Live Again

by Brittney Mulliner

  Table of Contents

  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

  Epilogue

  Live Again

  By Brittney Mulliner

  Copyright © 2015 by Brittney Mulliner

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design: Claire Lovell of C K Creations

  For My Mom,

  You’ve always been my number one cheerleader

  and support me through every crazy idea I have.

  I love you

  Chapter 1

  It’s amazing how drastically life can change in a short period of time. Just a few months ago I was living with my mom and stepfather in Chicago. I had a boyfriend worthy of any Ralph Lauren ad, as well as the captain position on my school’s dance team. Things seemed picture-perfect, until Morgan came into my life.

  He’d photographed me, stalked me, and attacked me. Morgan destroyed my life and taken innocence in one night.

  Now, I was surrounded by friends I loved in my brother’s penthouse, which I, too, called home. Brandon had let Mckayla know he would be late tonight, so she’d told Talia and Alexis. They’d each texted their boyfriends, Mark and Justin, who’d gained official status after proving their amazingness on that horrible night.

  I guess any guy would look perfect when compared to Luke, who’d run far and fast the minute the police showed up to take my statement. Apparently I was drama, and he didn’t have time for that in his life. What a catch, that guy.

  The guys sent out the bat signal and Mike showed up with half the football team in tow. It was now ten, and we were on our second movie, guys’ pick this time, and our fifth box of pizza.

  I was cuddled up in a blanket, eating my third slice of pepperoni when my phone buzzed under my pillow. I checked the screen and smiled as I answered. “Before you ask, I’m not alone. Apparently someone let it slip that you were going to be late, and the troops are here.” I chuckled quietly, expecting Brandon to laugh along, but there was silence.

  Eventually he said, “Don’t make a joke about your safety, Aubrey. I just got off the phone with the officers who are looking over Morgan’s case.”

  Dreaded pooled within me. “Oh?” I whispered back, so I wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention.

  “He never left. He’s still locked up . . . in a psychiatric hospital.”

  “What?” My heart dropped. Crawling over the blankets so I didn’t block the TV, I made it out of the room.

  “He isn’t in prison. The officers told me there was an agreement made between the families and he ended up in a hospital to receive treatment.”

  My mother is a liar.

  He cleared his throat once. “I talked to Mom.”

  “And?”

  “She didn’t want the press to get ahold of the story, so she kept things hush-hush by keeping everything out of the court. She had her lawyer settle with Morgan’s as long as he would receive treatment for his ‘illness.’ His original plea was insanity, so he got what he wanted and so did Mom. He’s not in prison and the press stayed out of things.”

  “How could she do that?”

  “She probably thought she was protecting you. I can’t explain her actions.”

  “She was protecting herself.”

  “We’ll deal with her later. Right now we have to focus on what’s happening now. The police said they ran background checks on his contacts in and outside of the hospital. They found nothing. There’s no connection to you, our family, or anyone in our area. This doesn’t make sense.”

  “Maybe they were right, then. Maybe it was just some stupid prank.” Even I could hear the desperation in my voice. I needed to believe this.

  “You and I both know that’s not true.” I could picture him rolling his eyes.

  “I know, but sometimes I wish it was.”

  “I’m sorry, Aubrey. I wish there was more I could do. I’m supposed to take care of you and protect you now.”

  It was my turn to roll my eyes. “It’s not your fault. I know you’re doing everything you can. We just have to let the police do their job.”

  He sighed into the phone before responding. “Yeah. Right. Well I wanted to let you know that things are running behind. I don’t know when I’ll make it home. Could you ask one of the girls to stay with you?”

  “Yeah, no problem. Just finish your project.”

  “I’m trying. This is a huge client and if all goes well this could put us on the map as a top programming company. I’m just sorry I can’t be there for you more.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I have plenty of people watching out for me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Alright. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I hung up with a sigh. How was I going to get the guys to leave if they knew Brandon might not make it home for a long time?

  I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to me, but the guys had their eyes glued to the movie, and Mckayla and Talia were painting their toenails. Alexis was in the kitchen with her head in the fridge.

  I tiptoed over to her and tapped her shoulder. She gasped, almost dropping the water bottle she was drinking from. Her hand flew to her chest as she took a deep breath. “You scared me!”

  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her reaction. “I was being sneaky. I didn’t know I was such a good ninja.” I winked and moved past her to grab water for myself. “I need your help.”

  She gazed at me suspiciously, an eyebrow arching high. “With what?” She set her down water bottle and pulled her long brown hair into a loose ponytail. I guess this meant business.

