Never say forever (Never series Book 1)

by Taylor, Courtney A.

  “Shhh. You’re okay now.”

  That voice sounded vaguely familiar but I can’t seem to put a name to the voice. I’m okay now? What does that even mean? I am locked in a dark room with someone and I can’t see or focus. I’m pretty sure I was okay before. I try to speak but the words won’t come. Why can’t I talk? Why do I seem as if I am immobile? I feel a hand push me to lie on the bed. Hands started moving up and down my body and I can’t stop it. I try to scream but one of the hands that was on my body clamps down on my mouth and I slowly start to lose consciousness. My hands and feet won’t move, everything is dark, I can’t see anything. I feel the zipper being tugged on my skirt and then everything went completely black.

  ***

  Aiden

  After school, I came home to meet Dad before heading out. I can drive but he needs me just as much as I need him. Today is the anniversary when my mother was taken from our lives. It was an extremely hard day, but I have to somehow cope with it. I know over time the hurt will subside and my days will become easier, but today it’s just painful. I see my dad finishing up so we can leave. I can see him start to fidget. I know he’s nervous, scared and a little depressed. I know this because I can feel it, too. This is not something I want to do today. But no matter what, I have to suck it up. I have to learn to deal with it. We enter the car and since I know that my dad is an emotional wreck, I offer to drive. As I’m heading on the freeway towards the cemetery she is buried at. I glance at my dad and see all the emotion displayed on his face. He doesn’t say a word, doesn’t mutter anything. He is completely silent. I want to say something to him to draw him out of his misery, but I don’t. I don’t want to force him out of some happy moments he may be thinking of in the past. I think staying silent is best at this time. We enter the cemetery and I park near her tombstone. I know it’s a struggle to get out the car but it has to be done.

  “You ready, Dad?”

  He sits there silent for a moment as if he hadn’t heard me. I start to open the door and he finally snaps out of it. It takes him a minute to gather up the courage to leave the car. We both walk slowly up to the grave, flowers in hand. Her grave is a big silver-gray tombstone that reads:

  Theresa Marie Clark

  May 28, 1967 – September 27, 2013

  Beloved wife of Tim Clark and beloved mother of Aiden Clark

  May her soul Rest In Peace

  I feel the tears immediately start to form. I know she’s gone but seeing it written right in front you really brings that to life. I look to my left and I’m saddened by watching my dad have a breakdown. He is kneeling on the grass in front, tears streaming down his face.

  “My Theresa, I miss you so much. Life is not the same without my sweetheart next to me. Why did God have to take you away from me? I had plans to grow old with you. All I want is to see your beautiful face. That’s all I ask. I still remember the way you smell after one of your aromatherapy baths. It is a smell I will never forget. It’s so hard to live day to day without you. I miss your amazing cooking and the way you would smile when you were sarcastic with me. Those moments enlarged my heart and made me love you even more....”

  He punched the ground out of frustration and then raised his hands to his face to cover the sobs and cries escaping his body. I went up to him and wrapped my arms around him. It’s the only thing I could do, the only thing I thought my calm him down.

  “It’s okay, Dad. I know this is tragic. I feel the same way that you do. All we can do is wish her peace and hope to see her another day. It may be awhile, but she’s awaiting her king. You are her king, Dad. No matter what. She may have to wait forty years but she will wait. That’s how much she loves you. We got through the accident, which was worse than dealing with this. We can get through this too. I’m here, right by your side. As long as you need me,” I promised as I hugged him.

  He stands there motionless for a few minutes still sobbing before he fully registers everything I just said.

  “You are just like your mother. I am so glad that your here. I don’t know what I would do without you. Your kindness and personality remind me of your mother and I’m thankful for that. You may look like me but you act like your mother and that’s all I could ask for. I’m ready to go home. I can’t be here anymore,” he stated as he brought his hand up to wipe the tears away while he walked towards the car.

  I turned around and placed the flowers on the grave.

  “I love you, Mom. Always and forever.”

  I look down and still feel sorrow, but I need to get back to the car before my Dad breaks down again. I go into the car and drive home. I feel bad for being late to the party but my Dad needs me. If he’s not going to be okay, I’m going to have to cancel. I know I promised Serena that I would be there and I don’t want to go back on my word, but how can I tell my dad I’m leaving him on the most devastating days to go see a girl?

  We make it home and he grabs a drink and goes right to woodworking.

  “Aiden, why don’t you go hang out with your friends.”

  “I don’t want to leave you alone, Dad. This is a tough time for both of us.”

  “I want to be alone with my thoughts right now. I don’t want you to see how less of a man I am,” he said as he was getting his wood ready.

  “Dad, you know I don’t see you as less of a man. You are the man. It’s okay for a man to cry, especially over the love of his life. I don’t think less of you, I swear.”

  I know it’s probably going nowhere. My dad is very stubborn. When he wants something, he gets it.

