That Summer
By Lauren Crossley
That Summer
Copyright © 2015 Lauren Crossley
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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious.
Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental
And not intended by the author.
Cover photo © istockphoto.com
God, I don’t know where I would be without you. Thank you for loving me despite my many flaws and for blessing my life with your grace and goodness. You are my true Father and I love you so much. I owe you everything. I also want to thank you to the person who is reading this. You will never know how much your support & encouragement means to me. I fell in love with reading at such a young age and it has always been a part of who I am and what I love. Being able to create my own stories and receive the incredible feedback that I do from my own readers is nothing short of spectacular. If my writing bring you a single moment of joy or pure escapism, then my dream has already come true. Reading has always been a source of comfort to me and if you are going through difficult times or simply want to step out of your own world for a little world and coexist in someone else’s then reading is still the answer and it always will be.
Thank you.
Prologue
Present day…
“Why now?” My therapist asks, leaning forward in here seat. “What’s made you decide to talk about him now?”
I contemplate her question whilst gazing out of the window to my left, admiring the clear blue sky and the flowers in the garden.
“Desperation, I suppose.” I reply truthfully. “I still can’t get him out of my head. I guess I’m hoping that by talking about him now… all of this will go away. I’m praying that by talking about what happened, it will release me from it, release me from my memories.”
“That makes sense.” She encourages me, smiling warmly.
“There’s also the fact that I saw him yesterday.” I add, casually folding my arms across my chest as though it’s no big deal.
“You saw him? You saw Cole?” She asks, unable to hide her shock and surprise from me.
“Yes. I saw him at the park when I was on my way home.”
She gapes at me in astonishment and concern, clearly worried about my revelation. She doesn’t quite know how to handle it and I can’t say that I blame her.
“Are you ok? What was his reaction when he saw you?”
“He didn’t see me.” I explain. “I’m pretty certain I’d be in the hospital right now if that had happened.”
“You do remember that you should never, ever approach him, don’t you?” She reminds me firmly.
As though I could ever forget…
“I don’t really think I would dare… even if I am tempted.”
“For your own safety and emotional wellbeing you must never do this, Serena.” She advises me, making a note of this in her notepad.
“I know.” I respond vacantly, my mind already elsewhere.
“Where would you like to start with all of this, Serena? What do you want to tell me?”
“I suppose I should start at the beginning… that way you will understand. You will be able to understand what happened to me that summer.”
I know I have to go back. I know I need to remember it all. How I first came to meet Cole and how he changed my life forever…
He crashed into my world like a tornado, destroying everything in its path. He shattered my heart and made sure he was the only one who knew how to place the broken pieces back together. He made me fall in love with him and I had absolutely no control and no choice in the matter.
I was an addict and he was my only drug of choice. That summer I was already in too deep, too far gone to fix it all. I had already fallen head over heels in love with him by the time I discovered the truth.
The man I could not live without, the man I needed to survive was also something else. He was also my half-brother.
He once said I shed light on the darkness inside of him. He said I took the fragmented pieces of his soul and put it back together again. He said I made him whole and that I somehow managed to heal the part of him he convinced himself was broken. He told me I was his hope, his future, his weakness and his strength.
He eventually found out that I was his half-sister.
Want to know the really twisted part of it all? He told me he didn’t care…
Chapter One
Six years earlier…
“That must be him.” My friend whispers excitedly, grabbing hold of my arm in excitement.
“Who?” I ask indifferently, not even remotely interested in Lisa’s new topic of conversation this lunchtime.
I’m more than a little preoccupied, captivated by my phone’s screen which I’m staring at intently.
“He is seriously gorgeous.” She gushes, changing the tone of her voice entirely.
She sounds breathless and giddy which is enough to convince me to drag my gaze away from the phone in my lap so I can take a look at the person she’s referring to.
“I don’t see anybody.” I inform her, scanning the sea of students in front of us.
“You’re too late, he’s already taken his seat.” She scolds me, pointing in the direction I presume him to be in.
There’s now a huge crowd gathering around the centre table in the dinner hall, swarming around the new guy who transferred in this morning. It’s all anyone can talk about and even though I haven’t seen him yet, I’ve actually reached the point where I’m sick of hearing about him.
It’s our first day back after the summer holidays and my first day as a second year student in college. I honestly couldn’t care less about the new addition to our school and don’t consider myself to be a part of the ‘it’ crowd who are showing such an interest in him.
One more year, just one more year before I can leave this place and get the hell out of here. I’m counting down the days already, remaining focused on my final goal which has always been the same… to leave and never look back.
“I presume you’re talking about the new guy?” I inquire, trying to feign some sort of interest in the gossip my best friend finds noteworthy.
