Amari POV:Not one of my best nights of sleep but it will do.Picking up my phone a thousand messages pop onto my screen from Mom, Dad, Bella, and oh... fuck face JasonRolling out of bed I go towards the bathroom to freshen up. Removing all my clothes, I step into the shower. Turning on the faucet ice-cold water sprays onto my skin. I got so used to showering with cold water because of rehab that I realized that cold water is way better than hot waterI wash my hair and body with the hotel bar of soap and shampoo. Rinsed and done I step out of the shower to dry my hair and bodyEntering back into the room I wrap the towel around meKnock knock knockYou have to be kidding me, who could be knocking on my door right now? Walking towards the door, I look through the peephole"I know you're in there Amari" Jason calls out. Letting out a loud sigh I answer him "Go away, Jason," I say rolling my eyes"I put a tracking device in your phone," he says waving his phone by the peepholeOh my g
Amari POV: It's been a year and I haven't heard from my dad well it's not like I wanted him to call or anything. After we got kicked out of my childhood home we went to live with my Aunt and Uncle well until the incident. Flashback "Hey Amari" Uncle Will says coming into the guest bedroom I'm sleeping in "Hi," I awkwardly smile. It's not like him to come in here "Where's Bella " he quizzes looking around and closing the bedroom door "She uhm went to go visit her nonna," I say raising my eyebrow. I'm feeling uneasy right now but I'm telling myself it's fine. He starts coming towards me and I slowly start backing away pressing my back against the headboard "So how old are you now" he quizzes sitting on the edge of the bed right by my feet "I'm 16 " I hesitantly say bringing my knees closer to me "Oh wow your growing, you know in other countries kids your age are allowed to give consent" he chuckles as if he's trying to convince himself. Shivers go down my spine and I clutch hard
Amari POV:"Say you believe me " I grab my mom's hands"I mean sweetie I-" she frowns trying to come up with an excuse"You don't believe me " I let go of her hands and stood up feeling like she backhanded me "Honey I love you and if you say his real then I believe you," she says softly"Can you leave my room" I walk up to my door holding it open for her"Oh okay" She sounds hurt but I don't care.She leaves my room and I close the door behind her. Biting my nails I start pacing. I can't wait to turn 18, I can't take this anymore. I want people to meet Shadow. I'm tired of being the crazy psycho chickI am not crazy .....rightGoing towards my drawers I take out my pills. Putting two in my mouth I go to my bathroom and pour a glass of water. Chugging down the pills I look at myself in the mirror"This isn't you" I sigh turning around. Looking at the time it's 2:45 pm, I need to get back to school to attend detention. Putting on a hoodie I exit my room. Reaching the front door my mom
Shadow POV:I menacingly walk into the dimly lit room. The only sounds that can be heard are my footsteps and the muffled screams from a local schoolboy"Welcome to my home Matt" my voice comes out deep and menacing "Where the hell am I...do you know who I am" he yells pulling at his restraints "Oh, I know very well who you are. Your mother sold you for two lines of coke at the age of 4. Your father raped you at 7 and stopped when you were 12 cause they finally caught him. You got adopted by the Mayor at the age of 13 and now you are a macho man at Lombardi High am I right" I grab a chair and sit underneath the light right in front of him. His face falls into pure horror when he sees me and I grin"Oh what ...cat's got your tongue""W- what d-do y-you want" he stutters out in fear"Nothing really I just need you to leave Amari alo-" "Done" he yells cutting me off. I grab his shoulder firmly and I bring my mouth close to his ear"Never ever cut me off or I swear it will be the last
Amari POV: 5 months laterIt's been 5 months since getting a new car which my mom wasn't too happy about but later fell in love with and the new designer clothes. Not to mention the fancy lunches I've been getting - I have even been deemed Miss Popular at school. Camilo and the cheerleaders are really not having it but the jock boys keep surrounding me like my very own private Swat team so they don't go near meRight now I'm getting ready for a party some new rich boy is throwing"Amari do you have an outfit for tonight" my mom yells from down the passage"Mom it's just a party it's no big deal really " I yell back."It's your first high school party of course it's a big deal... Are you sure you don't need my help" She barges into my room leaning onto my doorframe"I'm sure Mom besides you are like ancient so what do you know about fashion" I chuckle throwing some clothes onto the bed for me to try out"Missy before I had you and married your stupid father I was 2 years in my fashion
Shadow POV: I got a call from Daniel that Amari went to that party after I specifically told her not to. Speeding to this boy Jonathan's house I grip onto the steering wheel my knuckles turning white from the amount of pressure I'm putting. Stepping on the accelerator I'm pretty sure I'm going over the speed limit but it's nothing money can't fixPulling up to the address I practically jumped out of the car not caring where I parked. Teenage girls start eyeing me but I am only here for one girl. Going toward the backyard I see the fucker leading Amari up the staircase"Are you like the police?" some big kid says and I completely lose my patience pulling out my gun I aim it at him"Whoaa uhm dude chill like I don't want no trouble" he starts backing away in fear. I guess I look out of place"Shit, your literally so hot" looking down at the girl who said that. I come face to face with a blond who happens to be Amari's friend Bella. And she's quite drunk"Nice to meet you, I'm Shadow"