  “Brandon just called and told me he won’t be home for a while. He wants someone to stay with me, but I have to make sure the guys leave.”

  “You want them to leave without Brandon being here? Good luck. Mike is not going to go for that.”

  I nodded. “I know. Hence why I need your help.”

  She threw her head back and groaned. “Either we tell them you’re having a feminine emergency or we threaten to have security escort them out.”

  “What? Those are your options? What does a feminine emergency even mean?”

  She shrugged like it was obvious. “Guys always freak out and leave when you mention that stuff.”

  This was one of the reasons I loved her. She was always carefree and didn’t concern herself with what other people thought of her. She was willing to make a fool out of herself for her friends.

  “I don’t think it would work this time. Mike would probably volunteer to go
buy whatever I needed. We need something better.” I glanced over at Talia and Mckayla willing them to look at me.

  Mckayla is a mind reader, apparently. She caught my look and turned her head. As she stood up, she nudged Talia, and they made their way through the bodies on the floor.

  “What’s going on over here?” Mckayla asked. “You guys look suspicious.”

  “Brandon isn’t going to make it home for a while, so I was wondering if any of you can stay. And we need to get the guys to leave eventually.”

  Mckayla chuckled. “Like Mike would ever agree to that.”

  “I know. He’s going to go all alpha male and refuse to leave. That’s why I need some help.”

  Talia held up a hand to stop us. “Let me handle this.”

  We watched as she marched into the living room and grabbed the remote, pausing the movie. She didn’t need to do that to get the guys’ attention: she was a bombshell with her long blond hair and curves. But her confidence was the thing that stood out the most about her. She could get any group to listen to her, and she never shied away from the attention. I could picture her being a famous leader of sorts one day.

  “Listen up boys. We’re getting tired and we all have school tomorrow, so you have until ten-thirty to leave or we’re painting your nails. Got it?”

  To my surprise, the majority of the boys groaned but agreed. A few even stood then and waved as they left. I guess the threat of painted nails was not something to test.

  She came back, and we started cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. By the time we finished, it was curfew and the boys were starting to stand up and put the pillows and blankets back where they belonged. It took a few tries, but we got them trained.

  There was a stream of guys waving or saying goodbye. Mike stopped and looked me in the eye. “Where’s Brandon?”

  I hated it when he did that. I felt like he was looking into my soul, making it impossible to even think of lying. “He’ll be home later. The girls are staying with me tonight.”

  “I don’t like that. You guys shouldn’t be alone.” It was strange to see him without his big grin. It bothered me that I was the reason it was missing.

  I looked into his deep, chocolate-brown eyes and tried not to smile. Instead, I hooked my arm through his as I walked him to the door. He was the kind of guy every girl loved: he was tall and muscular enough to make you feel small next to him, and he used it to his advantage.

  “We’ll be fine,” I said. “If we get scared or anything, I’ll call down to security and text you.”

  He took another glance at the girls behind me before looking down at me again. “Fine. Let me know if you need anything . . . I mean it.” He gave me a tight hug before opening the door.

  I held it open as he waited for the elevator. “Thanks, Mike. Goodnight.”

  He gave me a slight smile and waved as he stepped in.

  Chapter 2

  School was one of the few normal things remaining in my life. Few people beyond my close group of friends knew the reason Luke and I had been missing from the dance, and fewer knew the full story about Morgan. The teachers and the majority of the students remained oblivious to the drama that was my life. Thank heaven for that.

  The one major change at school was the receiving party that waited for me every morning when I pulled into the lot. Mike and his normal posse now hung around his car, purposefully blocking the spot next to him.

  I’d been informed when I first got here that once you were considered in their group they’d protect you, but this was extreme.

  I waved as they dispersed, leaving the prime parking space open for me. Before I could turn off the ignition, my door was open.

  “You didn’t text me last night.”

  I looked up and met Mike’s deep brown eyes. “Yes I did.” I was confused. We had kept a conversation going late into the night, until I fell asleep.

  “You didn’t let me know when Brandon got home. I almost came over this morning to make sure you guys were alright, but I texted Brandon and he told me you were already getting ready and the girls had gone home.”

  As much as his attention should annoy me, I knew he was only doing it because he cared. I appreciated it, too. I probably wouldn’t mention it to him since it would make him even more protective, but I was scared.

  “Sorry Mike. We all fell asleep before he got back.”

  “No problem. Next time I’ll just have to stay with you.” He winked as he held out his hand, helping me out of my car.

  “Yeah, right. Brandon would completely lose it if you stayed the night.” I ducked back into my car to grab my bag from the passenger seat.

