by Lacey Black
Fight Me
Copyright © 2014 Lacey Black
Cover design by Ginny Gallagher
Website: www.ginsbooknotes.com
Formatted by Brenda Wright
This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Index
Praise for Trust Me
Dedication
Prologue
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
Epilogue
Expect Me
Prologue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Praise for Trust Me
Rivers Edge, book 1
"Lacey Black is amazing with her debut novel!!!"
-Amanda of Crazy Cajun Book Addicts Blog
"This book had my emotions all over the place, I loved it."
-Author Ella Emerson
"This is a debut novel by Lacey Black and it was f*cking amazing with a capital A!
One of the best debuts I have ever read and I can't wait for more. She has gained a
huge fan!"
-Sandra of Two Book Pushers Blog
Dedication
To my best friend, Holly Collins, who has been my sidekick, my confidant, my partner in crime. We’ve laughed, dried tears, and have a whole list of things we must never speak of again. Thank you for loving me and my family. You are my sister and I love you to pieces.
Prologue
Erin
20 Years ago
I stand in front of my mirror, getting ready for my first day at yet another new school. My dad is a career officer in the military and it seems like every time I start to adjust to a new school, a new town, it’s time for us to move on to someplace new.
I try to tame my frizzy red hair by pulling it back in a neon blue and green scrunchie that matched my favorite t-shirt with the rad dog and mountain of books. I push my large plastic glasses back up my lightly freckled nose and give myself one last look over. Well, seventh grade…here goes nothing.
My mom pulls up in front of Rivers Edge Junior High while kids run around and talk with all of their friends. “Do you want me to go in with you, sweetie?”
“No thank you, Mom. I can manage.” I’ve been managing for a couple of years now. I’m lucky to make it through an entire grade at the same school before we’re packing up and shuffling along to another town, another military base. Fortunately, my family doesn’t have to live on base, but we have to be close enough for my dad to drive every day. Mom wanted a smaller town so they chose Rivers Edge which is only a thirty minute drive to St. Charles for my dad.
“Okay, well, have a great first day, sweetie.” Mom leans in and plants a kiss on my cheek. I pull away quickly as I throw open the passenger door on the family station wagon and pray that no one saw that embarrassing display of affection. I step out and square my shoulders. Ready or not, Rivers Edge. Here I come.
I step into the busy halls of my new junior high school and look around for the office. Fortunately, it doesn’t take me very long to locate it. Inside, there’s a plump older secretary lecturing kids on running in the halls. She finishes her lecture and sends them on their way before noticing me for the first time as I patiently wait in the back of the room.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m Erin Anderson. Today is my first day.”
“Oh yes! Your mother enrolled you yesterday. I’m Mrs. Deany and we’re so happy to have you with us at Rivers Edge Junior High, Erin. Here is your class schedule and your locker assignment. Lunch is at eleven-thirty in the cafeteria and…” Mrs. Deany’s voice trails off as she focuses her attention behind me. I turn around and get my first glimpse of the boy who just walked in the office. He’s super tall with blond hair and pretty blue eyes. I can’t help but stare at his striking features. He notices me staring at him and gives me the cockiest smile. I look away quickly and redirect my attention back to Mrs. Deany.
“Jake Stevens, what did you do this time?”
“Mrs. D, I didn’t do anything. How could you possibly think I would do anything to warrant a trip to the office?” The boy, obviously named Jake, gives the secretary a big, charming grin as he strolls up to the counter next to where I’m standing.
“Oh, I don’t know, Jake. Maybe because you are in this office at least twice a week?”
“Mr. Thomas was going to drop his books. I thought I’d be a stellar example to my fellow classmates and help him before he could drop them. It’s not my fault he was caught off guard and tripped, spilling his coffee all over the books he was carrying and his starched white dress shirt.” Another big smile from this boy who apparently has more charm and charisma than any boy should be allowed to have.
“I’m sure it was a complete accident on your part that he spilled his coffee everywhere,” she says, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Completely not my fault. He was a little upset so he sent me down here to say hello to you.”
“Jacob Stevens, what are we going to do with you?” Mrs. Deany sighs and rubs her forehead, fretting the start of a headache. She then turns her attention back to me. “I know what you’re going to do. This is our new student, Erin. You are going to give her a quick tour of the school and show her where all of her classes are.”
Jake gives me the once over before his big smile returns to his face. “You got it, Mrs. D! Come on, darlin’. Let’s go.”
“Ten minutes and then you better be back in Mr. Thomas’ class, Jake!” she yells as we head out the office doors into the now barren hallways.
I follow closely behind Jake. He’s super tall compared to me and lanky, but not in that awkward way that so many other junior high boys are. I’m lucky to hit five foot, but he seems to stand almost six foot tall already. I bet he plays basketball. He shows me the gym, the cafeteria, and the library. As we’re heading back down the seventh grade hallway, he takes my schedule from me and starts to point out all my classes.
