Novels by Lauren Jackson

A few months later"How have you been?" Ashley questions as she takes a sip of her coffee. She leans back into her chair, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She gives me a warm smile."Really good," I tell her honestly. "Miles' and I moved into our place last weekend.""That's fantastic!" she beams at me. "You two have come so far.""Yeah," I agree with a shy smile. "I never would have imagined us to be living together. Especially after everything.""True love conquers all," she teases.I let out a quiet laugh. "And you? How have you been?""I've been well. I'm taking next semester off and am travelling to Europe. I'm also thinking of taking a position across town. It's an office job.""Oh that sounds great!""I haven't made a decision yet. And I've been dating a guy for a few months now, so that might change things." Her cheeks blossom red when she speaks about him and her lips curve upwards.

"Thanks, man," Miles's voice sounds close but far away at the same time."You kids have fun," the taxi driver grins, offering us both a sly wink when he thinks the other isn't looking.I take Miles' hand and he tugs me out of the car. I tilt my head back and stare at the cabin with an awed expression. It's a beautiful, dainty cabin with fairy lights hanging from the windows and the roof in a raining portrayal. My lips are parted and my breath was taken away as I stare at its beauty.A wooden arch borders the path leading to the front door. Beautiful white and pink flowers are embedded in the silver chains, twisting their way around the frame."Oh," I whisper, my eyes unable to tear away from the sight before me. "It's gorgeous.""Wait until you see the inside!" Miles says excitedly, his fingers tangling with mine.He pulls me after him. I feel breathless, my head full and light, my eyes searching, my heart thumping loudly. He ope

I press my lips together and rub slowly, before making apopsound.I meet my gaze in the mirror reflection. My dark hair is curled beside my face, my dark eyes framed with long lashes, my lips painted red."Almost ready for photos?" Kiarra asks, stepping out of the bathroom, her brilliant-blue dress flaring around her legs as she walks. Her heels click against the tiles, before changing to a soft thud as she walks across my carpeted floor, flicking out her long hair."Sure am," I reply, getting to my feet and wobbling. I hastily reach for my desk. Iknewthese heels were too high for me. Or maybe it was the three glasses of champagne..."Do I look alright?" Becca asks us, her voice unusually timid.She stands and runs her fingers down the light pink dress that is securely wrapped around her body."Hell to the yeah," Kiarra nods."Really?" she whispers."My brother will probably drop dead a

I hold my arm out for my brother. He hoists himself onto his feet and wobbles for a moment, before steadying."You okay?" I ask him."Better than ever," he grins.It's been a couple of weeks since the storm. The school has re-opened and Finn is now able to withstand weight on his leg. The muscles have decreased so he still limps and struggles to maintain his usual pace, but he's able to walk without crutches now. We still have them at home, but he seems to be handling walking pretty well without them.As we walk into school, girls are magnetically drawn to us, like they have been, despite Finn being off the market. He barely glances at them as he searches for Becca. I smile down at my feet as I walk.I make a beeline to my locker, to get out the textbooks I need for the first two classes. I jump in fright as I shut the door and Samara is leaning beside me, her vibrant hair loosely curled."You'll never guess who was caught swap

"Ready?""Hell yeah."I smile up at Miles as he shrugs into his jacket. He clenches his jaw and screws up his face in pain. I rush to his side and help his arm into the sleeve. Even though he is being discharged, he is still in quite a bit of pain.Wrapping an arm around his waist, I help him walk down the corridor. Once inside the elevator, he leans onto the railing with a weak smile on his face."What are you smiling about?" I question."I'm looking forward to the next week," he tells me."Me too," I agree.Due to the bad storm, a lot of places around town have been damaged, including the school. School is shut for the remaining week, to fix the damages. The school dance has been postponed for a few weeks, which works out perfectly for me. Miles wasn't able to attend, but now he will be.Considering we won't have school and Miles is in recovery, mum has offered him our spare room. Which isalso&nbs

When I wake the next morning, I rub my eyes, feeling like I haven't slept at all.I roll my head to the side, to see Kiarra open-mouthed and snoring beside me. I stretch, feeling a few bones in my back crack. The brightness of my phone screen makes me grimace. I hastily turn it down as I squint, seeing that it is 7:30 am.I pull myself from bed, making a beeline for the shower.The house is silent as I walk through ten minutes later, dressed in a denim skirt and a long-sleeve shirt. My hair is still wet, hanging limply down my shoulders. I wait until I'm out the front door, before sliding my vans onto my feet.The wind is unforgiving and harsh as I walk towards my car. I tug the sleeves down my hands and grimace, wishing I'd chosen to wear jeans instead.I stop into Brumby's Bakery on my way to the hospital, ordering two coffees and two cream pastry puffs. My stomach rumbles as the smell fill my car.By the time I