The complete scars series: Books one-four
Page 1
The complete scars series
Books one-four
Rachael Tonks
Contents
The scars of you
Acknowledgments
Playlist
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
Also by Rachael Tonks
The scars of us
Playlist
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Rachael Tonks
In love and ruins
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
Keep in touch
Also by Rachael Tonks
Together In Ruins
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
Epilogue
Coming Soon
About the Author
Keep in Touch
Also by Rachael Tonks
The scars of you
The scars series book one
The Scars Of You.
First Edition.
Copyright © 2017 Rachael Tonks. All rights reserved.
No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form without written consent from the author. Except in the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a piece of fiction. Any names, characters, businesses, places or events are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, events or locations is purely coincidental.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and have not purchased it for your use only, then you should return it to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the author’s work. Published: Rachael Tonks 2017
Cover design by Tracie Douglas at Dark water designs Edits
Edits by Andie M Long
Proofread by Nicki Withey
Formatting by Affordable formatting
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MASSIVE THANKS TO MY AWESOME BETA READERS -
Nicki Withey
Anne Dawson
Jamie Nibarger Ellis
Emma Johnston
Karen Kramer Hicks
You belong with me - Taylor Swift
There’s nothing holding me back - Shawn Mendes
Slow hands - Niall Horan
The Cure - Lady Gaga
Castle on the hill - Ed Sheeran
One last time - Ariana Grande
Just you and I - Tom Walker
When we were young - Adele
Chasing cars - Snow patrol
No promises - Demi Lovato
Scared to be lonely - Martin Garrix, Dua lipa
Never forget you - Zara larsson, MNEK
On my mind - Ellie Goulding
Rock Bottom - Hailee Steinfield
Into you - Ariana Grande
Chainsaw - Nick Jonas
Human - Christina Perri
Power - Little Mix ft Stormzy
“Come on, Trav,” I call over my shoulder, as my feet pound against the crisp grass under my sneakers.
“I don’t think this is a very good idea,” he stutters through his labored breaths. Travis is my best friend, and had been since last summer when he moved in next door. He came at the right time. Just when I needed a friend the most. “My mom is going to wonder where we are. We shouldn’t have strayed from the yard.”
“Quit your whining,” I yell at him as I stand in front of the huge oak tree. “It’s this one,” I point up to the biggest, most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen. I stare at the base, noticing some carvings on the side of the trunk. The initials ‘I G’ carved over and over.
“I’m not doing it,” he replies sullenly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Pussy,” I taunt with a lift of my brow.
“Am not.”
“You so are, Trav. I don’t care whether you are coming or not anyway, because once I get to the top of that tree I’m going to be able to see for miles. I bet I can even see the fair from here.”
I lift my eyebrows in an attempt to draw him in, but he stares back at me, his arms still crossed firmly over his chest. “You know your mom isn’t going to take you to the fair. Ever. I’m not sure why you want to torture yourself by looking at the stupid thing.”
“It’s not just the fair, it’s everything else. The view is going to be amazing from up here,” I say, reaching for one of the small branches, pulling up, until my foot is resting on it.
“Oh, God. Oh, God. He’s doing it, he’s really doing it,” Travis mumbles to himself, pushing his hand through his light-brown hair dramatically. I shake my head, reaching up for the next branch, pulling myself up a little more.
“Braxton,” he calls. “You have to get down,” he shouts, his voice wavering. I look over my shoulders and half of his face is covered with his hands. He peeks at me through the small gap in-between his fingers. I laugh, continuing to make my way up through the branches, aiming for that huge one near to the top.
“What are you two doing?” I hear an unfamiliar voice calling, and although it’s loud, I’m pretty sure it’s the sweetest sounding voice I’ve ever heard. My belly flips and for a second I hold my breath, my whole body tensing at the sound of the unaccustomed vo
ice.
I look down sharply to see where that voice came from, releasing the breath I’d been holding. All I can see is a girl with blonde hair, standing next to Travis. She has the whitest-blonde hair I’ve ever seen. And she looks beautiful. Even from up here.
“What the hell do you want?” I call back down to her, unable to stop myself.
“I want you to get down from my tree,” she yells at me, stamping her foot against the ground.
“It is not your tree. It belongs to nature, so it’s everyone’s tree.”
“It’s my tree; It has my name on it.”
I nod a little, remembering the initials etched into the tree trunk. “Just because you write your name on something, doesn’t mean it’s actually yours.” I push myself further onto the thick branch, allowing my legs to swing below me.
“You know that’s not safe, right?” she asks, pointing up at me.
“It’s perfectly safe.”
“No, it’s not,” she tuts, “this is a really old tree. Those branches may look big, but they could break at any time.”
“So?” I say with a shrug of my shoulders. “What do you care?” I continue to swing my legs. One after the other. With every movement, the old tree creaks.
“I care a lot, actually,” she says, kicking her hip out in some kind of sassy girl move. “This tree is where I hang out most days. See that house there?” She turns to her right, pointing to a house a little way in the distance. “Well, I live there, and this tree kinda belongs to us.”
“Why would you say that? That’s a stupid thing to say,” I laugh a little louder than intended.
“The only thing that is stupid is you climbing that damn tree.”
I swing my leg one last time as my fingers pick away at the few leaves on the adjoining branch. I pluck them one by one, dropping them to the ground.
“Don’t do that,” she yells. “Stop ruining the tree.”
“Make me,” I say, reaching for that one leaf just a little too far away. I stretch, but can’t reach it. I lean a little onto my side, desperately trying to grab the damn leaf, but the creaking becomes a cracking sound, and before I can try to understand what is happening, I’m falling.
