Never Giving Up
Never Series Book Two
Kristin MacQueen
Published by Kristin MacQueen, 2020.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Never Giving Up (Never Series Book Two)
Dedication
Warning
Playlist
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Want a bonus chapter?
Interview with your favorite characters
Author's Note
Stay connected with me!
Also by Kristin MacQueen
Never Giving Up – The Never Series Book Two
First edition. February 14, 2020.
Copyright ©2020 Kristin MacQueen.
Written by Kristin MacQueen.
Cover designed by Suite Six Studios.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by and electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
If you received a copy of this book from anywhere but Amazon, understand that it was posted without permission and is a pirated copy. Pirating is stealing. It absolutely hurts every author affected.
Dedication
To the real Pickle, I love you Bri.
Warning
Many topics in my book(s) are realistic and often there are themes not commonly touched in novels. Some of these themes may affect some more than others. Although this is still a YA novel, and the characters are younger, trauma in real life doesn’t take age into account. If sensitive to particular topics please visit my website where I will break down what topics are covered in each book. Please be advised that learning these topics could reveal/ruin different twists or character developments.
http://kristinmacqueen.com
Playlist
Homecoming Queen – Kelsea Ballerini
Version of me – Sasha Sloan
Monsters – Kate Sky
Leave her wild – Tyler Rich
You say – Lauren Daigle cover by Anthem Lights
Makin’ me crazy – Eric Ethridge
Ocean – Lady Antebellum
Inner Demons – Julia Brennan
Start again – Ally Barron
Somebody else – Katelyn Tarver
All the fucking time – Loote
Beautiful to me – Olly Murs
Pretty girl – Maggie Lindermann
Chapter One
Liam
MIRANDA SLIDES UP NEXT to me in our science class. I hate sitting next to her. She flirts and talks constantly. Miranda doesn’t care if the teacher is talking or if I’m trying to focus on something, she just blabs on and on.
“Did you see what Bianca was wearing this morning? I’ve seen underwear models cover more skin.”
I roll my eyes, letting out a quiet sigh. It’s only the start of my day and I’m ready for it to be over instantly.
“I mean, does she think that’s attractive? Is she hoping for a wardrobe malfunction? Slip a little nip to get the boys attention? It works for celebrities all the time, but c’mon, Bianca’s nothing special.”
“Oh my gosh! Please just shut up.” I groan, dropping my head on our shared desk. Why do you have to share a table in science? Every other class lets you have your own space.
“Ew, I wouldn’t put your head on the desk. What if the last idiots didn’t clean it well? Who knows what you’re getting on your skin.”
“Hopefully flesh-eating acid.” I peek up at her with annoyance.
Her brows furrow together in bemusement. She tilts her head to the side, examining me.
“Why would you hope for that?”
“Because, Miranda, maybe it would kill me and I wouldn’t have to talk to you for another second. If it doesn’t kill me, they’d have to at least let me go to the nurse’s office which would also get me away from you... so... it’s a win-win in my book.”
She lets out a loud huff, crossing her arms over her chest. I try my hardest to ignore how that movement pushes her breasts up even more. She’s giving me an amazing view.
I don’t look away fast enough, she catches me. Her lips curl into a devilish smirk. Her hand moves over her notebook, doodling on the cover like she does almost every day. I don’t understand how she doesn’t run out of space. She must bring extra notebooks just to doodle on.
Miranda’s surprisingly quiet for the first half of our class, but the second half is a completely different story. Her knee starts bouncing, hitting mine every so often. She taps her pencil on her notebook, her fingers drum against the table, until I finally snap.
“Sit still! You’re annoying the crap outta me.” I hiss under my breath.
“Mr. Hayes, is there an issue you’d like to share with the class?”
“Nope, just dealing with my lovely partner.” My words drip with sarcasm.
She scowls at me for a few moments before she picks her pencil up and starts doodling again.
After a few minutes, she slides her notebook in front of me, tapping the cover until I look down with a frown. In the top corner, she’s written Liam loves Miranda in a girly cursive, with a heart around it.
I roll my eyes; love is the last thing in the world I feel towards Miranda. I drag her notebook in front of me, tugging the cap of my pen off with my teeth. I scribble across the cover, taking up almost the entire front, Liam hates Miranda. I underline it a few times to emphasize my feelings, then slide it back in front of her. She’s quiet for the rest of the day.
