Table of Contents
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
Beg for Mercy
Shannon Dermott
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the cast of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. The scanning, uploading and distribution of the book via the Internet or via any other means without permission is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support for the author’s rights is appreciated. For information address Wicked Truth Publishing.
Copyright © 2011 Shannon Dermott
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 146370903X
ISBN-13: 978-1463709037
DEDICATION
To my family for giving me the time and space to complete this project.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It’s with much gratitude that I thank Portia Johnson for her time and dedication to editing this work of love.
To my ‘first reader’, Danyele Johnson, who braved the first draft and my constant pestering during my brainstorming.
Table of Contents
Chapter One.. 1
Chapter Two.. 5
Chapter Three.. 9
Chapter Four. 13
Chapter Five.. 17
Chapter Six. 22
Chapter Seven.. 24
Chapter Eight. 27
Chapter Nine.. 31
Chapter Ten.. 36
Chapter Eleven.. 40
Chapter Twelve.. 46
Chapter Thirteen.. 49
Chapter Fourteen.. 55
Chapter Fifteen.. 64
Chapter Sixteen.. 73
Chapter Seventeen.. 78
Chapter Eighteen.. 87
Chapter Nineteen.. 96
Chapter Twenty.. 101
Chapter Twenty One.. 106
Chapter Twenty Two.. 110
Chapter Twenty Three.. 116
Chapter Twenty Four. 119
Chapter Twenty Five.. 126
Chapter Twenty Six.. 130
Chapter Twenty Seven.. 137
Chapter Twenty Eight. 144
Chapter Twenty Nine.. 153
Chapter Thirty.. 158
Chapter Thirty One.. 162
Chapter Thirty Two.. 165
Chapter Thirty Three.. 168
Chapter Thirty Four. 173
Chapter Thirty Five.. 180
Chapter Thirty Six.. 186
Chapter Thirty Seven.. 190
Chapter Thirty Eight. 195
Chapter Thirty Nine.. 201
Chapter Forty.. 205
Chapter One
pompous (adj.) – having an excessive sense of self-importance
This had not been a good idea. I’d known from the beginning nothing good would come from it. But my best friend, Maggie, had begged and begged. Her Irish green eyes had been intent on mine with a facial expression that wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even though my instincts had warned me against it, against coming to this stupid party and possibly risking the very lives of anyone around me, I hadn’t. Wasn’t this what best friends were for? Maybe not. But, here I sat in a small disorganized circle, loud music pounding against the walls in muted thumps secluded amongst the ‘elite students’ of my school. I had ignored the very reasons why I shouldn’t be in this room. This is where I’d made my second mistake of the night.
It was here where I posed the most danger to those around me. My eyes bounced around to the beat of the music watching everyone laugh and have a good time. Everyone wanted to be here except me. There was a sudden burst of laughter so boisterous I had to assume there had been a joke I’d missed while caught up in my own self repugnance.
My eyes roved around the room glossing over a huge wooden desk, an oversized brown leather sofa and a bookcase the length of the whole wall. This supposed library was just as big if not bigger than the size of any two rooms in my house. We all sat in the middle on an intricate plush rug with me as the odd person in a chain of paired couples. Desperately, I needed a way out of this mess before it got out of hand.
I first caught a glance at Maggie with her flaming red hair. Her eyes twinkled with delight in my direction. I tried to give her the silent look that would let her know that I wanted to leave as soon as possible. But she averted my gaze, eyes in favor of the guy at her left, letting me know she wasn’t quite ready to leave. And who would blame her? She was sitting next to Brent Mitchell. I had heard his name come from her lips ever since the first day of our freshman year at Everett High. He’d been the one that she’d always pined over even while she dated other guys. So now he had finally invited her out. And for that reason alone I’d tagged along to this party.
Following her gaze, my eyes then roamed over to Brent. In doing so I was reminded why she was so into him, with his dark tousled hair and brooding good looks. He wasn’t handsome in the traditional sense but rather a raw attractiveness that fit with his hulking body frame. And not only was he good looking but he was a star football player for our school’s team. He was a force to be reckoned with on and off the field. I was truly happy that Brent had finally noticed in her.
I met his brown eyes and caught him smiling with faint amusement. Startled that he’d been looking at me watch him, I adverted my eyes in favor of the guy next to him.
That guy, the man of the hour, was Jay Brisentine. He was tall, blonde, beautiful and the host of this senior party. Normally I wouldn’t call a guy beautiful but there just wasn’t a better way to describe him. He too played on our illustrious football team but he was better known as the leader of the Lacrosse team.