“Here’s your English class. You’re in my class. We have Miss Davenport. She’s super fun when you get her all flustered.” We continue walking the halls. “And over here is Math with Mr. Christianson. If you follow-up everything he says with another question, you will make him cry. I’ve made that my life’s mission in his class.” We stop in front of a long row of lockers. “Here’s your locker. Do you know how to open a combination lock?”
“Yes. This isn’t my first school with lockers.”
“How many schools have you been to?”
“Eight.”
“Eight? Dang. That probably sucks. Here let me throw your stuff in your locker for you.” Jake takes my books and bag from my hands and does just that; throws it all in my locker. He pulls a pencil and a notebook from the mess he created and hands it back to me. “Here. Time to go to class.”
“Don’t you need anything?”
He laughs at me - actually laughs at my logical question. “Nope. I don’t need anything. I have friends who take care of writing my notes for me.”
“Friends?”
“Yep. Mostly girls. I
could always use another friend to help me with my homework if you’re interested.” He gives me another of those award-winning smiles and throws his arm over my shoulder.
“No thank you,” I mumble, unable to keep the disgust out of my voice as I forcefully remove his arm from my shoulder.
“What’s the matter? You don’t like me? Everybody likes me. Everybody wants to be my friend.”
“Well, not me. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get to my first class.” I try to walk around him, but he steps to the side blocking my effort. His eyes are so blue and full of mischief. I can almost see the wheels turning inside that cute little head of his.
“I think you do like me. That’s your problem.”
I feel the blush creeping into my cheeks. “Whatever. I need to go.” Jake bends down and gets right in my face, the corner of his lip turned up in a partial smile. It’s a beautiful smile.
“Welcome to Rivers Edge, Erin. I’ll be seeing you very soon, darlin’,” he says before he turns and walks away, assumingly towards his class. I stand there staring after him as he walks away. He turns around suddenly, catching me watching him, and gives me a full-watt smile that makes my breath catch in my throat.
Oh, this boy is going to be trouble.
*****
I’ve been in Rivers Edge for about four months already. I have developed a nice routine which starts to scare me a little. Usually about the time I develop a routine, my parents announce that my dad’s being transferred again.
I’ve made friends with two girls that most will call geeks or nerds. We love books, don’t mind homework, and love to study together. Sarah, Claire, and I meet up every day after school at the public library. It’s my favorite place in this town. I could get lost in a library for days upon days, devouring book after book, story after story. Books are the one constant in my life. When everything around me changes, books are the same, offering me comfort in a world full of chaos and uncertainty.
I still see Jake everyday though it isn’t because we’re “friends”. Jake is one of the popular kids and I am, well, not. I almost wish he would just ignore my existence. But he doesn’t. He goes out of his way to say hi, wink at me, and offer to carry my books. It’s almost like he’s trying to embarrass me and keep me flustered.
The most embarrassing moment came one day during study hall when he proceeded to stand up on his seat and profess his undying love for me. His friends laughed and cheered him on as he humiliated me in front of thirty of our classmates. He received a detention for that stunt. But that embarrassing moment, as horrible as it was, was nothing compared to the humiliation I endured towards the end of March.
I was in a hurry to get to school on this rainy morning and was gathering up my books and notebooks from the desk in my room. What I didn’t notice is that I also grab my journal in my haste to get out the door. When you bounce around from town to town, school to school, everything in life becomes a big blur. I started a journal when I was in fifth grade and have faithfully kept it up. I write about my thoughts, my fears, my passions, things that transpire at school and at home, all the people in my life including friends, classmates, teachers, parents, and most importantly, my crushes.
I am sitting in third period English, with Jake right behind me, and the room is quiet as we all take a test. What I didn’t notice was Jake reaching into my satchel bag that is hanging on the back of my chair and pull out my journal. Nor do I see him shove it in his own bag before the bell rang.
That night I search high and low for my journal. Where could I have put it? My journal is never out of my sight or out of its place on my desk. All night, I search the house for that thing - my most prized possession. Everything is in that journal.
The longer I search the more anxious I become, working myself up to the point of tears. So when it comes time to head to school the next morning, I am worn out and very moody.
As I walk in the front door of school, everyone is looking at me. No, it’s not just a figment of my overactive seventh grade imagination. I mean literally, everyone is looking at me. I try to keep my head down and walk to my locker. When I arrive, my friends Claire and Sarah are waiting for me with worried looks on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Umm, we have a slight problem,” Sarah said in a low voice laced with worry.
“Okay, well you’re starting to freak me out so just tell me.”
Both girls share a look before Claire blurts out, “Jake stole your journal and showed it to everyone at school.”
