by Bella Jewel
God, does she know it.
I glance at her perfectly manicured nails as she crosses her arms, making her breasts jut out. Yep, definitely fake.
“What, dare I ask, brings you back to town after all the trouble you caused five years ago? We didn’t even know if you were still alive, if I’m being honest. Not that we cared. Life is better without you here. Why are you back?”
Wow, straight in with the knife. She doesn’t hold back.
“I am here to help Magnolia.”
“Magnolia is fine, she doesn’t need you putting your nose in her business all the time.”
God. She really hasn’t changed.
“Thank you, really, for the incredible welcome home, but I have things to do. If you’ll excuse me ...”
I turn toward the shop and start walking.
“Alarick isn’t going to want to see you,” she calls out behind me.
Oh.
I have no doubt.
But I have to see him.
Because I need his help.
As much as it pains me to admit.
This isn’t going to go well.
Here goes nothing.
THE BELL ABOVE THE door rings when I push the heavy glass door open. I step inside and, for a moment, I just stop and take in the shop. It’s exactly the same as I remember it, only they’ve touched everything up so it’s like new. The same pictures still line the walls, the chairs are in the same spot, and mostly, it still smells exactly as I remember it. I want to smile, I want to remember the times I’d race through here, laughing, driving Alarick mad as he was learning to tattoo.
I want to smile.
I don’t.
A woman, who is currently tattooing a young male, looks up when I walk in. She’s beautiful, the kind of beauty that takes your breath away. With her honey brown hair and emerald green eyes, she’s utterly breathtaking. Is she Alarick’s girlfriend? I wouldn’t know. I don’t know a damn thing.
“Hi.” She smiles when I walk in. “Can I help you?”
“Oh, sorry to bother you, I’m looking for Alarick. Is he here?”
She nods. “He’s out back, just doing a piercing. He’ll be out soon. Are you looking at getting some work done?”
“Work?” I ask, confused.
She laughs, the sound soft, and kind. “A tattoo?”
“Oh,” I laugh nervously. “Oh no, I don’t ... I don’t do tattoos. I’m his ... step-sister.”
Her brows shoot up. “Step-sister? I didn’t know he had other family outside of Sissy.”
“I’m the nice one,” I say, shrugging.
She chuckles. “I sure hope so. Sissy is a handful.”
I laugh. “Indeed. I’m Briella, by the way.”
She keeps her bold and radiant smile. “I’m Joanne.”
I sit down on the short black stools by the door and pick up a tattoo magazine and start flicking through it. I wonder how Alarick is going to take me being here. I mean, I did disappear without even a goodbye, but he didn’t ... he didn’t have my back. He and I were always close, and he didn’t have my back when I needed him to have it the most. I couldn’t deal with any more pain, so I ran. I just left this life behind.
He never came after me.
He clearly wasn’t too concerned.
I’ll never tell him how much that hurt.
Never.
“Thanks so much.”
I hear a female voice a look up to see Alarick walking out behind a gorgeous young woman. Obviously the one he was just driving a needle into. I shudder. Piercings. Yuck. I do them even less than I do tattoos. I don’t even have my ears pierced. I’m a chicken. The idea of a needle going into my skin by choice just seems ... insane.
Alarick looks up and over at me and, for a moment, I’m completely stunned.
I left when Alarick was only twenty-five years old. Just a maturing young man.
Today I walk back in to a man.
A rough, incredibly gorgeous, man.
Alarick always had the looks, but now those looks have deepened. His short dark hair has been replaced with long, thick locks that sit down around his shoulders. His once bright green eyes have paled into a gorgeous color that suits him even more. His thin but muscled body has been replaced with broad shoulders, thick arms, a lean torso and a whole lot of muscle. His once flawless face is now marred by a scar that runs down his left cheek.
He’s also covered, and I mean covered, in tattoos.
The boy is gone.
In his place a man, a dangerous, deadly, beautiful man.
He tips his head to the side when he notices me. I actually think he might not recognize me. I mean, I’ve grown up a lot too. I was nearly nineteen when I left this place, now I’m nearly twenty-five and things are a little different. My hair, for a start. It’s no longer blonde, but instead a soft brown with highlights. My eyes have changed from soft blue to almost a denim grey. My body has gotten curvier, and I’m going to blame pizza for that.
Damn you, pizza.
I mean, I guess I could look as different as he looks.
But still, I’d never forget those eyes.
Has he forgotten mine?
I raise a hand in some pathetic attempt at saying hello. He stares at me for a moment longer, then turns back to the lady he was with, murmurs something to her, and she gives him some cash before disappearing out the front door.
Then, as if I’m not standing right in front of him, he turns and walks off out the back, closing the door behind him.
I feel like I’ve been hit in the heart with a sledgehammer.
My eyes burn.
My hands tremble.
I’m so embarrassed.
I glance over at Joanne, and she’s looking to where Alarick has disappeared. Then she looks to me and says, “I’m sorry, honey, I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Do you want me to go and get him?”
I shake my head rapidly, my words stuck in my throat. “No,” I croak. “No, it’s okay.”