His long time girlfriend, Kathy Peterson, was curled next to him with her dark hair, stormy eyes, and equally good genes. I couldn’t help but wonder what their kids would look like because if any couple would survive high school and get married it would be them. Their history together started back in middle school.
Continuing my venture around the group, my eyes led me to Amanda Edmond. She was Kathy’s best friend and head cheerleader. Her fit of giggles had cooled as she tossed her
bombshell blonde hair over her shoulder, her eyes settling on mine. Her pouty mouth turned into a frown. I was puzzled by her look of disapproval because she hadn’t protested against my being here in the first place.
Quickly I looked away from her to give Flynn McCallister, leading bad boy, and Amanda’s boyfriend a glance. He was the only other junior besides Maggie and me in the room. I could have known without looking that his sandy brown hair was swept up in a modern faux Mohawk, which had that slightly messy touch to it that hot guys alone could only perfect. And that his eyes were cold and blue, set on a face that was more than amazing.
Maggie made a noise to get my attention. My head snapped back to her. I didn’t quite get the message that I saw on her face. She gestured with her head at an odd angle. I gave her a quizzical look mouthing What until I followed her eyes down to the center of our circle. What I saw chilled me to my very core. I really shouldn’t have come here tonight.
A hand on my arm jolted me. I turned to meet Flynn’s gaze. I hated how looking at him always seemed to melt my heart. I knew the effect he had on girls and me in particular. He was too gorgeous for words and worst yet he knew it. So did everyone else. He walked down the halls of school like he owned them and to tell the truth he did. I hated him because of it. Girls were aware of his reputation of breaking hearts yet they continued to give into him time and time again. Being a junior and football team captain he had the respect of the seniors above him as well as the rest of the school. His abilities to throw the ball and lead the team to state the past two years had sealed his position as the most popular boy in school.
“Flynn, she has a choice you know,” a voice said from somewhere beside me. I turned my head to see it was Luke, I-couldn’t-remember-his-last-name. He too, I realized was crush worthy but paled in Flynn’s shadow. It was hard to imagine that looking at him now. He was all golden skin and blond curls looking much like a California surfer. How had I forgotten he was sitting next to me? Staring at him only made me realize more just how cute he was.
Flynn and Luke were best friends but I had hardly paid any attention to Luke these past two years. I’d been too busy ignoring Flynn with the best of my abilities to know much about him. Then it dawned on me. I had forgotten to count Luke. There weren’t seven of us. Luke made eight. Each pair was a couple except Luke and me. Was I being set up with him?
Faintly I remembered hearing that he’d broken up with his girlfriend a few weeks ago. But at the moment I couldn’t remember the full story. I was too busy trying to reconcile with why I was here. Excluding Maggie and I, the room was filled with what most of our classmates dubbed as the wealthiest and most beautiful people of our school, ‘the elite’. No one else in school compared to them.
When I felt Flynn’s hand drop from my arm, I turned my head to look down at fate as it pointed at me. “Come on, what are you going to do?”
I looked up this time to find it had been Amanda who’d spoken. Her voice was filled with her facial expression of disapproval but not of the anger I would have expected if I’d been Flynn’s girlfriend. But that was not how I operated. In fact, I simply didn’t date. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. It wasn’t just a moral decision as most would assume. I did it because I didn’t want anyone to die.
Angry murmurs of protest at me holding up the game shocked me into action. I looked down again at the bottle that pointed at me before sneaking another glance at Maggie. Her eyes were wide in frustration. Clearly she wanted me to make a decision and not make her look bad in front of this group of seniors she desperately wanted to impress.
“Take the shots Mercy or give Flynn a big wet one, make your choice,” a voice said that could have been Jay’s. I wasn’t sure. The room was beginning to blur with the commotion and my emotions over what was to come next.
We of course were playing spin the bottle. The game wasn’t without consequences. The surface ones were to spin the bottle and kiss the person the bottle points too. If you didn’t want to kiss that person, then you drank a shot of Jack. Added to it, if the person took the kiss the shot poured was added to a pool of shots. What sat before me now was a bouquet of four shots of Jack Daniels. If I drank those shots, I wouldn’t just get a buzz. It would definitely get me drunk. I couldn’t afford that. Again it was not only the moral value that stopped me. It also wasn’t only because my mom would kill me either if she somehow found out. Truthfully it was because I couldn’t afford to lose control. Not with death a possible consequence. Added to that, I really didn’t want to kiss Flynn.
