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Chapter Eighteen:
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2024-10-29 19:42:56One week later
| Whitney |
"So how do you feel about being stuck on different shifts now?" Kendra took a large bite out of her honey crisp apple as she watched Whitney arrange her wild curly hair into two side buns atop her head critically. Giving a satisfied nod at the mirror, she plopped on the couch to slip into some hot pink vans with an indifferent shrug at her curious roommate.
"It's worth it. Sneaking around would've made Hollis feel paranoid, and at least now those weird chicks I was telling you about are leaving us alone." After Hollis had asked Whitney to be her girlfriend, they'd gone in the very next day an hour before their shift to talk to Evan about their relationship. The overworked assistant manager lectured them briefly about conflicting interests, but asked Whitney if she'd be alright working the lunch shift at Ringo's moving forward.
"I know we originally hired you on to help cover dinner shifts...but Hollis
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Not All That Glitters Chapter Nineteen:
| Whitney |"I'm sorry...." Whitney whimpered into Hollis's ear, using the palm of a shaking hand to wipe her tears away. Every time she wore makeup lately, she wound up crying. What the hell, Universe? "Don't apologize Whit, you have nothing to be sorry for." As always, Hollis was patient and didn't press for any additional information. Hugging her felt like the safest thing Whitney knew, and she never wanted to part from her girlfriend's warm embrace."I wish I drove to Auburn a long time ago..." Whitney sighed wistfully, tightening her arms around Hollis' neck as she rested her head against the other girl's shoulder. "It's amazing how they continuously manage to make me hate California more than when I lived there. I can't escape everyone's expectations, not even from across the United States." She felt Hollis' long fingers massage her scalp gently, and turned slightly to moan into her neck. "You're good with your hands...""I though
Not All That Glitters Chapter Twenty:
| Hollis |St. Mary’s Hospital felt like a million miles away. Every second that passed struck Hollis’ heart with fear as she sped down the freeway, dodging anyone who got in the way. Her hand shook against the steering wheel uncontrollably, and she was afraid if she spoke she’d start screaming. Whitney stayed silent, which was probably for the best. There wasn’t anything she could say that’d make her feel even the slightest bit better right now.We just got back to normal Hollis thought in disbelief, thinking back to their heart to heart conversation only two nights ago. She'd gotten pretty good at sneaking around Dalton, but he was the older brother after all. So he’d rescheduled his routine date night with Nina and bombarded his younger sister the second she walked in from work just after two in the morning. Without giving Hollis a chance to say anything, Dalton enveloped her in a bear hug and apologized for putting her i
Not All That Glitters Chapter Twenty-One:
| Hollis |At the tender age of six, Hollis learned what being grateful was all about for the first time in her young life. She’d been playing on the monkey bars in the schoolyard alone after all her classmates had gone home for the day. It was her normal routine, but just until she saw her brother. Dalton being in the third grade wouldn’t get out for another ten minutes, leaving the little girl to her own devices. It’d been storming in Auburn that morning, rendering all the playground equipment slippery and practically unusable, but that didn’t stop Hollis as she struggled to swing herself to the next bar. She’d almost reached the end when Dalton’s shocked little voice calling her name startled the child, and she came crashing down on one of the cold, hard bars; Effectively busting her chin wide open. She’d cried more from shock and fear than of the actual pain, thinking of how mad everyone was going to be at her. Dalton even then wa
Not All That Glitters Chapter Twenty-Two:
| Hollis |She'd never really been a big cryer, but it felt good to get everything out in the grand scheme of things. Everyone needed an occasional outlet, after all. Hollis had no idea what time it was when the gut wrenching sobs finally subsided, but her face was almost as swollen as her knuckles and she could barely keep her eyes open. At some point, Kendra had helped her upstairs and into Whitney's room. All the furniture had been replaced, but didn't look like anything her girlfriend would've brought along from California. The chestnut drawer matched the color of Whitney's bed frame, and a small little black night stand stood out in an attractive way. Not surprisingly, a baby pink comforter was draped over the queen sized bed neatly. Having never been in Whitney's room before, Hollis started to feel a little more at ease. She could smell her lover's favorite perfume, and spotted it on the nightstand. "Happy" by Clinique. Thin white lace drapes softly blew against the win
Not All That Glitters Chapter Twenty-Three:
| Whitney |As she walked into Ringo’s for her shift the following day, Whitney could feel everyone’s eyes on her. The air was stale with uncomfortable silence, making her glance around uneasily. Auburn was a small town, they all had to see the news. There wasn’t any other explanation. By now, everyone knew she was dating Hollis Bogard— therefore, felt like they had the right to gawk and whisper among themselves. She almost laughed at Evan’s comment of everyone being like family around here.Like family my ass. Hollis sounded like she was the backbone of this establishment, but nobody had a kind word to pass along? Whitney wondered if her girlfriend knew the types of people she really worked with but remained tight lipped as she knocked on the office door. Too new to expect anyone but Evan, she was taken by surprise to be greeted with an older woman in her mid fifties wearing a pinstriped pantsuit. She had