  “Please, Aiden. I just want to be alone right now,” he begged. I can see his eyes are glassy again, so I give in.

  “Okay. I’ll see you in a little while. Love you, Dad,” I said as I walked out the door. I turned around to look at him.

  “I love you too, Son,” he said without even looking up.

  I see the devastation written all over his face. It kills me to leave him alone in this state. I know he won’t do anything to hurt himself. He didn’t when the accident happened. This is just his way of coping. He likes to be alone and I will respect that.

  I walk out to the car and head to the beach house where the party is being held. I throw on some music and get lost in the beat to get my mind off things. I arrive at the house and it looks nice. I love the beach in back. Maybe Serena and I can go for a walk along the shore later. Wishful thinking, I know. I enter the house and there are people everywhere. It’s hard to even walk through the place without bumping heads with someone. I start looking for Serena and Larissa. There’s so many people it’s hard to spot them.

  “Aiden you made it,” Larissa said. She seems very giddy, which means she’s had quite a few to drink.

  “Hey Larissa, Where’s Serena?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. She was on the dance floor. You should have seen her, man. She let loose and had fun. I can’t even tell you the last time she did that. Oh, and when you see her you can thank me for making her drop dead gorgeous.” She smiled at me.

  “When was the last time you seen her?” I asked frantically, disregarding what she was saying. I didn’t want to be rude but I need to find Serena first. She’s my top priority right now. I have a bad feeling about this. I hope I’m wrong.

  “About five minutes before you came, I left the dance floor to use the bathroom and when I came back she was gone. Maybe she went outside to get some fresh air. You know her. She doesn’t like the party scene. She’s probably mingling by herself down the beach,” she told me.

  Before going outside, I glanced around the room looking for any sign of her. No luck. I rush outside and start asking random people if they’ve seen her. Some people don’t even know who she is. Until I ask one person, someone must have overheard.

  “The girl with the wavy brown hair? Yeah I seen her. Jeremy was walking her up to one of the rooms. She looked like she was drunk. I think he was letting her rest until the alcohol wears off,” some guy said.

  I didn’t even
get his name because I immediately bolted through the house and up the stairs.My mind is racing. Please God, let her be okay. I hope to god he hasn’t touched her. I don’t know if I can hold my temper back especially on a day like today. I start opening doors and checking. I keep walking in to different people having orgies. No one seems to mind people are walking in on them. They don’t even care. Some people have no shame. I get to a door and it’s locked. I tried to listen through the door but I can’t hear much. I walk back and put all my force at the door, and the door breaks free. I walk in and I’m not ready for the scene in front of me. I see red. My beautiful Serena is on the bed with her skirt around her ankles and her shirt pulled up to her head. Jeremy is lying on top of her, one hand roughly grabbing her breast and the other one appears to be between her legs. The force from the door opening caused him to lift his head and he had a grin on his face that I wanted to punch right off his face. He still had clothes on but I didn’t see if his pants were unzipped but I waste no time. I grab him off her and slam him into the wall so that I am face to face with him.

  I scream in his face, “What the fuck is wrong with you?! Don’t you ever touch her again! She doesn’t like you. You just wait until someone’s drunk to fuck them? Is that the only way you get laid?! DON’T punch fucking punch touch punch her punch again punch.”

  As the last punch blows him, I get grabbed from behind. I turn around and there’s Larissa.

  “Aiden, you have to stop. You will kill him if you don’t,” her voice is jittery, she must be scared.

  “I don’t care. Look what he did to Serena! He deserves to rot in hell!” I say as I look over at Serena, and my heart breaks just looking at her.

  She is completely unconscious. Her beautiful face, frozen on the bed while her body was just mangled and used for Jeremy’s pure satisfaction. My heart aches just knowing that someone had done this to her. I look over at the slumped body of Jeremy and notice that indeed his pants were zipped, meaning he didn’t get very far.

  Larissa looks over at Serena and judging by her look I know something is up. She looks petrified.

  “Aiden, she only had one drink. She can’t be drunk. I think she was drugged. I think this was Jeremy’s plan all along!” she cried out.

  “If he touches her again, I will kill him. He’s lucky he isn’t dead now. He can thank you for that.”

  I look over at Jeremy again and his face is bloody and he seems to be unconscious, but I couldn’t care less. All I care about is getting Serena out of this house and somewhere safe. Luckily Larissa came. I really don’t want to end up in prison for murder. I would miss Serena too much. I walk over to Serena and I just want to kill Jeremy because of the state she’s in. I pull her shirt over her head and pull her skirt up. I lift her up and carry her out back. Larissa follows me. I lie her down in the sand and stand up running my hands through my hair, gritting my teeth and pulling at my hair.

  “Fuck, Larissa we have to call the cops.”

  She looks at me in fear, “No, we can’t! They will arrest all of us for drinking. We can’t let her Mom know what happened. The cops aren’t going to do anything. He didn’t rape her. They will just think she was doing drugs on her own since this is a huge party. I don’t want her Mom thinking she went down the wrong track. She didn’t even want to go to this party.”

