Page 2 of College-Virgin & Dark Bully Next-Door

Considering he graduated near the top of his class in high school and is doing quite well studying finance in college, I know he’s not stupid.

Which means he’s angry.

On my behalf.

I reach out and squeeze his slender arm. “I love you for looking out for me. I’m going to miss you, especially since…”

Chase squeezes my hand, sighing knowingly. “I still can’t believe Mom did that to us.”

“I can’t believe it, either.” That slashing pain returns even more intensely this time. I drop the fork and push the bowl away.

None of us saw this coming. Mom was the glue that kept this family together. She was our nurse, our private chef, our therapist, filling this house with so much warmth and light. Oh, she loved to laugh, and you couldn’t help feeling happy and fuzzy whenever that musical sound filled the room. It was infectious. She was infectious. There was never a dull moment around her.

Then, she stopped laughing.

And smiling.

There was no more cooking. No nursing.

Mom stopped giving a listening ear.

She became withdrawn after a redundancy exercise at work left her jobless. I thought she would be happy staying at home. How many times did she express wanting to quit so she could take of us, anyway? I’m sure it’s not about the money since Dad’s landscaping company made enough to keep us afloat.

I didn’t understand it. None of us did.

Even witnessing her depression, we still weren’t prepared for what happened next. Getting home from school yesterday afternoon and seeing her empty side of the closet, all her personal effects gone, that note on her dresser, the memories will keep haunting me for a while.

My sweet, amazing family,

I love you. I just can’t do this anymore. Maybe one day you’ll understand and forgive me.

Mom

I hate that she signed it, ‘Mom’. She should’ve signed it, Claire, her legal name. Moms don’t abandon their families. They certainly wouldn’t have left such a short and cryptic note. We deserve more than a scribbled message on a piece of construction paper.

“Listen.” Chase clasps my shoulders, giving me a stare that reminds me of whenever he’s ready to give a pep talk. “We’re going to get through this, you hear me? Dad just needs a moment to handle this shock, but he’ll be here for you. I know that. Besides, I’ll only be a few hours away. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.”

“I know.”

My face crushes against his cotton shirt as he pulls me into a fierce hug, one that improves my mood a little, but I know it won’t be enough. Especially after he leaves.

Something tells me he’s wrong. It won’t get better. Dad won’t be here for me. The way he stormed out of the house after he saw the empty closet, not even checking if we were okay, not coming home until the wee hours of the morning, then leaving again without even a word to us, that’s very telling. At least, to me.

Chase thinks he needs a moment, but I suspect that, like Mom, he’s already checked out.

My cellphone vibrates on the counter next to us. My finger swipes across the screen, and I read the reminder from my best friend, Bonnie. Like I needed a reminder about going for that run with her later this evening. I wasn’t kidding when I told Chase about that wake-up call. I’m going to shed these pounds, even if it kills me.

And I’m going to survive living in this broken house.

At least, for the next two years.

Chapter 1

Ashton

Two Years Later

Back when I was ten, my Labrador Charlie got into a fight with an Alsatian from next door. Within minutes, he got his ass beat. From the front lawn, I watched, helpless, as he scurried across the street with his tail between his legs, completely defeated.

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