Not All That Glitters Chapter Twenty-Four:
| Whitney |Three O’clock couldn’t come fast enough. Whitney was wiped out from handling a room full of customers and worrying endlessly about Hollis. Every chance she got she’d check her phone for updates from Kendra, but got nothing. Things eased up a little once Annie showed up, and the magic number that signified the end of Whitney’s shift eventually arrived.“You’re doing really awesome, by the way.” Annie said encouragingly as both she and Whitney headed into the kitchen for an order they were running together. She was around her age with a pleasant girl-next-door look. Sandy brown hair, crystal blue eyes and a shy smile made Annie easy to look at, and her sweet demeanor was just the cherry on top.“I’m trying.” Whitney soaked up the praise, glancing at the clock after they’d taken care of her last table. “I appreciate your help- will you be alright if I take off?” Normally she&r
Not All That Glitters Chapter Twenty-Five:
| Hollis |With nowhere else to go, Hollis eventually found herself parked in her driveway at almost one in the morning. The rain hadn't let up, and she was starting to wish she'd grabbed her jacket from Whitney's room before taking off. Shivering with cold, Hollis rubbed her goose bump covered arms for a second and cranked the heater on. As the small space slowly began warming up, guilt started eating away at the blonde and she propped an elbow against the window to rub her forehead in mental exhaustion.Fuck, you don't even know me! Hollis winced, thinking about how hard she'd made Whitney cry. It may have only been about two months since they met, but that girl knew Hollis better than almost anyone. She managed to get past each barrier effortlessly and wrapped herself around every soft spot Hollis had. Whitney knew her real, true feelings. What troubled her. Her fears and insecurities.
Not All That Glitters Chapter Twenty-Six:
| Hollis |It’d been nearly five days and she still felt like shit. Shakes, fever, the whole package was waiting for her like a brightly wrapped Christmas package the second Hollis started coming down. To avoid feeling sick, she’d cheat the system by popping a few pills to slowly go back to her version of normal after a relapse, but she didn’t have any thanks to whoever got rid of her stash. Submitting to heroin felt a lot like taking out a loan. Borrowing good feelings, only to pay off the debt with a wicked flu straight from hell.So she was forced to detox cold turkey, and it was murder.The only saving Grace Hollis had was in Nina, Kendra, and Whitney- who’d take shifts watching over her while she puked her guts out and cried from the unrelenting stomach pains. While the blonde dry heaved in her guest bathroom at around four in the evening, she faintly heard Nina charge upstairs.“Dalto
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Not All That Glitters A Word From The Author:
Thank you SO MUCH for reading "Not All That Glitters." I began writing this novel July of 2019, and made it my official NaNo project. The last chapter was posted at the end of November 2019. I've completely fallen in love with my characters, and spent tons of time developing them! I hope you've enjoyed reading about Whitney and Hollis. <3 I'd really love to hear from you if you enjoyed my novel! Knowing how many people love and enjoy this book really makes a difference to me, every last reader is appreciated. I write not only for myself, but for you too! To continue Hollis and Whitney's adventure through life, be sure to check out "Not All Who Wander Are Lost", the sequel to "Not All That Glitters."
Not All That Glitters Epilogue:
A month later, (Christmas Day)Hollis and Dalton's home was much more full this Christmas than it had ever been in the past. In addition to Nina's parents, her older brother Fabian was visiting from Madrid, Spain for the holidays. Kendra came over with her infamous sweet potato bake, and even Jake made an appearance on the way to his dad's."Are you sure you don't want to come in? We've got so much food." Hollis hitched a thumb toward the direction of her kitchen, where Nina and Whitney were busy prepping the various sides to go along with Dalton's honey baked ham. The Bogards didn't care for turkey, which was fine with everyone else. Family meals usually revolved around their somewhat picky eating habits, so they were used to it by now."Naw man, my pops is waiting for me and I promised I'd help him cook. I think he invited his old lady too, so that'll be cool. I just wanted to drop these off." Jake handed Hollis thre
Not All That Glitters Chapter Forty:
| Whitney |So she actually came, but what was there left to say? Almost a year ago now, Criszette committed the ultimate offense- sleeping with Theresa. As a result, she effectively ended their year and a half long relationship and became the perfect reason to get the hell out of California. She’d dodged every text, phone call, and email for months leading up to her big move. It only took Whitney a minute to think about what her sister was proposing. Wiping the tears away, she met Theresa’s bluish green eyes with conviction.“It’s partially Zette’s fault I left in the first place. What makes you think I want to see her? She killed us the moment she touched you. We’d still be together if it weren’t for that! I wouldn’t even be here. Why is that so hard for you to grasp? You ruined my life, Theresa. From day one. Bringing Zette is just rubbing salt in my wounds at this point.”
