Chapter 1

JADELYNN

There would come a point in everyone’s life where it was irrevocably changed. Sometimes it was through a huge revelation. Sometimes it was through experiences which seemed insignificant until you realized that they were not, and you felt like a complete idiot for not realizing it sooner. Sometimes it was what led up to that realization that was important. Little breadcrumbs that were planted along the way which led to your destruction instead of away from it.

People often said that hindsight was 20/20. Perhaps, I should have paid more attention from moment one.

*****

Have you ever felt like you were going insane? Not the fun type of insane but the crazy kind. Was I insane? Probably not. Possibly so. Not entirely certain. This dark cloud of foreboding had been hanging over my head for the past couple of months. It made no sense. There was no reason for me to feel that way, but I still did.

Instead of screaming in frustration like I wanted to, I had to remember that there were customers around whom probably would not enjoy the theatrics even it would make me feel better. The wreckage of the blue coffee cup fractured across the floor in miniature pieces. Well, it was not a normal day unless something either fell, spilled, or broke. That was just the business of working in a coffee shop.

“Jadelynn?” Mrs. Reece called out.

I really adored the woman. She looked like a typical grandmother with a sweet face and curly silver hair in a bun on the top of her head. The best part was that she had a mouth that would make sailors blush and a knack for luck. The woman was a walking four leaf clover. When I asked her what her secret was, she simply said that it was just the luck of the Irish. Too bad that I was not Irish. Luck was something I could definitely benefit from in life.

I never met any of my biological family besides Mom and Dad, so I gravitated towards Mrs. Reece. I adopted her as my grandmother, and she adopted me as her favorite grandchild. I proudly accepted that title even though she had no other grandchildren.

“I’m fine. Just dropped a cappuccino. I’ll clean it up right away,” I told her.

She was already headed my way with the broom before I even finished my sentence. She was one of those owners who got their hands dirty and worked alongside her workers every single day, even with scrubbing the toilets and all.

My parents and I had a bit of ‘healthy’ coffee addiction, so we used to come here every single weekend ever since we moved here in the second grade. Mrs. Reece began teaching me how to make different drinks and offered me free coffee and a small wage in exchange for helping her out around the shop when I was thirteen and had been here ever since.

“You go, dear. I will get this. I really appreciate you opening up this morning, but today is the first day of school. Don’t want to be late.”

Shit. The clock said it was already 7:30 A.M. I lost track of time and only had thirty minutes to get to school. Thankfully, it was only a street over.

The September weather was hot and humid here in Georgia. The only reprieve from the heat came from an incredibly short winter. It lasted for a whole two weeks last year. Oh, and the pollen here was ridiculous. Every resident had a love-hate-hate relationship with our weather.

I was born in New York but lived in a small town in Louisiana before we moved here. I did not remember much of Louisiana besides the woods that was always teeming with wildlife. It was where I developed my love for the outdoors.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as goosebumps littered my skin. I was getting that creepy ass feeling again of being watched that I started feeling on the first day of summer break. This was the seventeenth time. Yes, I was counting.

My eyes scanned around me, but I did not see anything at all. I never saw anything when I felt it which made it even freakier. I never said anything because it was just my overactive imagination because there was absolutely no proof of anything being out of the ordinary. I could already imagine the look of confusion and concern that would be on anyone’s face the moment that they heard about this. The concern would be because they would be wondering if I should be admitted to an asylum or not. I shook my head and quickly entered the school building.

Junior year would be the best year ever. At least, that was what I was desperately trying to tell myself. High school had not been the easiest, but my friends made it bearable. They made it worth it.

Pauline, the resident bitch of our school, decided to make my life as miserable as possible because I refused to let her get away with the shit she pulled. She targeted anyone that she felt was beneath her. Well, that was a lot of people. Pauline thought that she was high and mighty to the point where others should bow down to her. She hated that I refused to do just that. It was why she made it her mission to taunt and mess with me whenever she felt the urge. She also hated that Thad, my best friend since second grade, always chose me over her. He never gave her any attention, and she blamed it on me.

However, I was making my place here and was happy. I was on the Junior Varsity volleyball team and hoped that it would be the Varsity team that I played for this year, held a 4.0 GPA my entire high school career, and was a shoo-in for class president. This was going to be my year.

The Junior class alone had about two hundred students, so our school was fairly large. Students littered the halls, idling and waiting for the bell to ring. A few of them called out and said it was great to see me. Those shout-outs were primarily from the Geek Squad. A name they bravely chose for themselves. Thankfully, they pulled Thad and me into their group and became close to us many years ago.

I did not dip into the bitchy and conniving pools that most of the other students did. I actually chose to treat people with dignity and respect. I knew that it was a crazy concept and all. It was something that the assholes of the school could not understand. They learned quickly that I would deck them before they were rude asses to my little Geek Squad. Thad and I protected what was ours with every fiber of our being.

After the third failed attempt at trying my lock combination, I hit it in frustration. Today had not started out the way that I planned at all.

“Need a hand?”

I turned around and saw Thad leaning against the lockers, grinning at me. I had not seen him all summer, and he was definitely a sight for sore eyes. He was 6’0 with muscles and a body that was ripped from years of playing sports and working out. His sport of choice had been football for the past three years, and he was the star player and best damn Quarterback around. It was because of him that our team won their games.