“Don’t make me beg for Mercy,” Flynn said dragging out my name. The slight slur in his voice led me to believe he was on his way to being drunk if he wasn’t already. I’d heard this little joke far too many times to find it funny. In fact it really just ticked me off. Why my mother decided Mercy was a good choice for a first name so I would suffer my teen years as the butt of everyone’s jokes disturbed me. Did she think at all before naming me? Anger at myself for the situation I was in and anger at the boy whose insufferable conceitedness, who still sent butterflies in my stomach, pissed me off at no end. So I turned to bare daggers with my eyes back at him.
Looking at him I couldn’t help to see how he personified my word of the day, pompous jerk. Well, pompous was the word. I always checked and remembered what my SAT word of the day was. I tried to use it in at least once in sentence the same day. With the test looming in March, I was trying to expand my vocabulary.
I wouldn’t let this pompous, self centered jerk who thought he was the next thing to God embarrass me. With my cheeks flushing anyway, I faced him. A quick peck on the lips couldn’t kill anyone, could it?
His hand came up towards me. He must have assumed my choice with my movement. He swiftly cupped the back of my head and pulled me to him. I didn’t even have time to catch my breath before his mouth was on mine. It should have been quick. Nothing could possibly happen if it had been a quick peck. But he held me there for what seemed like eternity with his mouth parting mine to explore me. I felt warm, a bit light headed and confused. After a lingering moment of absent judgment, I pushed him back to separate us. He rocked back with a burst of laughter which brightened my cheeks more. I glared at him. Our lip lock should have him pale and unsteady. But he seemed fine and a little flushed himself. I didn’t understand. How could it be possible? He should be lying on the ground, face drained of any color. I shot up to my feet.
“Where’re you going Mercy? It seems Flynn may have found his match?” Brent said with another howl of laughter.
I brushed my hands down my tee still unsure of what to do. With everyone looking up at me still giggling and laughing I hastily turned and said, “Maggie, I’ll be back.” I walked across the room and away from the onlookers still in the circle when I heard a slap.
“Shut up Brent,” Kathy said. She must have leaned over and hit him. The laughter just intensified.
I was out the door in mere seconds. Once outside the room, the music pulsed through the empty hallway. I could see where party goers were milling about. The make shift dance floor in the middle was still filled with teenage lust. So I headed the opposite direction. There were only two more doors before the hallway ended abruptly. I could only pray one of them was a bathroom.
I lucked out on the second and final door. I stepped into a small half bath that included nothing more than a toilet and sink. Moving to the sink I gripped the sides as I leaned in to look into the gold framed mirror. What I saw in the reflection was a complex mix of younger version of my mother and my father. Although I looked a lot like my mom I never felt beautiful like she was so effortlessly. I’d gotten a lot of her facial features but my coloring and hazel eyes I’d seen countless times in a picture my mom kept of my father. And that should have been my sober reminder of my fate. I couldn’t understand why I had allowed myself to be batted into kissing Flynn. If things had gone badly which it should have, how could I have lived with myself?
I pulled back my long wavy brown hair as I
bent forward turning on the faucet with my free hand. I splashed water on my face remembering Paul and what’d happened that awful day.
Chapter Two
abnegation (n.) - denial of comfort to oneself
It was in my freshman year when I started hanging out with Paul Bowman. He was a year ahead of me and the cutest nerdy boy I’d ever met. He was tall and awkward with an amazing smile. He had a thick short mop of wavy black hair that had grown just beyond the baseball cap he liked to wear. We were in the same Honors Geometry class back then.
We’d started out as study buddies, so I’d thought. It easily progressed to hanging out at school events. When he’d held my hand the first time, I’d been over the moon. This had been all new for me. He seemed just as nervous as I was.
One day I needed to stay after school to meet with a teacher. Afraid I was going to miss the bus, he’d offered me a ride home. Maggie with her strong personality and quick advice insisted that I agree. She’d already had her first kiss and felt sure since my mom was working late that day, it could be the day for mine. I wasn’t really an overly shy person, but who wouldn’t be nervous their first time alone with a boy she liked.
Paul had driven his mom’s old brown Buick back then. When he pulled it to a stop at in front of my house I made the move Maggie coached me on. It wasn’t much but she told me it would signal to him that I might be ready for the next step. So I turned to him. “Want to come in?” I invited with a smile.
Beg for Mercy - kindle edition v3 Page 1
