CHAPTER 1

KAYLA- 18 YEARS OLD, A FEW DAYS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.

"I miss you already," I whined, leaning in to get a better view of my boyfriend.

His green eyes sparkled with mischief before he cupped my jaw and planted a kiss on my lips, and as he retreated to look into my eyes, all I could think about was how much I loved this boy.

Aidan was the complete definition of a bad boy, with striking green eyes, tattoos littered all over his body, and a reputation that preceded his name.

He was everything my mom detested and more.

And I loved every second I spent with him.

Aidan and I were just coming back from a party a buddy of his had thrown, and he was parked right in front of my mom's driveway, and it was all out of our rebelliousness.

I leaned further into his hand on my jaw and whimpered a little when his eyes drifted from my parted lips to my eyes and back to my lips again.

"I love you," He whispered huskily into the quiet car, and everything in me clenched tightly. He trailed a finger down my right arm. "Your eyes are so pretty; you are so fucking beautiful, Kayla."

I had always been insanely attracted to Aidan and his nonchalance. Mira, my best friend, once mentioned that it was because we were complete opposites and I had always had a dark side buried deep inside me, hence the insane attraction.

And I always brushed her off.

"I love you more," I responded with a tiny voice while trying so hard to swallow the huge lump stuck in my throat.

Aidan chuckled, gazing at me like I had stars in my eyes. "You have to go in, babe." He took a deep breath in and released my jaw, saying, "I don't want your mom starting a search party."

It was my turn to let out a sigh. "You're right, I do have to go."

I leaned over to give him a small kiss, and he smiled. "Goodnight."

His eyes drifted close when I ran my hand through his soft and silky black hair. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

We spent long seconds looking into each other's eyes, and I suddenly took my gaze when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing, followed by a cold, heavy stare.

And I groaned, immediately knowing who it was. "I have to go."

I didn't let Aidan respond before opening the car door and stepping out, and with the stormy expression he had etched on his face, he knew who it was already.

"You have to go; I don't want Mike to find you here. Please." I quickly rushed out before tapping on the roof of his car twice as a sign for him to hurry up. And in seconds, he drove away with the tires of his car screeching with his speed.

I took a deep breath in, prepping myself for the earful I was going to get, before I turned around and began to walk up to the front porch.

A sly smile graced my lips when the tall, angry frame of my mother appeared. She was standing in front of our huge double doors with her arms crossed and her jaw clenched.

"Hellooo to you too, mom." I sang when she shot me a glare, and I walked to her with an extra spring in my steps while she glared harder.

I smiled harder when her face turned a redder shade.

My mom was a tall, beautiful woman with strawberry-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She was the perfect picture of a Barbie doll, and her third husband, Mike, fit the picture of Barbie's Ken.

They were a striking couple in the public eye.

The only thing I got from her was her strawberry blonde hair, but my heterochromia was all from my dad.

"I cannot believe you, Kayla." She fumed immediately as we stepped into the cold and pristine living room. "I can't believe that you still chose to sneak out of my house, way past your bedtime, to go to a party in the other part of town with those rabid dogs!"

Yup.

That was my mom for you.

Elizabeth Warner Buffet.

I kept on walking, refusing to pay her any attention until I saw Mike standing in front of the stairway. I moved to go through the other route, and my mom seized me by my elbow and spun me around to face her red, flaming face.

"Is this what you want?! Huh?" She grabbed my shoulders, jerking my whole body with her rage.

"Mum-"

"Why the fuck are you so hellbent on humiliating this family?" She sobbed, pushing me away, and I stumbled as I tried to find my footing.

"You call this a family?" It was my turn to scream. "I'm ashamed you can even call this a family."

"I've done everything to build and make us who we are today, Kayla, and you are certainly not going to ruin everything I've built because of your rebelliousness." She raked a hand through her hair and sighed, moving to stand beside Mike so they were both facing me.

It has always been them against me.

"What do you think people will say when they see you together with the town's delinquents?" Her voice had reduced to a lower octave, and as her cold blue eyes looked at me, I briefly wondered where the warmth from years ago went. "What exactly do you think they'll say when they realize the Mayor's daughter, Kayla Buffet, has a sleeve of tattoos, smokes pot, parties every fucking night, and fucks anything that gives her the time of the day?"

