by K. C. Lynn
Beautifully Insightful
K.C. Lynn
Beautifully Insightful Copyright © 2015 K.C. LYNN
Kindle Edition
Published by: K.C. LYNN
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my girl Kim, aka Ryder’s girl. Kimmie – thank you for always being there to listen to me talk out my stories, and boosting me up when I need it. You never let me second-guess myself, and you were a huge part of this story. Thank you for loving my books as much as I do. You are one of the best things to happen to me in this Indie world. We have an amazing year ahead of us; Rome is going to be epic and a memory of a lifetime. I’m so happy I’m experiencing it with you. Love you forever, girl.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Chapter 1
Emily
My heart pounds fast and my stomach twists with nerves as I run my hands down the front of my dress, smoothing out any possible wrinkles there might be. “Well, Summer, what do you think, do I look okay?” I ask my dog who stands close to my left side. She gives a low whine and brushes against my leg. With a smile I lean down and run my fingers through her soft fur. “I know, girl, I’m going to miss you too. I’ll be back before you know it then you will be my partner once again.” She releases another whine and nudges my cheek with the side of her nose. Giggling, I kiss the top of her head then hear my bedroom door open as I stand back up. I instantly tense, thinking it’s my mother, then expel a sigh of relief when the familiar scent of warm sugar penetrates the air.
“Oh, Emily, sweetheart, you look so pretty,” Rosa, our housekeeper, says sweetly as she steps into my room.
I turn toward the direction of her voice. “Really? I look okay? Do I look… normal?”
I feel her step closer before framing my face between her well-worn hands. “You look perfect, because you are perfect.”
I smile softly and wonder why she couldn’t have been my mother. Although, I suppose she has been in every way that matters. “Thanks, Rosa, but we both know that’s because my mother wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Nonsense!” she replies heatedly, her accent thickening like it does every time she gets upset. “She can fuss with you all she wants, but she does not control what is in here.” Her voice softens as she lays her warm hand over my heart.
I swallow past the sudden ache in my throat and voice my biggest fear. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m scared my parents are right and that I’m going to be nothing but a joke.”
“Oh, Emily, you must know by now that your parents’ perceptions are very misguided. We’ve talked about this.”
“I know, and I’m trying to remember that. It’s just… Going back to school after all these years? What on earth am I thinking?”
“You’re thinking that you want to spend your senior year with society, and not be locked up here like you have been for the past ten years.”
“What happens if my parents are right and I’m not accepted by the others?”
“Then it’s their loss, not yours.” When I don’t say anything she moves her hands to my shoulders in a gentle, yet firm grip. “This is going to be a good thing, Emily, I know it. You are going to shine like you always do. Besides, you will know a lot of the kids, and you always have Cece.”
I think about the one girl who is the closest person I have to a real friend. “Yeah, but a lot of the people I know are ones I wish I didn’t. I have a hard time relating to them.”
“That’s why you are going to make new friends,” she responds strongly.
I shake myself out of my pity party and stand up straighter. “You’re right. Besides, I am doing this for myself, to prove that I can. It does not matter what anyone else thinks.”
“There’s my girl.” I sense Rosa lean in and feel her press a familiar kiss to my cheek. “Now let’s go downstairs, Cece will be here soon to pick you up.”
I lean down and give Summer, my guide dog, one more kiss on the head before grabbing my bag and following Rosa out of my room.
I try to ignore the sudden emptiness I feel without her and Rosa senses it. “She will be okay, Emily. I’ll watch over her while you’re gone.”
I smile and nod. Leaving her is harder than I thought it would be. She’s my very best friend, and has been by my side for the last four years. If there is ever a time I misjudge something I know I can always count on her. You will be fine, I remind myself. I’ve walked that school repeatedly over the entire summer. I probably know it better than any person who can see, and if I do need help I will have Cece.
I grab onto the wooden railing that edges the long hallway leading to my stairs, and feel Rosa follow close behind me as I start my descent. I’m just about to ask her if my mother has come down yet but I don’t need to because I can sense her as I get closer to the bottom of the stairs. Her overwhelming perfume penetrates my senses and I swear the air drops in temperature as I feel her disapproving stare.
