Tamia LarsonBefore University I don't give a damn 'bout my reputationYou're living in the past, it's a new generationA girl can do what she wants to doAnd that's what I'm gonna do The song by Joan Jett was loud in my ears as I hopped around a few times. I didn't care that the music was loud, I would worry about being hard of hearing in the future. I punched the big brown colour bag a few times. This is what I do to relax and blow off steam. Gunner and I used to practice together, but he left a month ago to serve his country. I punch the bag harder a few times. Having a boyfriend who was in the army was tough. Not one day goes by that I don't worry about him. Boxing and beating on a punching bag helped me a lot, he taught me how to box. He said it would help to release the pent-up anger I had after my father left me, my mom, and my brother, for another family and he was right. "Mia! Tamia!" The distant voice got louder making me look in the direc
Harper RostovRide For You*Present Time* The girls and I were in a serious conversation regarding a book Ophelia's mom left her. She had confided in us after we promised to always remain friends. I would never have thought that Manny was so cruel and that Ophelia had gone through half of what she did. No wonder they say that you should never judge a book by its cover."I think you should forgive your mom. She was in a tough situation." Olivia shares her opinion.Tamia shakes her head while throwing peanuts in her mouth. "It is not my decision to make, but I wouldn't. My daughter would have been more important than money. The best thing she could have done was take you with her and run for the hills.""Right!" Ophelia says pointing at Tamia as if that was the best thing she heard all night. "That is what I said to Kain. What do you think, Harp?"I slumped further down on the couch and thought about the situation. Her dad wanted to harm her mom, so she left. Leaving
Harper RostovRide For You As soon as the door closes behind us Parker turns to face me. His hands were tucked into the pockets of a jean jacket he wore. "Can I get a hug?"I roll my eyes. "Do you think you deserve a hug? You ignored me for days Parker, then you just show up here pretending as if everything is okay."Parker cast his gaze downwards and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry Harp, I was in a tough situation." His eyes met mine. "Shouldn't I get a hug for facing my fears and going on a plane just so I can be with you?" He did deserve a hug. I was just being stubborn. He could have still replied to my messages to let me know that he was not alright. "You are such a brave boy, come here," I say playful with open arms.Parker smiles sweetly and pulls me into his arms. I melt away in the comfort his body provides and the amazing scent that comes from his body. It was just so intoxicating. "I missed you, Harper." He whispers."I miss
Harper RostovRide For You "I really hope this is the one. I am so exhausted and I have a test to study for." Ophelia says as we walk up the driveway of a four-bedroom house with our realtor Xandra leading the way. We have been viewing apartments and houses from eight-thirty this morning and it is now three forty-four pm. Who would have thought that it would take so much time and energy to find a decent place to live? It made it even more difficult because we all had different tastes and preferences."I agree. My feet are killing me." Olivia says."I can guarantee you, ladies, this one is my favourite and I am sure you will like it too," Xandra says. She removes the key from her purse and opens the door. We followed her in and looked around. So far, so good. I thought as I looked around the big empty space."Didn't she say the same thing for the last two?" Tamia whispers to me as we continue to follow behind her."She said that for the last three." I correct her and she rolls her eye
A/N: There's a few bad reviews, I saw and I just want to say to those who actually gave my book a chance, thank you so so much. I appreciate you, construction criticisms are welcomed. You have no idea how much I benefit from your support and I'm grateful for you all❤️ To those who have bad to say, have you ever written a book before? Do you know how hard it is to write a book containing 100 plus chapters, when life is kicking your ass? Nope, then please keep your negative thoughts to yourselves. Also this is the first book I have ever written and I made good improvements since then. See my other work. **** Prologue Joeniya Allison An eerie silence enveloped the neighborhood of Granville, a stark contrast to its usual lively atmosphere. Known for its vibrant nightlife, Granville was anything but the finest or safest place to live; in fact, it boasted the highest crime rate in all of Bridgeport. Normally, upon arriving at the bus stop, there would be other destitute i
Chapter 1 Fortunate-that is the word I would use to describe myself, despite being dispossessed. I sat and watched as a police officer violently dragged a prostitute to a holding cell, provoking her to hurl aggressive curses at him. Some of the words she used were ones I'd never encountered before. The most disheartening aspect of the scene was that she appeared to be no older than fifteen. "What are you looking at, bitch?!" she yells. I instantly turn my gaze elsewhere, feigning disinterest as if I weren't the only one sitting here. I felt a surge of anxiety as I occupied the same spot where I had sat the night before. This time, however, I wasn't here to report anything; instead, there was a sense of relief knowing that different police officers were working this shift. My employer had dispatched me to this cold concrete hellhole to deliver work-related documents to her husband, the captain, with explicit instructions to keep the envelope sealed and hand it directly to