Amari POV:"Leave your message after the beep" I sigh holding the phone closer to my ear. I dig my sock-covered feet into my plush carpet trying to ground myself "Hey Shadow it's me again I know it's the 200th time I've called you in the past two weeks but please pick up I - I can't lose you ...not again" I whisper sounding as desperate as I feel. Hanging up the phone I bite back a sob as I lay back downShadow hasn't been answering my calls since rescuing me from Jonathan’s. I can feel a piece of my heart chip away every time I get sent to his voicemail. I honestly don't understand why his ignoring meI just want to hear his voiceTo see him ... is that too much to ask. I feel like screaming and then crying all over again "Amari come out it's time for dinner" my mom spoke from behind my bedroom door"I'm not hungry," I say and she sighs“Amari you need to eat something I’m worried about you” she tries reasoning with me “I’m not hungry” I mumble grabbing a pillow to cry on “I know
Daniel POV: Walking into the facility with a bouquet of flowers I head straight toward the receptionist"Hi I'm here to visit Amari Carmichael," I say looking at the old lady with chapped lips"She's not taking any visitors at the moment," she says not paying any attention to me. Instead she's focused on whatever she’s knitting"Can you please tell her it's Daniel ...Daniel Peters" I say and the lady raises her head slightly. Rolling her eyes she picks up the phone in front of her and starts dialing a numberI could easily go down the halls and find Amari myself since I practically came here every day when she was admitted at 9. I know this place like the back of my hand but I’ll be professional since I’m here as a visitor, not an owner "Uhm we have a.... "She pauses clearly forgetting my name"Daniel Peters" I answer her with a smile "Daniel Peters here to see a patient..." she looks down at her books "- patient 007""Okay," she says into the phone before she places it back down"
Daniel POV:It's been 6 months since Amari died and when Xavier pulled the trigger I was more than glad to find that the safety was still on. A part of Xavier died that day with AmariThe man that we still see today is merely a ghost with a broken heart He's been in and out of the facility and today I'm driving to fetch him Pulling into the driveway of the facility I see Xavier standing outside the doors with a cigarette in his hand and a duffel bag in the otherWhen he sees me he throws the cigarette on the floor crushing it with his foot. Parking in front of him I open the window"Hey," I say and he nods opening the car door. Climbing inside he opens the cubby hole and takes out a folded picture"She looked so beautiful," he says looking at their wedding picture"Yeah, she did," I say staring straight ahead. It still hurts to talk about her but today we have too "Turns out there was nothing we could have done. A while back the doctors predicted she wouldn't live past the age of 18
Xavier POV:"Are you serious right now the wedding started 40 minutes ago" Daniel says as I stand beside him at the altar. Damn, why is he so uptight?"I had to take care of something" I smirk fixing my suit when I think about what just happened in her changing roomEven though Daniel and I aren't close at all, for Amari's sake I made him my best man. The music starts playing and all the guests stand up. Smiling I straighten up when see Amari by the archway. There’s a bunch of audible gasps when they see her. Suddenly feeling out of breath I wipe my hands down my suit pants. She looks breathtaking. She makes her way through the doors and my eyes widen even more Fuck me After Amanda falling in love was never in the cards for me. I had trust issues and ever since then, the girls I've been with were just there to suppress the hurt I have accustomed myself to. Practically a means to an end When I met Amari I wasn't looking for love it was a simple interaction that had to happen cause i
Daniel POV:Too many days have gone by and every time I try to talk to Amari about the cure something or someone distracts her from the conversationIt's her wedding day today so I had the gift hidden under the gifts table for safekeeping. I wanted to tell her one-on-one but now I'll just tell her when everyone is in the same room this evening"Daniel you look handsome" Turning I see Bella standing in the doorway looking every bit as stunning as she is "Thanks, Bella", looking at myself in the mirror I have to say having the girls wear caramel and the boys wear Mocha was a nice touch to the weddingAmari wanted the wedding to look like a coffee drink. According to Bella the last three months Amari has been obsessed with Starbucks so you can imagine there is even a Starbucks pop-up shop at the reception"You look beautiful, Bella," I say turning to face her and she smiles doing a complete 360. Wow just wow. Walking over to her I stop in front of her "Thank you" She hooks our hands an