His wavy brown hair had grown out enough to place in a manbun. That manbun looked great on him. His skin darkened at least two shades as well. It highlighted his chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that you could get lost in and held so many emotions when he was not hiding them. Thankfully, he rarely hid them from me. He was undeniably sexy. That was a fact I came to appreciate years ago. He had always been handsome which turned to hot which turned to sexy. Every girl had eyes for him, but he never batted one of his own at them. I had ever been the only person he ever dated.

“Be my guest,” I said, waving a hand toward the hunk of metal that was my new enemy.

He made it seem effortless as he turned the dial this way and that. The locker popped open, and I gave him a small applause. Thad chuckled and moved aside for me to put my things up.

“How was your summer?” I asked him once I closed the door and leaned against the locker.

“It was nice. We went to Myrtle Beach and hung out along the shore most of the time. Wrestled a couple of sharks and saved baby turtles from being eaten. It was nice to get away and all.”

Thad was a jokester, and I loved his humor. However, the emotion in his voice at the end cued me into what he was referring to.

His eyes peered at me, looking for an answer to a question that he did not ask, but I knew where he was going with it. He wanted to know where we stood with one another. I also wanted to know where I stood with him. It had been me that hurt him when I asked for time to figure things out.

The air was thick with tension, and I knew he was waiting for a response or reaction. I took a moment to think about what to say and how to say it. I could not figure out the perfect words, so I just had to rip the band-aid off. I rubbed my arm, trying to choose my words carefully. Only Thad could make me nervous like that.

“I’m happy to hear that you had a good summer. Thanks for saving the turtles, and I need proof of the sharks. Look. Last year didn’t go the way either of us wanted it to. I think we both put too much pressure on ourselves. We couldn’t just be us, and that hurt our relationship. We are best friends, completely inseparable, and I can’t stand thinking that might be broken. I don’t want to lose that part of us because it is what makes us an incredible duo. You’re my person just like I’m yours.”

His hands flexed in his pockets, a tell-tale sign that he was uncomfortable. I hated making him uncomfortable, but we needed to have this out before we could move forward.

“The question that we need to answer is if we can be more than friends. I refuse to lose you from my life. You mean the world to me. Always have and always will,” I said.

The awkwardness was growing. Thad and I used to be comfortable together. We were often the only true person that the other had. We knew everything about each other. We met when I first moved to town when I was seven and were immediately drawn to one another. We had been together ever since.

When he asked me out last year, I thought he was joking at first, but I eagerly agreed because I had such a damn crush on him for years. It was weird, sure, but we had fun together because we knew one another so well. He was the holder of my first kiss and the only person I ever opened my heart to. However, Pauline and her cronies got into my head and made me question whether or not I was good enough for him. They said that he would have made a move sooner if he actually liked me enough. So, I told him that I thought we should pause because I had things to figure out. He respected my decision, but I saw how much it hurt him for me to tell him that.

“Do you think we can?” he asked. He tried to keep his tone neutral, but there was a hint of hope within it.

I crossed the few feet between us and bumped his shoulder with mine as I mimicked his pose.

“No. I don’t think we can because I know we can. Issues last year were on me, not on you at all. I’ve had a lot of time to think and come to terms with myself.” I answered honestly because he deserved the truth. “We know what to expect now. And we can get married to each other if we’re still single at forty,” I joked.

He smiled and bumped my shoulder back. His fingers entwined with mine, and it made me feel good that we could rewind and try again. I did like him as more than a friend. He was sexy, brilliant, and had a type of humor that could lighten any mood.

Growing up, Thad and I were always comfortable just the two of us. We did not need a large group of friends. There was no ‘icky boy/girl’ phase. Both of us spent all our time together because we enjoyed the same things. Same bands, games, activities, and movies. Our parents were also the best of friends who always wanted to see us end up together. They were very thrilled when we started dating.

Breaking things off with Thad had been one of my biggest regrets so far in life. However, I now thought that it would make us stronger because it showed us that we did not do well apart. His parents always joked that we were soul mates, but I had begun wondering if that was accurate. I always laughed when people talked about soul mates and personally thought the idea was cheesy. However, when I looked at him, I saw someone who completed me. Were we soul mates? No idea. I did know that we had a connection that nobody else could ever begin to understand.

“Sounds good to me, Jae,” he said with his signature megawatt smile that I loved so much.

We had second period, lunch, and fifth periods together. The first half of the day flew by quicker than expected. Thad was waiting outside my class when we got out so that we could walk together to lunch just like old times.

The food at this school was not your typical school food. It was delicious, and we all enjoyed it very much. Many rich kids had families who pumped money into the school. Therefore, the food was better than most school lunches were elsewhere.

The lemon pepper grilled chicken and mashed sweet potatoes was calling my name. I heard Thad snicker, but he was no better. We both had a deep appreciation of food. We worked our asses off to keep our physiques, but we still delighted in food. I gave his heaping tray of food a pointed look. He just shrugged because he could not deny it. Our mothers took the time to teach us how to cook which really blasted open the doors for some delicious delicacies.

“T,” Brian called out for Thad who just flipped him off and followed me to our normal table.

“Why did you brush Brian off?” I asked curiously.

One brown eyebrow rose perfectly as if to tell me that I was being an idiot. Brian was the co-captain of the football team. They wanted to give the captain slot to Thad, but he denied it. He would rather just play than manage the team.

“I think his pride can handle me not sitting with him. Plus, he knows damn well that we always eat together. We didn’t get a chance to hang out over the summer, so consider this us catching up,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.