Chapter 2 I jolted awake, gasping for air, my body slick with sweat, heart racing from a dream that had begun as a delightful fantasy of a handsome stranger swooping in to steal my heart, only to be shattered when Ace appeared and shot him in the head, turning my moment of bliss into a chilling nightmare. Curled up on the cold floor of a public restroom, I felt completely trapped, with nowhere else to turn. The shelter just a few blocks away was full, and even if it opened its doors, the thought of staying there filled me with dread, knowing a dangerous man was likely out there searching for me. I glanced at my watch and saw it was two minutes to four-definitely time to wake up. Each morning, except on Saturdays and Sundays, I needed to rise early to catch the bus and make it to the diner for my 6 a.m. shift, which ended at 3 p.m. After that, I had to walk ten minutes to reach the community college in time for class. As a child, I often told my papa how eagerly I anticipated growi
Chapter 3 For a few minutes, I felt as though he was speaking the truth. His intense gaze burned into my own, his face mere inches from mine. In that moment, I completely forgot our surroundings; his beauty and words transported me from reality to a realm where anything felt possible. All I had to do was close my eyes, and there he was, standing over a lifeless body as he tucked his gun into his pocket. That stark image jolted me back to reality. I pull away from him and focus on the small chip in the circular wooden table, which resembles the ones from SpongeBob, albeit in a vibrant yellow color. I had little choice here; I had to listen to what this Ace guy had to say. "Carry on." He leaned back in the booth, studying me carefully. "What if I told you I can get rid of all your problems?" he asked, the words hanging heavily in the air between us. "I'm afraid that even if you could do that, new problems would just arise—ones I can't bear," I told him, a chill cours
Harper RostovRide For You "I really hope this is the one. I am so exhausted and I have a test to study for." Ophelia says as we walk up the driveway of a four-bedroom house with our realtor Xandra leading the way. We have been viewing apartments and houses from eight-thirty this morning and it is now three forty-four pm. Who would have thought that it would take so much time and energy to find a decent place to live? It made it even more difficult because we all had different tastes and preferences."I agree. My feet are killing me." Olivia says."I can guarantee you, ladies, this one is my favourite and I am sure you will like it too," Xandra says. She removes the key from her purse and opens the door. We followed her in and looked around. So far, so good. I thought as I looked around the big empty space."Didn't she say the same thing for the last two?" Tamia whispers to me as we continue to follow behind her."She said that for the last three." I correct her and she rolls her eye
Harper RostovRide For You As soon as the door closes behind us Parker turns to face me. His hands were tucked into the pockets of a jean jacket he wore. "Can I get a hug?"I roll my eyes. "Do you think you deserve a hug? You ignored me for days Parker, then you just show up here pretending as if everything is okay."Parker cast his gaze downwards and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry Harp, I was in a tough situation." His eyes met mine. "Shouldn't I get a hug for facing my fears and going on a plane just so I can be with you?" He did deserve a hug. I was just being stubborn. He could have still replied to my messages to let me know that he was not alright. "You are such a brave boy, come here," I say playful with open arms.Parker smiles sweetly and pulls me into his arms. I melt away in the comfort his body provides and the amazing scent that comes from his body. It was just so intoxicating. "I missed you, Harper." He whispers."I miss
Harper RostovRide For You*Present Time* The girls and I were in a serious conversation regarding a book Ophelia's mom left her. She had confided in us after we promised to always remain friends. I would never have thought that Manny was so cruel and that Ophelia had gone through half of what she did. No wonder they say that you should never judge a book by its cover."I think you should forgive your mom. She was in a tough situation." Olivia shares her opinion.Tamia shakes her head while throwing peanuts in her mouth. "It is not my decision to make, but I wouldn't. My daughter would have been more important than money. The best thing she could have done was take you with her and run for the hills.""Right!" Ophelia says pointing at Tamia as if that was the best thing she heard all night. "That is what I said to Kain. What do you think, Harp?"I slumped further down on the couch and thought about the situation. Her dad wanted to harm her mom, so she left. Leaving