“Who else?” She quips harshly. “God, I really hope he’s in one of my classes.”
“For your own sake I would prepare yourself for the worst, just in case he isn’t.” I joke, rolling my eyes at her.
“You haven’t actually seen him yet, have you?”
“No, I haven’t. However, I will try not to keel over with excitement when I do.” I say drily, entirely determined that such a thing will never happen.
“Serena, you have no idea what you’re saying. He’s an absolute God, just wait until you see him.” She assures me, sounding confident and certain.
“Why should I even care? It’s not like we’re going to socialise in the same circles. He won’t even notice me, let alone speak to me.”
I’m unable to suppress the bitterness I feel when it comes to the boundaries of being a social outcast, struggling to keep the sourness out of my voice.
“Serena, don’t say that.” Lisa chastises me, prising her gaze away from the multitude of students that are still obstructing her view.
“Why not? It’s true isn’t it?”
“No, it�
�s not.” She assures me. “Your friendship circle might be smaller than the average person’s but that doesn’t mean your friends don’t love and care about you.”
My resentment is quick to fade when I realise how right she is. Lisa radiates positivity and optimism, making it hard for anyone to remain indignant in her presence.
“You’re right.” I respond buoyantly. “I consider myself lucky to have you in my life and as my best friend.”
Lisa beams at me, clearly overjoyed by the compliment I just gave her. She’s just about to say something else when the sound of the bell announces the five minute warning we have to get to our afternoon lessons.
I jump up, hastily gathering up my books which I had placed on the table before I ate. I grab my phone and shove it in my back pocket.
“I’ll meet you outside of the main hall after my last class.” I remind her, eager to make my way to the dining hall exit before I get caught up in the stampede of people choosing to leave all at once.
“Sure, catch you later.” She replies, clearly distracted by the heartthrob who is still seated at the centre table.
He’s miraculously managed to captivate the attention of every single girl in my year, leaving no doubt about the possibility of him being pretty damn gorgeous. Of course, I have more important things on my mind and in all honestly… I have zero interest in anyone at the moment and that’s how things are going to stay.
The real reason I wanted to skip out on lunch early is because I need to get to the girl’s bathroom before my next class starts. I need to check the marks from last night, desperate to see if they’re still noticeable so I know whether I will be able to wear a short sleeved T-shirt later on.
I open the door to the ladies toilets, poking my head around it first so I can make sure that they’re empty. Of course I don’t plan on evaluating the state of my arms until I’m safely tucked inside a cubicle but I still don’t like the thought of anyone else being in here.
It’s empty, thank goodness… allowing me to relax for a moment or two now that I’m alone. The silence is slightly daunting, reminding me of the solitude I am faced with when I’m at home.
I choose a random cubicle and pull down the toilet seat, placing my bag on the floor before I roll up one of my shirt’s sleeves. The scratches I made last night are barely even visible anymore and all that remains are three or four pink little lines trailing down the inside of my forearm. I used a pair of scissors and it hurt like hell but this morning I woke up to find that my scratches were barely even there. They must have faded during the night, almost disappearing right before my very eyes.
I sigh wearily, amazed by the disappointment that I feel when I realise that the evidence of what I did has nearly gone. I know this might sound odd to most people. It’s disturbing to know that someone wants to see a reminder of their pain but… that’s just how I feel. It’s as though I can’t even harm myself properly, even the damage I tried to inflict upon myself wasn’t enough.
I’m a failure. A nothing and a nobody all rolled into one. It’s always been that way and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I reach for my phone, realising that I’ve probably been in here far longer than I first intended. I grab my bag off the floor and make a dash for the exit. I’m in such a rush, I don’t even realise that I’ve barged right into someone until I’m sprawled out on the hard floor beneath his feet.
“Shit!” I complain loudly, rubbing my elbow which felt the full impact of my fall.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. Are you ok?” A deeply masculine voice asks, offering me a large hand to help me up.
I don’t take it, choosing to hoist myself up instead. I dust myself off, trying not to think about how ridiculous I must look right now.
“Don’t worry, it was my fault. I sped out of there without looking.” I explain, feeling a little bad about refusing to take his hand when he tried to help me.
“Yeah but I did knock you flying.” He chuckles softly, enticing me to finally look up at his face.
Oh. My God.
Those are the exact words that spring to mind as I stare up into the darkest brown eyes I have ever seen. The colour of them is so dark, they’re almost black and the depth of them is enough to take my breath away. Literally.
He returns my gaze, composed and unfazed. It’s as though he’s oblivious to my discomfort and this forces me to nervously glance up and down the empty hallway. Afternoon lessons have already started and the whole school are safely ensconced inside their classrooms.