“LIAM! WAIT UP!” THE second I hear her voice; I quicken my pace.
I’ve spent enough time with her already, I just want to get home. All of a sudden, the girl I avoid at any cost is at my side, staring up at me with big eyes. I let out a huff, why can’t she just leave me alone?
“What do you want, Miranda?”
“You know, you don’t have to act like you hate me all the time.”
“It’s not an act. I actu
ally hate you.” I’ve never been this blunt with a girl before, most would run away crying, but not Miranda. Nope. I swear every time I say I don’t like her; she just tries even harder.
“You see, you say that... but all I hear is You’re my best friend, Miranda. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She mimics my deep voice
“You’re absolutely delusional, do you know that?” I wonder if she’s crazy, like belongs in a white vest, in a padded white room, crazy.
“Pfft, I think you mean absolutely amazing!”
“What do you want, Miranda?”
“I just wanted to chat... You ok? You’ve seemed off lately.”
“You don’t care, Miranda. Just leave it.”
She doesn’t care about me or my life. Macy’s the only one that matters, the only one that cares. She’s my entire focus, I don’t have time to deal with anyone else.
“I know you don’t believe it, but I do care.” Her small hand grips my forearm, making me pause for a moment. “I’m serious, Liam. I’m here for you... I don’t know anyone here other than Frankie and Noah. Maybe we could try to be friends.”
“I’m not sure I can handle you, Miranda.” I roll my eyes, setting off again. I don’t have any time to spare today, I need to get home.
“Fine! Then we won’t be friends. You can hate me but I’m not going anywhere, Liam. Frankie and Noah are going to force us to be around each other. I figured it’d be nice if we were friends all on our own and not just forced to be around each other. But, whatever.”
I wave a hand over my shoulder, blowing her off. I don’t know how much clearer I can make things. I don’t want to be friends with her, I don’t want to deal with her crazy personality and unpredictable behavior. Noah’s right, I’m a control freak and can’t handle someone like Miranda.
I rub my hands together, it’s chilly today, makes me miss my car even more. I never thought about the luxuries I had until they were gone. My car, my cell phone, my free time. I had it all... then poof, it’s all gone.
A car slows behind me, but I pay no attention to it, too lost in my self-wallowing.
“Hey, handsome, whatcha doing walking?”
I freeze, shoulders slumping. Haven’t I dealt with her enough today?
“You can’t leave me alone, huh?”
“Get in the car, Liam.”
“Just go home, Miranda.”
“No! I’ll follow you the whole way to your house.”
“Why are you so stubborn?”
“I was born this way. Why do you hate me so much?”
“Why did you stop, Miranda?”
“Because even if you don’t care about me, I care about you. Get in the car, Liam.”
“If I do will you be quiet the whole way home?”
“Mmhmm.”
“You’re crossing your fingers, aren’t you?”
“No!” I narrow my gaze on her, she’s such a liar. “Fine! I was! We both know I can’t be quiet! That’s like asking you not to have a sexy smile, it’s just not possible.”
I glance around, trying to decide if I can run away fast enough that she won’t be able to catch me. But there are no short cuts from here, she’s going to be faster than me.
“I’m not joking, I’ll follow you home. It’s cold as balls out here, there’s no reason for you to walk if you don’t have to.”
“Fine.” I let out an exhausted sigh. “You can drive me home but you can’t ask any questions.”
She rolls her eyes in the dramatic way she does everything. She’s the most unique person I know... but not in a good way.
Chapter Two
Miranda
“WHERE DO YOU LIVE?”
Liam’s gaze snaps to me, his eyes narrow.
“You agreed to no questions.”
“How the hell am I supposed to drive you home if I don’t know where you live?”
“That’s another question.” He says in a singsong voice, a smirk pulls at the corners of his mouth.
“Oh my Lanta! You’re impossible, you know that, right?”
“Oh look, another damn question.”
“I swear, Liam, I’m gonna murder you in your sleep.”
“You can’t because you don’t know where I live.” He gives me a cheeky grin.
“That’s it.” I say, pulling over on the side of the road. I throw on my hazard lights, turning in my seat to face Liam and stare him down. His grin has faded, turned into a panicked expression. He scans his surroundings, trying to find a way out of this. “Either tell me where you live, or you can walk home from here.”
“I’ll walk.” He grumbles, reaching for the door handle. I slam my finger down on the lock button, smirking when he can’t open the passenger’s door. His eyes fly to mine.
