TAYA’s POV :
“So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?” Judah asked.
"Um, why weren't you at school today? Or in the past three days?" I asked back.
"Eh, I just didn't feel like going," he shrugged and stalked to the kitchen with the empty bottles.
"…And your parents are okay with that?" I asked.
"Mom's out working 'til late every day. She won't even notice,"
"And your dad?"
"Dead," he said casually as he entered the living room again.
"Oh, I'm sorry—"
"Nah, you know, shit happens,"
He didn't seem bothered at all. He simply threw himself on the empty spot next to mine and proceeded to crack his neck.
"So, is that why’re you’re here? Did old man Finn send you?”
"No, b
TAYA's POV :Jenny could make one hell of a pasta dish.Yup, by the time we sat down for dinner, I was already on a first name basis with Judah's mom, Jenny. Overall, I would say that dinner went great, except for Judah who looked extremely uncomfortable as his mom and I made small talks.I sensed that maybe he didn't like me being around his mom. But I couldn't help it. Jenny was just so nice to me and we bonded over shoes. She had such great taste, we could actually be friends if we were the same age.After we ate dinner, I helped Jenny with cleaning up while Judah was outside in the backyard, smoking a cigarette."So, Taya," she started as she piled the dirty plates on the sink. "Judah never talked to me abo
TAYA's POV : The rest of the journey home was kind of nice. We made small talks, I gave him a list of places in Hawaii that he should visit, and he actually told me the secret ingredients in her mom's pasta sauce, dried garlic and thyme. It took us about twenty minutes before we finally reached my house. By then, the sun had completely set and the sky was dark, except for the moon and the little stars that came out to light it. "Great practice today," he said and his hand went up for a high five. His dark amber eyes shone brightly against the night sky. I could only laugh as I high fived him back. I guess we're the kind of people who kissed and then high fived each other. Ever seen one of those? "Deep down, he’s a sweet kid and he has a really good heart," suddenly Jenny's words came to my mind. Judah and I were
JUDAH's POV :12 AM, the alarm clock in my room rang.I got up quickly and got myself ready. It was time for another day.When I walked down the stairs, I found my mother sleeping in front of the TV again. She always had this habit of turning on the TV and falling asleep in front of it. Slowly, I turned the TV off and pulled a blanket over. She mumbled some incoherent words and snuggled deeper into the couch. I looked at her for a moment, gave her a shirt kiss on her forehead, and I made my way out of the house.It was past midnight, so this was my time to leave the house. Striding towards my bike, I lit up a cigarette and turned the engine on. With a cigarette hanging loosely on my mouth, I put the bike in gear and roared out of the driveway. Within seconds, I was jetting down the streets with the cold night air hitting my face, lighting my blood with excitement. 
TAYA's POV :Oh, the things I do for a high school resume.Today, I was spending my precious Friday after school hours working to build a Titanic replica with the theater club. If this wasn't desperation, I didn't know what would be. Dear colleges, please notice me!I had my oversized hoodie and baggy pants on, my hair pulled up in a messy bun, and my hands had dried paint all over them. I was in charge of painting the wooden boards, while Hallee was in charge of, well, everything else."Where'd Gabe go? I need him to arrange the props table," Hallee said in a demanding tone."I sent him to get the rest of the wooden planks from the car," I replied, my hands still busy with the paintbrushes.