Chapter 47: Pregnancy test? Snuggling closer to him, I plop some butter popcorn into my mouth. A scary scene comes up in the movie and I hide my face in his chest. “Is it gone? Tell me it’s gone” I ask, and he chuckles resting his head on the top of mine. “It’s gone, Tsvetok,” he says. I take a slight peak to find the scene gone. This was my first time watching a horror movie. I haven’t had much time to watch movies lately, so Shadow advised we watch his favorite horror together. Mama. It’s about a dead woman who adopts these two little girls after their father tries to kill them. I thought it was going to be cutesy, but instead, she started killing people and refusing for the little girls to go back into humanity. “I don’t like this anymore” I sob, watching the youngest girl getting pulled closer to the edge by the demon lady. Shadow turns the T.V. off and turns to me. “No more, see,” he says. I blow out a breath and I shove a handful of buttery popcorn into my mouth. “It was s
Amari POV: "Hey you can't go in there," the shop assistant says. Turning we look at very out-of-breath and exhausted Daniel"You came, "I say smiling. He scans me from head to toe and smiles "I saw your note on my bed and I just couldn't miss this. Roza, you look incredible" he says nearing me. The tears I thought wouldn't fall start to fall one by one"Aww roza don't cry," he says bringing me in for a hug"I'm sorry"I whisper and he plants a kiss on my forehead"Don't be I'm glad I'm here" he says squeezing me tighter"I am too, "I say embracing his warmth"Okay well enough of the shit show we should get going," Bella says clapping her hands. Daniel chuckles and he breaks the hug. Fixing myself I go back into the fitting room and take off the gownWalking back out Daniel already has my dress on a hanger. He hands it over to the lady and she takes the price tag to the counter"Oh I am so glad you found a dress," the shop assistant says scanning the tag"I loved every piece but this
Amari POV:Xavier and I ate breakfast then we took a shower together. He suggested we head into town but instead, he flew us to Italy. I should have known he didn't mean the local town in MoscowAfter landing he got us a car that dropped us off in a street filled with many boutiques. Turning to Xavier I looked at him in confusion. I thought we came to get the ring "What are we doing here," I ask and he smiles pecking my lips"Shopping spree," he says climbing out of the car and waiting for me to do so. Grabbing his hand I jump out of the car. Still surprised and slightly confused I look at all the beautiful buildings. I knew I was homesick but being here now is making me realize that I missed Italia "We didn't have to go to Italy for this, "I say hooking my arm on his"Well you're half Italian aren't you so let's see if you're any good" he walks us towards a boutique with cute pretty dresses. Opening the door the bell dingles and the lady by the counter walks up to us"Salve, come p
Bella POV:God, it's always the good-looking ones that are such pricks. Marching towards Daniel's room I start banging on his door and then I turn the handle "What t-" Cutting him off I march into his room and start my rant"I just can't believe Xavier is such an asshole not to mention you were right his not a good guy shit what is his deal" I scream flopping onto his bed bedside him. He is quiet for a while so I sit up to see him looking at me with sleepy eyes and bedridden hair "Bella what are you doing here" he groans in his morning voice and I only realize now that I woke him up. Oh shit "Shit I'm sorry I didn't realize you were asleep," I say and he yawns running a hand through his hair ruffling it even more. Why the hell does he have to be so sexy?"Fuck so Xavier's really here," he asked sitting up and resting his back on the headboard. Wait what’s that smell "Oh my god you reek of alcohol," I say pinching my nose. I was too busy ranting I didn’t even realize it smelled lik
Shadow POV:I never went back to our room last night and quite frankly I just sat in my office drinking my frustration away. But it's 6 am now and I promised Amari I'll do betterSecuring my robe around my waist I walk out of my office. I walk down the hallway and the staircase and I enter the kitchen. Seeing someone sitting on the counter I pull out my gun ready to shoot but then I see the blonde hair. Oh it’s Bella"Hey," I say and she jumps off the counter clutching her cereal bowl in freight"Holy shit" is what she says when she turns around to see me"Fuckin in hell" she curses as she puts her bowl of cereal down"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you," I say opening the fridge and taking out the eggs"Uhm no ar- are you making Amari breakfast," she asked with a wide grin on her face and I rolled my eyes. I don’t know Bella or how to feel about her but she’s Amari’s best friend she can’t be that bad "Oh. my. god," she says smiling like a crazy woman whilst shoving a spoon of cereal i
Amari POV: "What" I rasp closing my eyes shut when he reaches my lower abdomen. His lips hover over my clit and I fist the sheets the anticipation killing me."I'm sorry," he says kissing my inner thigh and I sigh not understanding where this is going"For what" I ask and he pauses"Look at me," he says growing serious. Rising a bit I rest my weight on my elbows so I'm looking at him"I'm sorry for how I acted back at the cabin I uhm," he says nervously, and now I sit up straighter so that I'm giving him my devoted attention"I have PTSD and I didn't take my meds," he says not even looking at me truly speaking I've never seen Shadow this sincere. I honestly don't know what to do. I’m shocked and relieved that his being vulnerable with me right now "A long time ago I promised myself that I wouldn’t and I couldn’t fall in love with someone but I can’t keep lying to myself about how I feel about you," he says staring into space and I go towards him. Grabbing his face I make him look at