  We headed toward the school with the guys flanking us. It made me feel like a celebrity or something with a security escort. We took a seat at one of the picnic tables in the quad, and within a few minutes the girls joined us.

  Talia pushed Mike over, sitting down between us. She smiled at Mike as he glared at her. “Calm down, sweetie. You face will freeze like that.” She turned and looked out to everyone, making sure she said their attention. I’m sure if she had a glass and a knife she would have started dinging. “Alright people. An adventure is long overdue. What are some ideas for this weekend?”

  One of the guys from the football team—I never could keep them all straight—shouted out, “Party at Aubrey’s!”

  Alexis laughed and shook her head. “Nate, we do that all the time. That’s not an adventure.”

  Nate grunted and looked down.

  The guy standing next to him spoke up. “How about Six Flags?”

  Talia contemplated this for a moment. “That’s more like it, but we just went there a few months ago.”

  “Yeah, but Aubrey wasn’t there.”

  Talia turned to me. “Do you want to go there? I forgot you haven’t always been with us.”

  “I’m okay with anything.” Her announcement had thrown me off, and I was still trying to figure out if this was a normal occurrence for them.

  Mckayla was cuddled up with Sean and they seemed like they were in their own little world, so it was a surprise that she was paying attention to us. “Why don’t we go camping this weekend at Catalina? Doesn’t one of you guys have a boat we can take out?”

  Bear was sitting among the other football players and pointed over to another. “Tony! Do you think your dad would let us take out his yacht?”

  Tony, a brunette running back, looked up from his phone. “Yeah, sure. I’ll ask him and let you guys know at lunch.”

  As if it was planned, the bell went off, signaling for us to head to class.

  Talia popped up and clapped. “Perfect! Catalina this weekend it is!”

  I stood up and pulled my bag over my shoulder. Brandon was so not going to go for this. Who would let a bunch of teenagers take a yacht out to an island for the weekend? No responsible adult, I was sure.

  ☼ ☼ ☼

  I was proven wrong at lunch. Very, very wrong. Not only had everyone’s parents agreed to let them go, but since the group was so big, another dad volunteered to have us use his yacht, too. Well, he phrased it as “I’ll have the crew prep it and take you kids out this weekend.” Seriously?

  I had to get Brandon to agree. This seemed like more than just fun; it was a chance to feel included in this group rather than just being Mckayla’s cousin.

  Word had spread rapidly through the school. People approached our table constantly during lunch, asking who could be included and if there was room for them.

  Mike took the initiative as the leader, explaining to some people that they could come as long as they contributed to the trip fund, and to others that the boats were full. Apparently it was decided during one of the class periods that everyone who was coming should contribute to a fund so someone could get food and supplies for the weekend. I was surprised that the guys would think ahead like that, until Talia stepped forward explaining it to one of Mike’s friends. Yeah, that made much more sense.

  I tried to ignore the f
low of people to our table and turned to Mckayla and Sean. “Have people already gotten permission from their parents, or are they just assuming they’ll let a bunch of teenagers take boats out to an island, alone?”

  Sean smirked at me and Mckayla just laughed. “Well, I already asked my mom and got the okay. She said she’ll talk to Brandon and make sure he lets you go, too.”

  “Oh, good! I’ve been panicking about how to ask him. He’s been really cool with things in the past, like New Year’s, but since I got the note he’s been much more protective.”

  Sean looked at me while rubbing Mckayla’s back. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Between Mike and the rest of the guys, Brandon will have nothing to worry about. Plus, Mike is all buddy-buddy with him now.”

  I chuckled. “You’ve noticed that, too? I was wondering when that happened!”

  “He’s been really protective of you since formal. The other day in class, one of the guys from the basketball team was talking about you, and Mike freaked out at him. Apparently someone can’t even call you cute without being threatened.”

  I dropped my head and sighed. “I almost wish he would calm down. I appreciate him watching out for me, but it’s kind of too much. I don’t want him to scare people off.”

  Mckayla reached over and put her hand on my arm. “That’s why this weekend will be good for you. It will give you a chance to meet people on your own. You have all of us, but it would be good for people to get to know you.”

  Things had been a little crazy lately, and I hadn’t been making an effort to meet people and get to know them. Half the time I couldn’t remember the names of the guys that showed up at my house with Mike. They were right. I needed to step out of my comfort zone. “That sounds like a really good plan. As long as Brandon is okay with it.”

  “Don’t worry so much. This weekend will be the perfect break for all of us.”

  She was right. I was sure Brandon needed a break just as much as I did. He had started seeing Liv, from his office, more, and I’m sure they would appreciate a weekend without the little sister around.