JUDAH’s POV :I really didn’t want to fight, but…"Yeah, that's right. Walk away. Go home to your whore of a momma, shitface!"The fight really wants me.Turning back to face the brawly dude, I glared at him and said, "Now, you don't call my momma names okay? That just ain't nice,"He narrowed his eyes at me as if he couldn’t believe that I had the guts to turn back to him."And plus, 'your momma' jokes are so dead, let it rest already. I'm sure you can do better than that," I taunted sarcastically and Gabe looked at me as if I was crazy."What'd you say to me?" the big dude glared menacingly."Cam, bro, come on," Blake reached for his shoulder but Biggie smacked his hand off of him."Nah, this bitch is asking for it,"
TAYA's POV :Blake and I took Kai and Cameron to the emergency room. Cameron came out with six stitches on the side of his ribcage, and Kai came home with eleven stitches on his arm. The injuries weren't that serious, but imagine me trying to explain the whole situation to the doctor in charge.Oh yeah, my kissing scene partner hit my little brother and his friend with a wooden plank we were using to build a Titanic replica. Just the usual Friday, no big deal.Kai wouldn't tell them what happened, but Cameron spoke up. He explained how they were just having a slight argument but it turned physical once Judah started coming at them with the board.Now I wasn't naïve. Don't be fooled by the dimples and wholesome smile, everyone knew that Cameron Tucker was no angel. He and Ry were in the same grade, but Cam got held back due to behavioral issues. Normally, I wouldn't take
JUDAH’s POV :"Hey," Blondie beamed at me.I was floored. I still couldn’t believe that she was standing at my door. When I finally gathered my composure, I stepped outside and closed the door shut behind me."Coming back for round two?" I asked.She ignored my joke and instead she said, "I got you something..."She pulled her hand from behind her back and handed over a bag of frozen peas to me."What's this for?" I took the bag and noticed how it was still ice cold."A peas offering?" she grinned and gestured to my nose.Fuck, okay, that was low-key real cute.I put the bag on my nose and the coldness stung my skin immediately. I winced at the pain, but I tried my hardest to hold it in."Kai told me what happened..." she said
TAYA's POV :“Tea. Spill. Now!”Those three words were the first thing Hallee said to me the moment she saw me at school the next day. It was lunch period and I just sat my ass down for two seconds before getting grilled by my best friend. But what else was new?“What do you wanna know?” I sighed to her.“What happened with Judah, your brother, and Cam yesterday?” she demanded. “People were talking about cage fighting and gang initiation or something like that!”“Cage fighting?” I scoffed and rolled my eyes at how the rumors in this school were spreading. “It’s a long story, Hal, but basically Judah’s not the bad guy. My idiot of a brother and Cameron Tucker were,”“Whoa, talk about a plot twist!” Hallee’s eyes lit up in excitement. She alway
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *NEW YORK CITYFOUR YEARS LATER* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *TAYA's POV :"Well?" Hallee came right in, bombarding my personal space as soon as I stepped out of the auditorium lobby.Her eyes were wide, full of hope and expectancy. I gave her a small, sad smile and sighed, "I didn't get in,""Aw, man! Are you serious? I really thought you had it in the bag. I mean, the Juilliard admission was all over you, flying you out to New York City for a damn audition too,""Meh, it's okay. I'll get it next time,"It really was nice of the Juilliard Academy to fly me all the way over here for an audition into their selective conservatory program. A representative of the school saw my graduation piece at UCLA and she loved it so much, she came to me after the show to talk about the possibility of me having a future in New York City — Broadway and all that jazz.I never even thought that something like this would be an option. So of course, I took
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *LOS ANGELES, CASIX MONTHS LATER* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *JUDAH’s POV :Christmas used to mean nothing to me.My mom and I were too busy being in survival mode to care about stupid holidays like that. Plus, we didn't have any money for gifts or holidays. Usually, she’d work through Christmas, and I’d get high and pass it by.But not this year.This year would be our first Christmas together, Blondie and I. We went back to Hawaii for Thanksgiving, as we promised our friends, but we were staying in California for Christmas. Plane tickets were expensive and Blondie wanted to stay here and rehearse anyway. That’s right, my very own Blondie was chosen as the lead role for UCLA’s upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet. That's fucking sick. I'm hella proud of her. The play would open in January, and Blondie would rather spend Christmas break practicing than anything else. Even though the school and the production were on break
GABE’s POV :It all started because of one stupid promise.I promised my friends that I would speak to Maddie before I leave for college. I had a crush on this girl since freshman year of high school, though the number of conversations we had could be counted with one hand.Though my friends had already left for college and I was the last one to go, I couldn’t leave without keeping that promise. But the problem was that Maddie didn't even know I exist. I couldn’t just go to her house and declare my undying love for her. I had to meet her somewhere and I don't know, maybe strike a conversation first?So when I got word that there was gonna be a party at a yacht thrown by Ryder Jake Williams and that Maddie would be there, I thought this must be a sign. Maybe this was the universe’s way of giving me a chance to speak to her.Ryder Jake Williams was actually Taya’s cousin. He was quite well known in this town. He was this surfer hero that all the guys wished they could be and all the gir