“Child safety locks.” I shrug, examining my nails like I have all the time in the world. I don’t, I really need to get to the peewee cheer practice I said I’d help with.
“Miranda, let me out of the damn car.”
“Tell me what’s going on with you and I will.”
“No! You can’t hold me hostage until I do what you want.”
“Can’t I though? I mean, no one knows where you are. There would be no reason for people to check with me on your whereabouts. You’ve made it very clear to anyone who will listen, we aren’t friends. I think I could get away with holding you hostage for as long as I wanted.”
He glances at his watch, looking slightly more panicked.
“Please, Miranda, I need to get home. I’m late.”
“For what?”
“Look, I promise we can talk about this tomorrow but I need to get home now.”
I narrow my eyes on him, trying to figure out if he’s telling the truth or just saying that to make me take him home.
“How do I know you aren’t lying?”
“If I’m not home in three minutes I’ll be grounded for a month. Please, I’ll do almost anything to avoid being grounded.”
“If you’re lying and we don’t talk tomorrow, I’m gonna tell everyone you have a small dick.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” He moans, shaking his head in disbelief. “How did I ever get stuck with someone like you?”
“I think you mean how did you get so blessed to be friends with me.”
“We aren’t friends, Miranda. I don’t know why you keep pushing it, just let it go.”
My chest aches, I don’t know why it bothers me so much that he doesn’t want to be friends but it does. I’ve never cared what someone else thought of me but there’s something about Liam, it annoys me that he doesn’t like me.
“Whatever. Where do you live?”
“Take a left at the stop sign.”
I pull back into traffic, take a left at the stop sign and drive until he gives me his next instructions.
“Third house on the right.”
I pull up in front of a two-story house. It’s smaller than Frankie’s or Noah’s but it’s cute. Definitely not the type of house I’m used to. My parents prided themselves on our six-bedroom, seven bath home. Only it never felt like a home, it was always cold and unwelcoming. That’s the main reason I used to spend so much time at Frankie’s house. Her family’s always been warm and welcoming, the complete opposite of what I grew up with.
I shift the car into park, keeping my attention in front of me, completely ignoring Liam.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch him shifting uncomfortably in his seat, glancing my way every few seconds. I decide to put him out of his misery.
“Get out of my car, Liam. You’re three minutes are up.”
“Miranda...”
“Just get out.”
“We can talk tomorrow.” His voice holds an almost pleading tone to it.
“Forget it. You don’t want to be friends, I’m done trying.”
Tears prick the back of my eyes, surprising the hell out of me. I don’t cry when people make me feel unwanted, my own parents don’t want me. I throw on my best cheer smile
and act like it doesn’t bother me at all. I bottle up all that emotional crap and power through.
Liam stares at me for another moment, his mouth opening and closing several times before he says anything.
“Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He shuts the door softly but it vibrates through the air with a finality. The door on our friendship is shut, it’s over.
Chapter Three
Liam
I DON’T UNDERSTAND why Miranda’s so upset. When we pull up to my house, she refuses to look at me, she’s obviously pissed but I can't do anything to fix this right now, I need to get inside before I get in trouble.
I tell her thanks, jump out of the car and head to the door. Right before I go inside, I glance over my shoulder. My heart plummets to my stomach when she wipes a tear off her cheek. My feet are stuck in their place, the front door’s opened but I make no effort to get inside. I can't pull my attention away from the girl in front of me.
I never thought I’d see Miranda cry, especially not because I don’t want to be friends with her. It’s not that I don’t want to be friends, I just don’t know how to do it... with her. She’s unpredictable, a loose cannon and I don’t need that in my life right now. I have enough crap to deal with as it is.
She drives off without a glance in my direction, I'm surprised when it bothers me even more. What the hell is wrong with me?
I shake my head, snapping myself out of it. I hurry inside, throwing my school bag on the couch. I have forty-five minutes to get dinner ready. Pulling vegetables, chicken and some leftover rice out of the fridge, I toss it all on the island, then wash my hands. I cut the peppers and onions into thin slices, put them in the fry pan and get to work on the chicken. I dice it up into small pieces, adding it to the vegetables.
I grab my school bag, bringing it into the kitchen with me and start on my homework. I won't have a lot of time with having to take Macy to cheer tonight. I love my baby sister but taking on the responsibilities of a parent is hard.
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