Then I turn and rush out.
I imagined so many scenarios.
Him not acknowledging me at all was not one of them.
What do I do now?
2
THEN – BRIELLA
I stand in my new bedroom and look around. It’s bigger, so much bigger than my old room was, but I also feel a little more scared in here. My old room was tiny, but I was safe, and I could lock the door and feel like nothing could ever hurt me. This one has big windows and a bed that’s so much bigger than I am, I’m afraid I’ll get lost. The carpet is so soft under my toes, and even though most girls would think this was the best room they’d ever seen, I feel even more lonely.
I want to go home.
Back to the place Mom, Magnolia, and I lived before she met King. I want to go back to when we’d watch movies on a Friday night, and we’d curl up in her bed after where we’d laugh for hours and hours about silly things. I want to go back to it being just us and her.
I have a new family now, a family I don’t really know.
A family that scares me just a little.
“What do you think, angel face?”
I turn and see Mom standing at the door. She’s glowing, her smile radiant. A true beauty, my mom. Long blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile that always makes me feel safe. Her voice is soft and kind, and her soul is even nicer. Grandma told me, before she died, that Mom had a soul that was rare. A kind and gentle person, with only pure goodness inside of them.
She’s right.
“It’s so big,” I say, tucking my straw-colored blond hair behind my ears. “I’m scared I’ll get lost in that bed. How come Mag and I can’t share a room?”
She walks in, smiling warmly as she takes my shoulders in her hands and leans down so she’s a little closer to me. “I know this is different, and it’s not just us anymore, but I promise you’ll love it here. King is going to take good care of us, and you have Sissy and Alarick now, too. Magnolia is just next door. If you’re scared, you know
you can go to her.”
“I don’t like Sissy,” I say, frowning. “She’s really mean.”
“I’m sure she’s just feeling a little sensitive about it all, too. Give her some time. She lost her mom just like you lost your dad, so maybe she’s scared too.”
“Do you think so?” I ask.
Mom nods. “I think so. Tonight we’re all going to go out to dinner as a family, would you like that?”
I nod, because I don’t want to tell her that I just want to go home. That I don’t want to live here. She is happy, and if anyone deserves to be happy, it’s my mom.
“Come on, King has the pool ready if you’d like a swim.”
I do like swimming. Their pool is super cool.
“Okay!”
I get changed and follow Mom downstairs through the massive house that belongs to King and his two kids. We step outside and I glance over at the pool, tucking myself behind Mom just a little as King comes over, crouching down so he can see me. King scares me, but he’s really nice to me so I don’t think he’s mean, I just think he looks scary. He’s really big, and he has so many tattoos. He has a big beard and dark curly hair. He’s like a giant, a really big strong giant.
“How did you like your room, darlin’?”
“It’s very big,” I say timidly, my voice soft.
“Well, only the best for a princess. Don’t you think?”
I nod, coming out just a little.
“What do you say we take a dip in that pool? I bet you’re hot. I know I am!”
I smile, just a little.
Magnolia comes bounding out of the house and charges down the stairs. We’re different like that, Magnolia and me. She’s not afraid of anything. She’s bold and she’s loud and she doesn’t let anything hold her back. She loves it here; she thinks this is the best house she’s ever been in.
The water lets out a loud splash as she throws her body into the pool. I look to King again and he smiles, extending his hand. I hesitate, staring at his big, heavy fingers full of gold rings, but he’s patient as he waits for my tiny hand to fit into his, and then he leads me to the pool and we get in.
The swim is nice and, for a moment, I think maybe it might not be so bad here.
Alarick and Sissy come home from being out with some friends just as we’re getting out of the pool and King gives us both an ice cream. I stare at my new step siblings as they walk in. Sissy is so pretty, but she’s really stuck up. She acts like the world owes her something and speaks to King in a way I’d never speak to my mom.
Alarick is quiet and mostly keeps to himself. He looks just like King, and he even wears a leather jacket that has a big logo of the club on it. Mom said he’s going to take over the club one day and follow in his father’s footsteps. I look at Alarick and wonder if that’s what he really wants to do, or if he just doesn’t get a choice?
His eyes meet mine, and they’re such a pretty green. Like a soft leaf, or maybe the gentle wings of a butterfly. He’s handsome, and my friend Autumn said she thinks she’d like to date him when she got a bit older. I laughed and told her she’s crazy, he’s way too old. He’s like seventeen or something, we’re only ten.
She said she didn’t care.
He’s so handsome she would do it anyway.
Alarick walks over and stops in front of me. I try not to squirm when my ice cream drips down my hands because I’ve been staring at him too long. He reaches around into his backpack and pulls out a tiny little keyring. On it is a pretty little silver pony head with gemstones built into it so it sparkles when the sun touches it.
“Saw your posters, I thought you’d like this.”
I take it from him, staring at it, and whisper a grateful thank you. I can’t tear my eyes away, it’s spectacular.
“Welcome.”
He disappears into the house and by the time I look up, he’s gone.
