, let me drive you guys home. She’s exhausted from all her hard work tonight.”

  Chapter Five

  Liam

  “THIS STILL DOESN’T mean we’re friends, you know that, right?” I scrub a hand down my face. I don’t want her help but she’s right. Macy shouldn’t have to walk home when she’s this exhausted. She’s about to fall asleep on the table.

  “Oh, how could I forget? You only remind me every single time we talk.” Anger fills her voice, surprising me.

  Why is she mad? I’ve hated her since the second we met, why’s she suddenly upset about this? Wait... are those tears filling her eyes?

  “Miranda...” My voice softens, I wasn’t trying to upset her. I reach a hand towards her, she dodges it, taking a few steps away.

  “Don’t worry, Liam. There will be absolutely no confusion on where we stand with each other from now on.”

  She spins on her heels, stomping away. Her steps soften when she gets closer to Macy, a smile spreads across her face. She squats down next to my baby sister, brushing some lose hair out of her face as she says something I can't hear. Macy’s face lights up like she just heard the most amazing thing.

  “Liam! Miranda’s gonna take us home!”

  “I know, pickle.”

  “What did you just call her?” Miranda’s gaze snaps to mine.

  A genuine smile spreads across my face before I can stop it. It’s an odd nickname but Macy loves it.

  “Pickle.” I shrug like it’s no big deal.

  “Why the hell do you call your sister pickle?”