Tamia LarsonBefore University I don't give a damn 'bout my reputationYou're living in the past, it's a new generationA girl can do what she wants to doAnd that's what I'm gonna do The song by Joan Jett was loud in my ears as I hopped around a few times. I didn't care that the music was loud, I would worry about being hard of hearing in the future. I punched the big brown colour bag a few times. This is what I do to relax and blow off steam. Gunner and I used to practice together, but he left a month ago to serve his country. I punch the bag harder a few times. Having a boyfriend who was in the army was tough. Not one day goes by that I don't worry about him. Boxing and beating on a punching bag helped me a lot, he taught me how to box. He said it would help to release the pent-up anger I had after my father left me, my mom, and my brother, for another family and he was right. "Mia! Tamia!" The distant voice got louder making me look in the direc
Olivia McDonald Going to University in another country was going to cost an arm and a leg. Luckily I have been saving for years, I did side hustles while going to high school so that I could pay for University. It was not legal to sell things on the school compound, but I did that just to get by. I sold snacks and sweets to my classmates so that they could have something to chew on during classes, even though we weren't allowed to eat in class. When the teacher started to suspect me, I had to find another way to make money so I started to sell pens and pencils. Then I upgraded to babysitting and washing cars. When I was in the tenth grade I started my small business called Liv's Collection, where I sell crochet swimwear that I made and also regular two-piece and one-piece sets that I brought from overseas vendors. That was a good business idea and I hope to expand in the years to come.Sometimes business was slow, but other times I received huge orders which was
Ophelia Keaten All of what took place led to this moment. My mother did not abandon me because she hated me, but she did it to protect me and secure what was rightfully hers. Manny Keaten threatened me with a marriage proposal and to take away all my possessions when the truth was that none of what he had belonged to him. My mother was the rightful owner of the oil company my father runs. She is the brain and the one who started it from scratch. Manny had been scheming against my mother to send her to a mental institution under pretenses, he wanted to steal all that she had and blackmailed her for crimes that he committed. When she found out she set her plans into place. As soon as I turn eighteen everything will go to me as long as I stay living with Manny. I'm not sure how to feel about my mother leaving me with a man who wanted to harm her, just so I can own billions the day I turn eighteen.The reason why Manny wanted me gone was that he could delay th
Ophelia KeatenBefore University I was unable to focus on the match. I kept replaying what Quin said to me and how she hugged me tightly as if she was not going to see me again. I was worried about her. She knew things that I did not and that scared me."Hello gorgeous, why do you look so worried?" I glance up at the tall and handsome guy in front of me. He held his jersey in one hand with sweat dribbling from his golden abs. My eyes met Kain's hazel ones before they moved down to his full pink lips that wore a smile. I snapped myself out of it and looked around me, People were leaving and the scoreboard had the scores 159 to 103. Miami Heat won and I missed out half of the game."Congratulations player. I would hug you, but you are all sweaty." I smile at him. He reached a hand forward and I took it, allowing him to pull me up."Thanks, baby, you know we bring the heat wherever we go." He grins showing his perfect white teeth.I roll my eyes and slap his torso. He t
Ophelia KeatenBefore University "Ophelia?" Someone says shaking me from my slumber. "Helia," The voice says again. I recognize that it was Quin. She is the twenty-four-year-old daughter of Leoni. The woman who took care of me. When my mother left she took over and treated me like I was her daughter. Quin and I grew up together. Even though we were not the closest she treated me like a little sister. Quin was strange, one moment we got along and the next she was distant as if she was hiding something and was scared I would find out. For my safety, I try not to get very close to her or Leonie. Sure they were there when I was a child, but as soon as I reached my teens I spent most of my time alone. The closer we were the harder it would be when they decided to leave me. "Leave me alone, Quin," I mumble and pull the blanket over my head. "Sweetheart it is noon and you haven't left your bed from morning. Your dad wants to talk to you, unfortunately, that
Ophelia KeatenBefore University If I had to sit through another photoshoot then I would go blind from the damn lights flashing from the camera and into my face. This was the worst part of being Manny Keaten's daughter. I only see him for a few hours every month and during those hours I was completely devastated. It was draining and nerve-wracking being around him. We might share the same last name and the same blood, but he felt like a stranger.We put on a great picture for the world to see. To them, my annoying stepmother, Camila, Manny, and I were the perfect family. My reality sucks, my life was far from perfect and there was only one person who made me happy. That is Ryan Johnson, my boyfriend. I met him two years ago at the grand opening of Vikings, a new club in Miami. We made things official six months ago and after leaving the shoot I will visit him at his penthouse. I had an early birthday surprise for him that just can not wait."Ms. Keaten th