Page 29 of Ride or Die (The Shores #1)

CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

FUCK FAMILY

LAYLA

It's cold out, so Colton has me dress in warm, comfy clothes with my boots, jacket, hat, and mitts. He grabs a bag from the kitchen he must have packed when I was in the shower and we head out to the car.

We take a drive into the countryside. Colton pulls off onto a private gravel road that leads to a park with walking trails.

There hasn’t been much snow yet, but out here, there’s a bit more than in the city.

The trees are capped just enough to make for beautiful scenery.

We pull into a parking lot overlooking a cliff and down into the forest below.

I look around at the serenity and wonder why he has brought me here.

"You brought me out here to kill me? I was right. You were a psycho all along," I tease, arching my brow skeptically.

He laughs and leans into the back seat, pulling out a paper gift bag and placing it in my lap. He gestures to the bag with a mischievous grin.

“What is it? The gun you're going to execute me with?” He rolls his eyes.

“Yes, Lay. I brought you here to kill you and am giving you the gun beforehand." He shakes his head, smiling at me. "Just open the fucking thing.”

I tilt my head, watching him suspiciously as I open the bag and pull out a professional-looking camera. My eyes shoot up to his, confused.

“This was mine for our high school photography class. You’ve mentioned being interested but not being able to afford a professional camera, so I figured it was time to pass on mine so you can practice.

I still owe you that date from our quiz competition, so we’re going on a hike and having a picnic down by the lake.

” He smiles sweetly, and my mouth drops.

“Colton, I-I…” I’m speechless. This is so fucking sweet. I had completely forgotten about our bet.

“Don’t thank me. You do way too much for me, and you’re absorbed into this fucked-up world because of me. I love you and want to share your interests, so we’re going to spend today capturing beautiful things.” I place my hand on his cheek, my eyes filled with pure adoration.

“Thank you,” I whisper, and he smiles.

“You’re welcome. Now bundle up!” He throws on his gray toque, and his perfect black hair peeks out the bottom.

We hop out of the car, zipping our jackets and putting on our gloves. Colton grabs the bag from the trunk, and we head to the trail. It takes a few minutes to learn how to adjust the camera, but with Colt’s help, I get the hang of it.

A peaceful silence settles between us as we walk along the path, absorbing nature and waiting for moments to capture on film.

I get a photo of a squirrel eating a tree nut on a snowy log.

At a viewing point, I stop to capture the whole landscape in the valley below us, the snow-capped trees and gray sky giving a moodiness to it all.

Snow crunches under our feet as we continue down the hillside, reaching the small lake.

It’s just begun to freeze over, the thin sheen of fresh ice as clear as glass.

Colt clears off a giant rock and places a blanket over it to rest our bums. He pulls out a canteen and two metal cups.

When he opens it, the rich scent fills my nostrils.

“Mmm…hot cocoa?” I ask excitedly.

“Yup, and cookies. We’ll have a snack, then head back up?” He pours me a cup with a grin on his face.

“Sounds perfect,” I say, taking the warm cup between my palms. It’s nice, but it doesn’t compare to the warm fuzzies Colt has given me today.

He settles with his drink and we lean against each other, admiring the nearly frozen lake, backdropped by the snowy trees behind it. I rest my head on his shoulder and take a deep breath, enjoying the calmness of the moment. Being in a place like this, it's as if our real lives don't even exist.

I take a few more photos before we hike back up the hill. Despite the cold, I’m warm all over. This experience has made me fall more in love with Colton, if that’s even possible.

After our hike, Colt drives me back to my house so I can grab a few more things to take to his place, heading home to start dinner while I pack.

Still smiling after our relaxing day in nature, I walk in the front door and am immediately bombarded by my mom, who looks completely strung out.

I’ve known for years that my parents sometimes use drugs. Drug addicts think they hide it well, but today it couldn’t be more obvious. She looks fucked up.

“Where have you been? Huh? We haven’t seen you in weeks!” she shrieks, her eyes wild as she paces and anxiously fiddles with her hands.

“We never saw each other to begin with! Why do you care all of a sudden?” I say sharply.

“You owe us rent money! And you keep this place clean. That’s your part in our arrangement, and this place is a fucking mess!" she yells, looking around, her arms waving at the mess they created.

“Arrangement? We’re supposed to be a family, not some business transaction. I’m not your personal maid!” I shake my head repeatedly. I can’t believe my ears.

It’s not like we have a close-knit family to begin with, but we’re still blood. We mind our own business. Why the fuck she thinks she can speak to me this way when I’ve literally spent my life trying to not be a burden to them is beyond me.