  I don’t know what to do. I lie her head in my lap and start running my hands through her hair as a bit of comfort. I know she can’t feel it but it is also comforting me because her hair is so soft and any inclination that she may feel it just makes me feel that much better.

  “We either stay here until she wakes up or we go in the car or go somewhere else.”

  Larissa looks at me. “Let’s just stay right here. She’ll probably be more comfortable waking on the beach.”

  “Ya know, I wasn’t going to come today. My Dad is going through a rough time and I wanted to be there for him. He told me to go see my friends, that he needed to be alone. I’m glad I came. If I hadn’t, he would have succeeded at raping her, and I would never let myself live with that regret,” I said as I was caressing her face and hair.

  “You really like her, don’t you?” she asked with a twinkle in her eyes. She can sense it.

  “Yeah, you can say that. I know she doesn’t want a boyfriend though, so I’ll settle for being her friend,” I told her as I was looking down at Serena, hoping she would open her eyes. I long to see those violet eyes.

  “You’re a good guy. In time, she will be yours. Just be the best friend you can be. She’ll open up to you. I think you would be good for her,” Larissa said.

  I’m really glad that I got to become friends with these two. They changed my experience at this new school for the better. Now if only my Violet would open her eyes, I could see beauty once again.

  Chapter 4

  Serena

  I begin to wake but can’t seem to open my eyes. They feel very heavy. My stomach is queasy, as if I just rode the tilt-a-whirl five times straight. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never felt like this before. I heard people whispering, or maybe they’re talking, but I feel as if I’m far away. Why is everything so distant? I open my eyes and I saw another set of eyes that scared the shit out of me. Literally. I sat up and vomited. Oh how I hate puke. That drink was good going down, not so good coming up. Once my body was done with this vile reaction, I began to get the shivers. A jacket was placed over my shoulders and arms wrapped around me from behind. Fear overwhelms me and I wretch myself from the arms that are trying to hold me. I turn around and there’s Aiden, trying to comfort me. How can he put his arms around me after I just threw up all over the place? I feel disgusting, and I don’t have a mirror on me but I’m pretty sure I don’t look all that good.

  “I’m glad you’re up Serena.”

  What does he mean by that? Why did I fall asleep at a party? Looking around I’m not too sure what’s going on. How did I end up on the beach? Did Aiden have something to do with me passing out and somehow winding up on a beach? The bigger question is, can I really trust him? I don’t remember anything. He could have done something to me without my knowledge. I don’t remember coming outside.

  “You made it to the party, Aiden. Sorry I couldn’t be a party animal. I must have crashed before you got here.”

  I can’t believe I passed out before Aiden got here. Or did I? My head is beginning to throb from all the confusion and the questions I can’t seem to answer.

  “Serena, I need to speak with you. But, later when we can talk alone. It’s very important.”

  Hmm. I wonder what’s eating away at his brain. Did something happen to him? Or maybe our friendship is ruined? Did he do something to me tonight that he is regretting and trying to get it off his chest? I’m a little scared and nervous. I hope he gets this off his chest soon. I see him grab his phone and text someone quickly.

  “Where’s Larissa?” I worry.

  I know we came to the party together and I woke up on a beach with just me and Aiden. That alone has me scared that something happened. Why wouldn’t Larissa be with her best friend? Why am I waking to a guy? I know he has become one of my best friends but in reality we haven’t known each other long.

  “She went to go get you some water. She was sitting out here the whole time with me waiting for you to wake up. A minute before you woke, she went inside to grab you water in case you were thirsty when you woke,” he said.

  I feel a bit relieved knowing she was here, too. Maybe he is just looking out for me. Just as he finished I saw Larissa heading our way with a glass of water. He was telling me the truth after all. Maybe I can trust him.

  “Serena, you’re up! Here, drink some water.”

  She hands me the glass and I gulp the liquid down as if I haven’t had a drink in ages. It’s delicious going down and really gets rid of the acidic taste in my mouth from vomiting. I still have a bad taste and desperately need some mouthwash but the water did the trick for the time being.

  “Wh
at time is it?” I ask, because honestly I have no clue.

  “Two-thirty,” Larissa said after she looked at her watch.

  Oh, my God, how long have I been out?

  “My Mom is going to kill me. I should been home a while ago,” I started freaking out. Panic mode came about full force.

  “It’s okay. I texted your mom and said that we were having too much fun at my house and you passed out, and I didn’t want to wake you,” she said, trying to calm me down. “But I can’t bring you in the house like that. I don’t want my mom to bring up in casual conversation to your mom that you walked in at two-thirty looking drunk with vomit all over yourself.”

  “It’s okay. You can stay at my house,” Aiden jumped in.

  How can I stay at his house? Our parents dated for Christ’s sake. They probably still talk.