My entire world tilts on its axis. A buzzing sound starts in my ears as all the voices around me turn to laughter. Everyone is laughing at me. I look into the eyes of my only two friends in the world and know that my life will never be the same. All the things I wrote about my parents, my classmates, my crushes - all out there for everyone to read and know. To judge. The tears start before I even realize they are sliding down my face.
“Don’t cry, Erin. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think,” Sarah says, even though I’m pretty sure that even she doesn’t believe her own words.
Kids walk around me at that moment dramatically proclaiming things like, “Ohhh, Jake. I love you!” and “My parents just don’t understand me!”
Everyone is laughing and pointing, and I can’t get my feet to work. They feel like they are stuck in wet concrete. I just look around the hallway, at the laughing faces of all my peers, and watch as they humiliate and laugh at me.
Finally, Claire breaks my daze by yelling at those around us. Her words are enough for me to finally snap out of it and be able to move my feet. I take off running, down the hall, and out the front door of the school.
“Erin, wait,” I hear behind me. I know that voice. I’ve dreamed about that voice for months. It’s Jake.
I turn around and face the one person who has managed to crush me into a million pieces. I expect to see him smiling and laughing with the rest of them, but he’s not. He looks worried. Scared. “Where are you going?” he asks, voice laced with concern.
“Does it matter?” I snap. I turn to head towards the street, Jake still standing on the front steps of school.
“Erin! Wait!” I hear him yell as my legs carry me down the road and away from the school. “I’m sorry!”
I completely ignore him and don’t stop running. I don’t turn around to see if he’s following me or if anyone is following me for that matter. I run as far as I can until I can’t run anymore. My legs are numb, my lungs are burning, and my throat tight with emotion. I finally thought I’d found a place. A place where I actually fit in.
As I drop to my knees in the middle of the park, I cry for everything I’m about to lose. My friends. My house. My parents. Because there is no way I can or will stay in this town again. No way will I let people like Jake Stevens ever have this kind of power over me again. It’s time for me to move on.
Chapter One
Jake
Present Day
There’s nothing worse than dressing up to shake hands with town folk just for the sake of being seen. But that’s exactly what I’m doing on this Friday night instead of heading to Jack’s Pub and having a few drinks with my friends. Everyone in town will flock to the Rivers Edge Public Library for the retirement of ol’ Mrs. Masterson.
Mabel Masterson has been the librarian in this town for forty-five years. Her marriage to her first husband didn’t last six years, her second marriage only three years, and her third only a year. But here we are, dressing up to celebrate the only thing to put up with her for forty-five years. She’s finally ready to hang up her reading glasses and step away from the library.
Mrs. Masterson is the stereotypical librarian. A petite little old lady who barely stands five feet tall with dark glasses that hang from a chain around her neck. Grey hair that she wears in the same schoolmarm bun every day. Oh, and she’s grumpy as hell. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a person in Rivers Edge who doesn’t toe the line when she’s around. Why a woman lik
e Mabel ever worked in a public place that deals with kids day in and day out, I’ll never know.
So, why am I dressing up in a pair of khaki pants and a nice button down shirt on my Friday night? Frankly, because Mabel is finally retiring at the ripe ol’ age of seventy years old, and the town is having her retirement party this evening. Captain Edwards made it very clear that tonight was all hands on deck. The Mayor, Town Board, and all the high falluting hob-knobbers will be in attendance this evening and it was ordered that all of us not on duty tonight were to be there too. Well, there’s no way in hell they’re getting me in a tie.
They’re supposed to introduce the new librarian this evening. No one really knows who it is but the rumors are running wild. If Rivers Edge is known for anything it’s the fact that everyone knows everything about everyone. Small town. In the past few weeks, I’ve heard she’s almost as old as Mrs. Masterson, she’s really a dude, and she’s married with six kids. So who knows? Anything that involves the library generally has me turning a deaf ear so I haven’t even caught the new person’s name. Not that I really care. I’m not exactly the library type.
I’m the drink a few beers on your day off, Sports Center watching type. At six foot three, I generally don’t have trouble with the ladies. My eyes are the same color blue as most of my immediate family member’s and my hair is a sandy blond color. As a thirty-two year old veteran cop, I feel it’s important to work out daily and run whenever I can. I pride myself in being in excellent physical shape and that alone helps me to ensure I don’t spend the evening alone if I don’t want to.
I guess you could say I have a type of woman that I generally stick with: tall with legs a mile long; hair color doesn’t usually matter to me; and the bigger the chest, the better. I’m known around Rivers Edge as being a bit of a player since I don’t date anyone longer than a few weeks. And up until a few months ago, my best friend, Maddox, was my wingman. Now, instead of hitting the pub with me to score some babes, he’s at home snuggling with my sister. Pussy.