“I worked my ass off to pay for my schooling so you didn’t have to worry about me.

I give you whatever money I can from my job to pay for food and rent.

I only did that cleaning shit because I was the only one ever around and didn’t want to live in your mess!

I didn’t do it out of the goodness of my heart!

So no, I’m not going to clean up the mess that all of you created while I wasn’t even here. You can go fuck yourself!”

She grabs my arm, her pointy fingers digging into my skin, and stares at me with emotionless eyes.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" I spit through gritted teeth, trying to rip my arm from her grasp, but she's holding on so tight her knuckles are turning white.

"Don’t you fucking speak to me like that, you brat!" she shouts, slapping me across the face. I'm momentarily taken aback as I realize what she just did. I'm stunned but not surprised.

Anger and adrenaline fill me and I twist my arm, wrangling myself out of her grasp with a move Colton taught me. When I’m free, I forcefully shove her in the chest, making her stumble back into the kitchen table.

Her chest heaves, her expression dumbfounded that I would dare to stand up to her. Before she can retaliate, I storm upstairs, jamming as many clothes and personal items as possible into a bag.

I am not fucking staying here another minute.

I’m going to move all of my shit into Colt’s house, somewhere I’m actually wanted.

Once my bag is full, I run down the stairs, bolting for the door.

My mom shoots up from her chair in the kitchen, knocking it over, her cigarette filling the room with smoke.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she shouts, in attack mode again. “Get in here and do your fucking chores!”

“I’m not staying here anymore. I’m going somewhere I’m appreciated. You can take care of yourselves instead of expecting me to do it.” With narrowed eyes, she watches me grab a couple more items from the front hall closet and living area.

“You get that Hawthorne kid to send us money to pay for your half of things!”

I spin to glare at her. This horrible woman who’s supposed to be my mother.

“What?”

“Well, since you’re not staying here or contributing anymore, we need the money for bills somehow, or we’ll be homeless. All because of you! I know what he does for a living. He can afford to send us some money!” she shrieks, then chews her nails. I can’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“No. No way. He’s not paying your way. Not when you’re wasting your money on drugs and god knows what else.

Ask your other daughter to pick up the slack.

Maybe if she spent less time fucking and more time working, you’d have another cash cow to milk.

” With that, I turn and walk out the door, slamming it behind me as she screams obscenities after me.

I pick up my pace, nearly running down the street to Colt’s. When I arrive, he’s standing in the garage working, but I run right past him and up to his room. I drop my bags and dive face first onto his bed, sobs wracking my body. My perfect day with him was ruined by that bitch.

Not long after, soft footsteps creak across the floor, the mattress dipping as he sits on the bed beside me.

His warm palm touches my back, rubbing soft circles until I calm down enough to sit up.

Taking a deep breath, I look him in the eyes and tell him what happened, watching as his stormy blues fill with anger.

He caresses my red cheek, fingers tracing the handprint, and a furious growl rumbles in his chest.

“Who the fuck do they think they are? You’re not even there!

They expect you to do their chores and me to pay their bills?

Then she put her hands on you?! Fuck it, I’m going there and putting that bitch in her place!

” he shouts, grabbing his jacket and storming out of his room before I can stop him.

I chase after him. “Colt, please don’t! I don’t want you getting involved!” I pull on his arm, but he keeps walking, pulling me along.

“I’m sick of them treating you like shit!

She hit you! I’m not sitting on the sidelines watching that shit happen to you anymore.

You deserve some fucking respect! I told you I'd protect you.

I told you no one would fuck with you anymore, and they just did, so that means I'm going to fuck them up!” he booms, pointing down the stairs.

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me!" I shout, letting go of his arm.

He stops, anger and confusion warring in his eyes.

I take a deep breath. “Babe, please. It’s not worth your time.

They’re junkies, they’re using again. You can't discuss anything with them when they're like that. I’ll just make sure to never go over when they’re home.

Just…please don't. Soon we’ll be leaving them and all this shit behind,” I say sadly, tears rolling down my cheeks.

His face softens, and his eyes fill with sympathy. With an audible exhale, he reaches for me, pulling me against his chest. His lips find my hair, and he holds me close, comforting me.

Every day we stay here, I see larger cracks in my family life that I hadn’t noticed before. I was so naive and sheltered myself from everything. But the hardest part of all of this is realizing that I’ve spent my entire life with a family that never cared. None of them ever loved me at all.