I look over to Mom and she smiles, saying, “That looks super pretty.”
“How come I didn’t get one?” Magnolia whines, stomping her foot.
“Maybe he likes me better than you,” I say to her, scrunching up my nose.
She huffs and takes herself over, climbing onto King’s lap. “Well, King likes me better than you.”
“Now now, Magnolia,” King scolds gently. “Like the both of you just the same.”
“Ugh, this is pathetic,” Sissy mutters, spinning on her heel and charging toward the house.
“You’ve got chores, Sissy,” King calls after her.
“Whatever!”
He exhales, and I watch her go with a frown on my face.
She definitely isn’t going to be easy to get along with.
At all.
“DAMN, BRO, THAT ONE’S going to be a looker when she’s older.”
I turn around just as I walk out of the shower to see Alarick’s friend standing in the hallway with a grin on his face. He’s tall and lean, with a pimply face and greasy brown hair. Ugh. Yuck. He needs to start taking better care of himself. I’m only ten and even I know how to wash my hair.
“Say that again,” Alarick says, his voice low and angry, “I’ll cut your fuckin’ balls off.”
My eyes widen. Alarick just swore and said balls in the same sentence, and yet I’ve never had someone defend me so much in my entire life. I’m kind of flattered. At least, I think that’s what I am. I’ve heard Mom say it before so it makes sense.
“Chill, dude, I’m just joking.”
Alarick’s friend puts his hands up and backs into Alarick’s room. Before he follows him, Alarick looks to me and snaps, “Put your clothes on in the bathroom. You’re not at home with your mom anymore.”
Oh.
My cheeks burn as I rush to my room and close the door, getting dressed so quickly I’ve hardly even had time to dry myself.
“Already causing trouble.”
I spin around with my towel in my hand to dry my hair and see Sissy standing at my door, her hand on her hip. She’s pretty, and I kind of hope when I’m older, I’ll look nice like her. She’s wearing a cool top that shows her belly button, and a pair of shorts my mom would never let me wear. Her hair is tied up in a ponytail and she’s wearing a lot of makeup. I wouldn’t even know how to do makeup.
“I didn’t mean to,” I say, my voice defensive. “I was just having a shower.”
“There are boys in the house now,” she scoffs. “Not that they’ve got anything to look at with you and your flat little chest. I already had boobs at your age!”
She did?
Is there something wrong with me?
I cross my arms over my chest.
“You look more like a boy, which doesn’t surprise me because Jason likes boys and that’s why he was checking you out before.”
Jason, that’s his name?
I don’t like Jason.
Do I really look like a boy?
I didn’t think so.
“Go away,” I murmur.
“Or what?” she challenges, raising her brow at me.
“I’ll tell King.”
“Ohhh,” she laughs. “I’m so scared.”
“Just go away!” I shout, frustrated.
“Fuckin’ leave her alone, Sissy.”
Alarick’s voice carries down the hallway, and Sissy turns, scowling at him. “Future president here to take charge.”
“Leave her be.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Alarick, I wasn’t tormenting your little princess. I was just telling her a few life lessons.”
“Get lost.”
Sissy laughs and turns, sauntering down the hallway. I peek out with my towel still in my hand and see Alarick watching her go. Then he turns to me, and I say, without thinking, “Do I look like a boy?”
For a moment, he looks stunned, and then he says, in a voice I almost can’t hear, “Fuck no.”
Then he’s gone.
I wonder if Alarick likes me?
I know one thing is for sure.
I really like him.
3
NOW – BRIELLA
“I’m looking for Magnolia?” I say to the very drawn out, skinny, hideously smelly man standing at the door to the apartment that is supposed to belong to my sister.
He really doesn’t look like anyone Magnolia would associate with, but then it has been weeks since the last text I received from her, the same amount of time since she’s answered her phone. I’ve been swept up since the news I received, and since then I haven’t had much chance to track her down, but an old friend of ours that lives here said she thinks she could be getting herself into trouble.
I had to come.
I can’t get surgery on Rupert until I’ve sorted her out.
I’ve nicknamed my tumor Rupert; it kind of makes it a little less scary to think about. Considering it’s mostly all I think about.
“And you are?” the man murmurs, crossing his arms and looking me up and down.
“Her sister. Is she here or not?”
He cocks a brow. “Haven’t seen her in weeks. Don’t know where she is.”
Load of crap. He knows where she is.
“Listen, buddy, you either tell me where she is or ...”
Dammit.
I have a flaw. A full human flaw. I can’t make a valid threat. You know those people that can just throw a threat out without even thinking of it? Yeah, that’s not me. I begin with my sentence, and then I can think of nothing that’ll sound scary enough to use. So I hang there, usually mumbling and stuttering, until I say something absolutely ridiculous to make myself look even worse.
I glance around, trying desperately to come up with a good threat to use.
“Or you’ll what?” he challenges, stepping a little closer to me.
“Or I’ll tip that pot plant all over your patio,” I say, crossing my arms and nodding to a huge pot plant next to the door. “Just imagine all that ... soil.”