“Are you sure you’re ok? You did run out of there pretty fast.”
He indicates the girl’s toilets behind me and I cringe, utterly humiliated that he caught me racing out of there like that. I’m also guessing that he must be the new and highly renowned individual that everyone has been talking about all morning.
“I-I’m just really late for my next class.” I stammer, reaching for my phone so I can check the time.
Shit. It’s no longer there and my pocket is empty. I frantically check my other pocket before scrambling through the entire contents of my bag in case I accidentally put it in there. The fear building up inside of me is indescribable as my mind races, thinking of the worst case scenario and what the consequences of losing my phone would be.
“Are you looking for this?” The gorgeous guy in front of me asks, reaching down to pick up my phone.
It must have fell out of my grasp when we collided and I breathe out a sigh of relief, so grateful that I now don’t have to worry about my phone being lost.
Especially after what happened last time…
“Thanks.” I hold out my hand for him to give it back to me, patiently waiting for him to hand it over.
“It looks like you have a new message.” He informs me, suddenly engrossed in reading my new text.
“Give that back!” I demand angrily, clambering to get my phone off him.
He raises his arm on purpose, preventing me from being able to reach it. My stomach churns as I narrow my eyes at him in contempt. He’s so much taller than I am (which isn’t difficult seeing as I’m only five foot one without heels) and he towers above me, making it damn near impossible for me to get my phone back off him. He must be a couple of inches over six feet and I find his stance intimidating to say the least, mainly because we’re the only two people in the hallway.
The stillness is unnerving and I can’t help the acceleration of my heart rate when I realise how his eyes have transformed. A minute ago they were warm and welcoming but now… they’re cold and unfeeling. I don’t know what I did to make him this vengeful and suddenly realise how helpless I am. I can’t force him to do anything and the understanding of this is unsettling.
“Who is it?” He asks, still absorbed in reading the message I have yet to see myself.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m just wondering who the guy in your phone is that you refer to as ‘Him.’ You can’t like him very much if you don’t even give him a name.”
My palms turn sweaty and my whole body begins to tremble. I know exactly who he’s referring to and there’s a reason why I refuse to put that man’s name in my phone.
“That’s none of your business and if you don’t give me my phone back in five seconds, I’ll go straight to the headmaster about this.”
I wanted my statement to alarm him but I sounded weak and pathetic, threatening to tell tales on him to the head teacher was probably my lowest point.
He laughs at me, easing some of the tension that somehow manage to build up between us.
“You’re funny, Serena.”
“How do you know my name?” I snap, folding my arms across my chest.
“I’m far more intelligent than you think I am. I know everything there is to know about you, even what colour your lingerie is.”
I inhale sharply, stunned by his confidence and self-assurance.
“They are…” He pauses, openly perusing my body as his heated gaze wanders up and
down my small frame. “White.”
His voice is husky and he speaks with certainty. I have no idea how he managed to guess the correct colour of my underwear but its left me feeling flustered and… something else. Something I don’t even want to acknowledge.
“You’re so dumb. I don’t even want to continue with this any longer. Just give me back my phone before I really do take this further.” I proclaim assertively.
“Fine.” He sighs in defeat, reluctantly handing my phone back to me. “Go ahead and ruin all my fun, I was just playing with you.”
“Sure you were.” I reply sardonically, eagerly searching for the new text message he was referring to a minute ago.
“See you later, Green.” He calls, startling me when I realise he’s already half way down the hall with his back to me.
“Green?”
“The colour of your eyes. It’s my new nickname for you.”
He answers simply and carries on walking in the opposite direction. The perfect portrayal of a man who possesses the upmost self-belief in himself. Someone who refuses to engage with fear and mocks danger.
“Wow, I’m honoured.” I reply sarcastically, rolling my eyes in a derisive manner.
I’m struggling to control my mixed up feelings as I watch him leave. Unsure about how I should be feeling now that I know he noticed the colour of my eyes.
“You don’t want to know my name?” He asks, surprising me when he turns around to face me.
There’s plenty of distance between us now and this enables me to feel a little safer and secure.
“Not particularly.” I lie.
“Cole.” He states clearly. “My name is Cole.”
Chapter Two
“So, I finally got to see the new guy.” I tell Lisa, trying my hardest to make sure that my voice sounds casual and unaffected.
We’re walking side by side on our way home after I met her outside the main hall like we arranged. It’s only been a few minutes since we left but we’ve already made it past our halfway point. We both live within walking distance to our school and that’s why we always head back together.
That Summer (Part One) Page 1