Thud.
My leg hits the ground before my body does. The sound of cracking fills my senses and despite my best attempts, I can’t move.
I can hear voices and see the faces of the girl and Travis, but the buzzing in my ears stops me from focusing on the words that are tumbling from their mouths. I let out a groan, my whole body aching and confusion buzzes through my mind. But the pain in my leg is the worst. I let out a yelp as I drop my head back, closing my eyes. “Braxton, oh my God, are you okay?” He leans over, pulling on my shirt. I open my eyes, focusing on his face. It’s contorted, his nose scrunched up as his face hovers over mine.
“My leg, Trav,” I cry out, not daring to move at all. “I think I’ve broken my leg.”
“What should I do? I don’t know what to do.” The panic is evident in his voice.
“Don’t freak out,” the girl soothes Travis, resting her hand on his shoulder. “I will stay here with, uh, him…”
“My name is Braxton. Got it?” I grate out, a little nastier than I’d intended.
“Okay, okay,” she replies as she walks around kneeling beside me. “I will stay here, you go tell his parents.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” he fumbles, before jumping to his feet and running across the field, making his way home. My eyes follow him as he runs faster than I’ve ever seen him run before.
“Look at me,” she places her warm hand against the cool skin of my cheek, turning my head until I’m facing her. “I got you. Okay?”
“How bad is it?” I ask, not daring to look at the mess my leg must be in.
“Broken,” she mutters, shooting me a sad smile. “It’s best not to look.”
“I don’t feel too good,” I say, resting my forearm over my eyes.
“You’re okay, it’s just the shock. Keep talking to me. Tell me about yourself,” she asks, her hand now working in a circular motion against my chest.
“I like to climb trees,” I say sarcastically.
“And you don’t listen, that much I do know about you. I mean, you broke my beautiful tree.”
“Your beautiful tree broke my leg,” I retort. “I have no idea who you are, or what your name is,” I say with a grimace. The pain increasing with every second.
“My name is Isabelle, but most people call me Belle, or Bella,” she looks directly at me with her huge blue eyes, her long blonde hair cascading down the side of her face. She has a smile on her face, the kind that makes my belly flip over and over.
“I like Izzy,” I say a little breathlessly, my breathing becoming more erratic as the pain grows.
“Uh oh. No you don’t. I hate that. It’s Belle or Bella. Take your pick.”
“Sure, Izzy, no problem.” I let out a stifled laugh. She playfully slaps the top of my arm.
“Ouch,” I say with a pout. “Talk about kicking me while I’m down.”
“I did warn you. Are you always this stubborn?”
“Always,” I say, sticking out my tongue at her. This girl is bossy, annoying and I already know I’m going to hate her. Jeez, who am I kidding? She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. The kind that stands out in a crowd. Yeah, that’s right. I’m going to love to hate this girl.
And that’s exactly what I did for the next eight years.
For eight years we were best friends. Completely and utterly inseparable. There wasn’t a day that passed by where I didn’t see her. Where we weren’t hanging out.
We were like the three amigos, only better.
Until she disappeared.
Gone.
And no one would give me any answers.
That was the moment my life changed forever.
The moment when I felt like I lost my reason for living. Losing her was the catalyst for the rest of the shit that happened to me. And that shit made me the person I am today.
A person with secrets I hide away from the world. The burden of those secrets that have cut so deep they are like scars deep inside my soul. Scars that will never heal.
My mother always told me I’d amount to nothing. I guess she was right. I take a drag on my cigarette as I stand outside the house of the most notorious criminal in the city. He just happens to be my best friend, my business partner. The guy who took me under his wing when I had nothing else to fucking live for. Some might say he’s the worst kind of criminal, but me, I’d say different.
This was never what I set out to do with my life, but it’s the path I was fucking forced on to. A path I don’t think I can ever get off. I’m in too fucking deep. It’s become a way of life. It’s become my life.
See, that morning I knocked on Izzy’s door, was the morning I no longer had a reason to stay on the right side of the path. She’d gone. She left to go live with her father. No goodbye, no explanations. No forwarding address.
She just left me.
Something she always promised she wouldn’t.
And when she did, she took my fucking heart with her.
“Hey, man, you coming in, or just gonna sit out here all fucking day?” The gruff voice asks me. I slowly lift my head, my hard, narrowed eyes meeting his.
“I’ll be in when I’m good and ready,” I say with a growl. I step off my bike, taking one last drag of my cigarette before flicking it towards the asshole standing in front of me. Hitting his jacket, it bounces off and lands just in front of him.
“Watch the jacket,” he grumbles, brushing down the front where the cigarette made contact. “You really are a fucking prick, Braxton. You have a damn attitude problem.”
I feel the thudding of my heart as it picks up pace. I slowly step closer to him, my face only inches from his. “Fucking attitude,” I roar. My teeth are clenched together so tightly, but my hand wanders to the inside of my jeans. I locate the handle of my gun, slowly pulling it fr
om the wedged position inside my jeans. “You’re a pathetic, motherfucking rat,” I say with an exaggerated sniff.
“Fuck you, man, I ain’t no rat.” He pushes lightly against my hard chest, but it makes no impact. This guy is only half my size. I reach out, grabbing his jacket and pulling him in closer. I whip out the gun, pressing it against the side of his head.
“I guess you would say that though, wouldn’t you?”
“What the… what the fuck are you doing, man?”
“What? You’re surprised I’m holding a gun to your head? Huh? It’s about time you showed me some fucking respect.”