Not All That Glitters Chapter Thirty-Nine:
| Whitney |"Do your parents know we work here?" Hollis asked Whitney in disbelief as she followed her girlfriend's family's rental toward a couple of free parking spaces, right next to Ringo's. The blonde hadn't seen anyone aside from their boss and Jake since she'd checked herself into Lakeside a couple months back, and seemed hesitant about just waltzing in as a customer. "I may have mentioned it in passing, but I don't remember." Whitney replied in amazement as they pulled up beside the Audi her father was driving. She yanked the visor in front of her down, peering into the lit up mirror so she could touch up her mascara. "Do you want to go somewhere else, Holly? I could ask." Things were already getting off to a fantastic start. Her father's invitation seemed sly, but she couldn't figure out what he was getting at yet. Whitney had to admit it seemed pretty weird that they wound up at Ringo's, of all places. "We
Not All That Glitters Chapter Thirty-Eight:
| Whitney |With December just around the corner, unforgiving Maine wind howled and whistled right outside the Munroe Inn. Hollis gruffly rose from the bed to kneel, removing her navy blue sweater and plain white tee she wore underneath as she maintained eye contact with Whitney. Their hotel room was starting to lose it’s chilly atmosphere, and the only sound that could be heard over their frantic panting was the hum of the heater. Hollis’ black bra followed and as soon as it was tossed aside, Whitney carefully cupped the blonde’s small perky tits in her trembling hands. When it came to sex, every time felt like the very first time, and it was almost always a feverish event. There was so much more to their relationship, but part of the initial connection would always stand out; Their undeniable physical attraction to one another. “God, your boobs drive me crazy...they’re so little and perfect!&
Not All That Glitters Chapter Thirty-Seven:
| Whitney |“Are you ever going to tell me what we're doing?” Whitney probed a half hour later, tugging on Hollis’ sweater anxiously. Her blonde lover’s smile was frozen in place as she kept driving, occasionally checking her side mirror the closer they got to heavier traffic. It seemed like wherever everyone else was going, they were heading the same way and it added to Whitney’s rapidly growing excitement. She loved surprises- as long as she didn’t have to wait for them. So maybe that meant she didn’t enjoy surprises after all? Did it qualify as a surprise if it was planned in advance, but revealed as soon as she caught on!?“Let’s play a game, okay?” Hollis finally spoke up, clearing her throat. Whitney’s light brown eyes glittered like spun gold as she bounced slightly in her seat.“What kinda game?”“I’ll give you th
Not All That Glitters Chapter Thirty-Six:
| Hollis |“Am I hearing this correctly? You want Zette’s number?” Whitney asked with a mild amount of fear hidden in her voice.“Are you fucking joking, babe!? Yeah, I want your disrespectful EX GIRLFRIEND’S number. This has gone on long enough and I’m about to bring it to a screeching halt. If your sister won’t listen to you, trust me, Zette will want to hear what I have to say.” Hollis snarled, hastily shimming into a pair of light wash low rise jeans. “It’s her ass that’s getting chewed out if she still decides to come with your family to Auburn.”“I’m just so tired of the drama, Holly.” Whitney sighed curtly, but surrendered to her girlfriend’s request. “I sent it. Don’t threaten her too much, please? I don’t need my over dramatic sister running to our parents and making this a bigge
Not All That Glitters Chapter Thirty-Five:
| Whitney |Getting up before noon wasn't on the top of Whitney’s favorite to do list, but after worrying about Hollis off and on all night she’d only managed to get a whopping four consecutive hours of sleep- making it six A.M by the time she finally gave up and dragged her exhausted body into a hot shower. Leaning into the steady stream, Whitney rested her forehead against the white tiled wall, listening to Hollis’ voicemail play over and over from memory.I wish you were awake right now, I just need to hear you say everything’s going to be alright. Her girlfriend sighed with dismay. The sniffling in the background made it sound like she’d been crying. Sleep well, baby. I’ll call you again as soon as I wake up. That was at one A.M. Whitney woke with a start at around two, checking her iPhone with a bad feeling and finding the voice message. Not wanting to disturb Hollis in case she’d finally pa
Not All That Glitters Chapter Thirty-Four:
| Whitney | Maine's sun had already set behind the vast trees and mountains that stretched for miles just beyond Kendra and Whitney's house before the three girls finally went inside. Hollis and Kendra were suddenly fourteen years old again, covered in snow and getting lost in shoving each other. They laughed in a way Whitney hadn't heard before. It was a pretty cool thing to be around, and she felt lucky to know and love both of them. "I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow. You wanna stay for pizza, Hollis? Or did you guys eat already?" Kendra shrugged out of her fire engine red parka and hung it up on a wooden coat hanger. Hollis did the same with her jacket, and rested one of her hands on Whitney's fragile shoulder mischievously. "Wicked. Babe, you good with cheese? I don't care for the entire garden plus a few lettuce shavings on my pizza. Unlike your roommate over there." She egged Kendra on, who threw a hideous ancient decorative pillow that'd belonged