RYDER’s POV :“Hey, Ryyy!” Taya screeched as soon as I picked up her Facetime call.“Hey, T, what’s up?” I chuckled.From where I was standing, my cousin sister looked alright. Her skin was glowing and her hair was neatly tied up. Several days had passed since she left Hawaii and I was glad to see her alive and doing well.“Ry, we just saw the article online, congrats on winning the Hawaii Pro. We’re so proud of you!”“Thanks,” I said. “Who’s we?”“Judah and me, of course,” she chirped. She then turned the camera slightly and showed Judah sitting next to her on the couch.“Right,” I snorted. “How are you doing out there? Is everything good? Is he being nice to you? You tell me if he’s doing something sh—”“Everything is great and he is perfect, Ryder,” she cut me off sternly. “We just moved in to our apartment and got our first couch today. Everything’s great here, so don’t you worry about us,”“Geez, stop referring to yourself as we and us. It’s creepy,” I rolled my eyes.“Oh, Ryder,
BLAKE’s POV :“Blake, no!” My mom said rather sternly. She was blocking the door to my dad’s office with her body. “Your father’s not in a good mood right now,” she hissed.“This can’t wait,” I said simply and pushed past inside.“Blake!” she called after me, but I only shut the door behind her.My dad finally came back from his business trip to Nevada. He was gone for weeks. When I heard that he was back tonight, I left the prom right away and went home. I was still in my prom attire as I walked into his office. I yanked my tie open and stepped inside. He was alone, sitting at his desk, and a glass of bourbon was by his side. You could tell a lot about my dad’s condition by his choice of drink. Scotch meant that he was happy, and bourbon meant that he just had a bad deal. He mustn’t be in a good mood right now.“Dad, I have to talk to you,” I said once I stood in front of his desk.“Not now son,” he sighed and tipped his head back. “It’s been a long day,”“It can’t wait, dad,”I had
TAYA’s POV :“Make sure you’ll call right after you land,” Mom said.“And call us when you get to the apartment,” Jenny added.“Don’t sign anything if you’re not ready to sign,” Mom continued.“And call us if they try to—““Ma, stop,” Judah groaned.“We got this, mom,” I said to my mom as well.My mom and Jenny were standing with us in front of the departure gate at the airport. Finally, it was time for Judah and me to leave for California. We got our two big suitcases with us and we were ready to go. Except, mom and Jenny kept trying to hold us from leaving, giving us advice after advice.The two of them exchanged a look and a smile. They had been giving us the same advice over and over again the past week. But like Jesse said, moms will be moms.“You’re right,” mom sighed finally. “I know you two will be fine,”“But please, call us anyway,” Jenny added.“We will,” Judah said as he hugged his mom. “I’ll miss you ma,”“I’ll miss you too, sweetheart,” Jenny started crying as she leaned
TAYA’s POV :We were sitting under a bed full of stars. And they were shining so bring, they looked like diamonds scattered across the Milky Way. I had never seen anything more magical than this. I was completely in awe, but Judah didn’t look so impressed.“What?” I asked him. “You know a better spot than this in Hawaii?”“Of course,” he said.“Where?”He put a hand on the side of my cheek, tilting my face towards his. And with that sexy smile on his face, he aimed for my lips and said, “Right… here,”Oh, that was so smooth.His lips landed on top of mine gently and I tilted my face to the side, allowing for more access. Tightening his grip on my face, Judah deepened the kiss and I kissed him back with the same hunger and passion. Though it was cold out here, my body was burning up. Soft moans escaped my lips and Judah’s tongue slid his way into my mouth. Our tongues met and they tangled breathlessly as warmth and desire overtook our bodies.Pulling away slightly, Judah threw the blan
JUDAH’s POV :* HONK! * HONK! *“Come on, Judah! Rise and shine!”Parked right outside my house, Blondie was beaming and honking the car. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses, a simple tank top, and jeans. Her hair was tied into a ponytail and there were two large cups of iced coffees in the cup holders. This could only mean one thing, she meant business.“Blondie… the sun’s not even out yet!” I protested as I neared the car.Ignoring me, she simply asked, “Did you bring a change of clothes like I told you?”I lifted the duffel bag in my hand. “Yeah, and what are we doing exactly?”“You ask too many questions, Judah,” she rolled her eyes and pushed the car door open, gesturing for me to get in. “Come on, chop-chop, we got places to be!”* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *The next thing I knew, Ed Sheeran was blasting on the radio as Blondie drove us to the highway. The cool breeze was blowing in our hair and the sun was just rising. I was a
TAYA’s POV :- - - - - One Week Later - - - - -“Taya, honey,”This morning, I woke up to my mom’s voice calling after me. I felt the bed dip and I stirred and groaned. I slept pretty late last night because I was binge watching Stranger Things on Netflix.And since I’m not a high school student anymore, aren’t we done with this? “Wake up, sweetie,” she said again when I refused to open my eyes.“Mom, what is it?” I sighed dramatically. “It’s Saturday morning… and I’m not in school anymore!”“I know, but you have company downstairs,” she said.Out of curiosity, I peered my eyes open. “Who?”“Who else,” she smiled knowingly. She leaned down and kissed my forehead, saying, “Oh, and happy birthday, sweetie,”That’s right! It’s my birthday today!Mom didn’t say anything else and she walked out of my room with a naughty smile playing on her face. My body jerked up instinctively. There could only be one person crazy enough to show up unannounced and wake me up at eight in the morning on a