“Good morning, Mother.” I greet her carefully, knowing she’s going to be in even more of a foul mood than usual today.
“I guess you’re still planning to go through with this stupid idea of yours.”
I don’t let her condescending tone deter me. “Yes. I told you I am not changing my mind.”
I hear her huff then feel her step closer. I try not to roll my eyes as she fixes my hair and fusses with my dress; I’m clearly not up to her standards. I also get a whiff of vodka on her breath, something that isn’t uncommon. “I don’t remember your dress being this snug.”
I grind my teeth and restrain myself from replying back with a snide remark. I learned long ago not to waste my breath on my mother. Nothing I say will ever change who she is. Hopefully this will be my last year in this house and all my plans will fall into place after I graduate.
I feel Rosa place her hand on the small of my back reassuringly, which makes my mother snap. “Rosa, leave us while I talk to Emily.”
“Yes, Mrs. Michaels.” She leans in and kisses my cheek. “Bye, Miss Emily,” she says softly, adding the ‘miss’ for my mother’s sake. “Have a fabulous first day. I know you will shine like you always do.”
“Bye, Rosa.”
I hear her walk away before my mother starts in on me. “That woman babies you too much.”
“She doesn’t baby me, she is kind to me.” Something my mother knows nothing about. Sometimes I wonder why she and my father bothered to have a child, but then I remember it’s all about imag
e.
“Would you stop looking at me like that?” she snaps with disgust. “Where are your glasses, and why are you not wearing them?”
I reach into my bag and pull out my designer aviators. “They’re right here.” I sigh softly, knowing I should have put them on before I came down.
“Then put them on. You know the deal, Emily. This is embarrassing enough for your father and me. If I hear of you taking them off while you are at school I will pull you out so fast your head will spin. Got it?”
Tears sting my eyes as I swallow past the hurt clogging my throat before putting them on. “Don’t you think I will look more ridiculous wearing them inside?”
“No, I don’t, and you know that!”
She’s right, I do. For some reason, my mother has never liked the color of my eyes; she says they stand out too much. After I lost my vision she made me keep them covered as often as possible. She says they wander and frighten people. Rosa says she’s crazy and that my eyes are beautiful. I don’t remember much about them, since I was so young when I lost my sight. But Rosa tells me they are very unique, a pale blue that reminds her of a snow princess. When I don’t wear my glasses I always try my hardest to focus, but I guess I didn’t do a very good job this morning. That, and my mother is in an even more hateful mood than usual, which I knew she would be.
“I’ll keep them on,” I promise quietly.
Before she can say anything else nasty, my father walks in. “Emily, good you’re still here.” I turn to my left at where I hear his voice and instantly get a whiff of his expensive cologne. “I wanted to let you know I was at the Prescott’s last night, and Kyle has graciously said he would watch out for you at school.”
I tense and my stomach recoils at the mention of the jerk’s name. I grind my teeth. “I told you I don’t need him to watch out for me. I don’t want anything to do with him.”
“Stop being a brat,” my mother cuts in. “You are lucky someone like him is willing to include you, and…”
“Lucky!” I interrupt with a shout. “How am I lucky? You do remember me telling you he tried forcing himself on me at the charity dinner, right?”
“He didn’t try to force himself on you,” my father replies in annoyance. “We have talked about this. His father and I think it would be good for you two to see each other, especially with the upcoming campaign. And…”
“Good for you, but not for me! The jerk shoved his tongue down my throat after I said no.”
“Oh stop being such a drama queen,” my mother chimes back in. “And if you ask me, it’s good for you. I mean, really, Emily, if someone like him is willing to date you, with your… disability then I wouldn’t be rejecting it. The chance of you getting another opportunity with someone like him is slim to none.”
I grind my teeth so hard I’m surprised my jaw doesn’t snap, and feel tears start to slip down my cheeks, which only makes me more angry that I let her get to me. “Yeah, well, I didn’t ask you, and I would rather have no opportunity than to have one with him.” Not wanting to stick around a second longer, I step past my mother and head to the front door. I try to push down my anger and concentrate on my direction.
