Page 1

Prologue

Jayden

Eighteen Years Old

––––––––

Tink!

A pebble hit my window, causing me to lift my head. Still achy and sore, I dragged myself out of bed and waddled over, pushing the glass open to find Blue looking up at me.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Being more adventurous, what does it look like?” Her smile invaded me just like it always did, making my body warm from head to toe.

“You realize my dad isn't home, he's still in jail.” Smirking, I glanced towards the front door. “You could have just knocked.”

Sneering, Blue shrugged her shoulders. “But this is more fun than me tapping on the door, isn't it?”

“I guess,” I said, waving my hand for her to come inside.

Slowly, I went down the stairs, unlocking the door to let her in. Blue leaned forward and softly kissed my cheek, then rested her back against the door frame.

“You coming in or what?” I asked, taking a step to the side to give her room to pass by.

“Is your sister here?” Poking her head in, she looked around.

“No, CPS took her after my father got arrested.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I shifted on my feet. “She's better off with them, her life will be shit if she has to stay here with him any longer.”

“Why didn't they take you?”

“Because I'm eighteen.”

“Right,” she said, shaking her head. “I forgot you're an adult now.”

Leaning against the door frame, I kept my eyes on her. She was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. It was crazy that even after all this time, I still found more and more beauty in her.

I loved the way her smile had changed slightly over the years as we got older. When we were younger, her smile was so big it showed all her teeth, putting that space between her two front teeth on display.

Now, her lips would part, her smile thinner, protecting that space she decided to hate. But I knew it was still there, no matter how much she tried to hide it. And I loved it, because it was a part of her.

The freckles on her nose had transformed from a few across the bridge to more than I could count, running over the tops of her cheeks. Each one of those freckles were different in some way, and yet all of them made up the face I loved.

“Are you alright?” she asked, softening her gaze as her shoulders slouched.

“Alright with what?”

“With everything—with your sister being gone, with your father—”

Holding up my hand, I cut in. “I'm fine, Blue. Beth is better off, she doesn't deserve this, she deserves more, she's always deserved more. At least she's still young enough to have somewhat of a decent childhood.”

Nodding, Blue folded her lips down. “You might be right, but what about the two of you? Will you be able to see each other?”

“Yeah, the social worker who came to see me in the hospital said we'd be able to visit and stuff, so it'll be good.”

“I'm glad.” Reaching out for my hand, she curled her fingers around mine. “I have something for you, come with me.”

“Where are we going?”