"Step," I reminded her, the tips of my ears flaming with rage. "The Mayor's stepdaughter."

"That's not an answer to my question, Kayla." She snapped, tightening the hot pink Gucci robe around her slim body in defense.

"I'm not going to answer because, honestly? I don't give a fuck about any of you." I tried to take a deep breath, but nothing was working. "I am so fucking sick and tired of your political bullshit and the fucking pedophile you call a husband. I am so done with you, mom!"

"What are you talking about?" My mom blinked at me and then at Mike, who had been quiet the whole time.

She had the guts to look clueless about the whole topic.

I scoffed and walked into the kitchen, needing the space all of a sudden. I took a glass cup, went to the tap, filled it with water, and drank the whole thing.

"Give me a fucking break, mom!" I snapped, slamming my hands on the cold glass counter as they followed me to the kitchen too. "Don't tell me you've never noticed the prolonged stares your dear husband, Mike, has on my ass anytime I pass by." I gave her stony expression a sarcastic smile of my own. "Or is it the way his sleazy eyes have always followed me ever since you got married to this fucking pervert?!" This time I released a dry chuckle. "Or is it the way he fucking gropes me every single time since we moved here, and anytime I bring up the fucking conversation, you always shut me out?! Which is it, dear mother?" I moved closer to them, and I noticed the sleazy, short bastard shuffling behind her.

I scoffed again.

Pussy.

"Kayla, I -" My mom started, reaching out in an attempt to grab me.

"That's not an answer to my fucking question, mom." I bit out, glaring at her.

"That's enough, Kayla." The shaky voice of Mike Buffet boomed over us.

And I immediately sent a glare his way. My whole body was shaking with rage. "I was definitely not talking to you, Mr -"

"Can't you fucking listen for once, Kayla?!" My mom screeched; her whole face was burning red with rage, and she looked like she could murder me in order to keep me mute.

And right now, it felt like she would.

I staggered back. "Did you even listen to a word I said?"

"Your daughter needs to leave my house right now, Elizabeth," Mike spoke up again; he grabbed her skinny arm, and I watched as she winced. "She needs to leave before she causes more damage to me. I didn't sign up for a mentally unstable stepdaughter when I married you." He gave her a pointed look. "She needs to go, Elizabeth."

I watched as my mom's gaze flickered between us, and as she settled her gaze on me, I knew she had her mind made up already.

I knew who she chose even before she opened her botox lips.

"I'll call your grandma to let her know you're on your way home." She finally said.

And for once, her eyes actually flickered with something similar to sympathy.

But I refused to believe it was for me.

Suddenly, I burst out into laughter.

All the accolades should be given to my mom, Elizabeth Warner Buffet, for being the best mother in the whole fucking universe.

"You don't have to." I shook my head, my voice cold and detached, and I wrapped my arms around myself. "I'll sort myself out."

And as I looked at Mike, the short, balding bastard who had an arm wrapped protectively around my mom while they stared at me like I was the villain, I realized that, once again, I'd been kicked to the curb by my own fucking family.

I cleaned up the tears mixed with mascara trailing down my face and nodded at her. "Goodbye, mum."

With one look at my mom, who was crying but made no effort to stop me, I walked out of their lives for fucking good.

Immediately I stepped outside, I slipped my cell phone from my jacket, and I punched in the only number that mattered to me right now.

"Hello?" He sounded like he was in bed already, and I felt bad for waking him up to come pick me up from this mess.

And it wasn't until I spoke that I realized how much I was hurt by my mother's actions. "Can you come to pick me up?" My voice cracked as I spoke, and it made me more angry.

She didn't deserve my tears, my hurt, or any fucking emotion from me.

And as I waited for Aiden to come pick me up, seated on the sidewalk, some part of me, the little girl in me, hoped that my mom would step out and stand with me and believe me.

But I hushed her and shoved her somewhere dark.

Elizabeth didn't deserve us.

I kept on crying, and I didn't notice Aiden was parked in front of me until his black boots stepped into my view.

And as he crouched down and brushed my bangs out, I got a whiff of feminine perfume.

But I paid no heed to it.

Aiden was the only person I had left, and I wasn't going to ruin what we had because of my insecurities.

Not this time.