Just as I reach out and grasp the handle, she says: “Don’t come crying to me, Emily, when this all blows up in your face like I know it will.”
I don’t bother to tell her that I would never come crying to her, because I know better. I’ve always known better. Opening the door, I walk out and make sure to slam it behind me. I take a moment and inhale a deep breath of fresh air, hoping to calm my angry heartbeat and the hurt trying to suffocate me.
Thankfully, it isn’t long before I hear the familiar sound of Cece’s high-pitched horn as she does her usual double honk while driving up the long road to my house. I walk across my porch and down the three steps just as she pulls up.
“Well hello, beautiful,” she greets me brightly. “Look at you, eagerly awaiting my arrival. Are you that excited for your first day of school?”
I reach for the handle of her convertible. “Try – ‘I was eagerly escaping my parents’,” I reply dully as I get in the car.
“Uh oh, bad morning?”
“That’s an understatement.” I try to say it easily but the hurt is evident in my tone.
Cece grasps my hand gently. “I’m sorry, Emily. They’re still giving you a hard time about this?”
I swallow thickly then shrug. “When are they not giving me a hard time?” I turn toward her. “Can you believe they told me to stay close to Kyle?”
She grunts then releases my hand before driving away. “Yes, I can.”
“Apparently Kyle told my dad that he would watch out for me. The jerk has some nerve.”
“Yeah… but he is hot.” I shake my head, not surprised by her comment. “What? I’m just stating the truth. Don’t get me wrong, the guy is a total douche bag, but he is good looking.”
“There is nothing attractive about him, Cece.”
“There is, trust me, but forget about all that. This year is going to be epic and we are going to have a blast finishing our last year of high school together.”
“I hope so,” I reply unsure, feeling nervous again for the coming day.
“I know so. Now, do you want to go over our meeting spots again?”
I shake my head. “No, I remember. We ran through it a million times over the course of the summer.”
“All right, well, I’ll be with you most of the time anyway, but you always have your phone if you need me.”
“I know. I’m good.”
I feel her grasp my hand again. “Trust me, Emily, everything is going to work out and we are going to have a great year.”
I smile and pray she’s right, because I do not want to hear ‘I told you so’.”
Chapter 2
Emily
I lean against the wall, next to the water fountain, with my books in hand while I wait for Cece. I listen to lockers slam shut, other kids bustling around in conversation, and feel the heat of their bodies as they pass me. I try really hard to calm my pounding heart, but all of it is so overwhelming, especially when I’m not used to being around crowds. I catch a couple of ‘bye Emily’s that I make sure to smile and reply to, but unfortunately I can’t tell who all addressed me.
I have to admit that all-in-all today went well, even if it was overwhelming. I felt like I was able to keep up with the teachers, and once I waited for the hallways to clear I was able to find my way around easily enough. I also made sure to stick with Cece when I could, which meant having to hang out with people I don’t care to, but it was better than being alone. It’s not that they’re terrible people, well, some of them aren’t anyway. It’s just that I can’t relate to them. They’re so… shallow. Most of them accept me because of who my father is. They accept the governor’s daughter, not the real Emily Michaels. I have no delusions that if I did not carry this last name none of them would be seen with me… the blind girl.
Shaking myself from my thoughts, I suddenly realize it’s gone completely quiet. I listen carefully and don’t even pick up the sound of distant footsteps. Pulling my phone from my bag I hit my braille touch screen to hear what time it is, and realize Cece is fifteen minutes late. I move my thumb over the voice app and wait for the beep. “Hey, Cece, I’m waiting by the fountain. Where are you?” I release my thumb and wait for my phone to chime with her reply, but five minutes later it still doesn’t come.
What the heck? There is no way she left without me, even if she had an emergency she would have let me know. After another five minutes pass, I decide to go check the parking lot and make sure her car is still here before I call for anyone else. I think about where I am in the school then turn to the left and start making my way down the hall. I drag my fingers along the lockers and count each one, knowing I will pass by eighteen before reaching the gym, then another twelve before making it to the school’s front doors.
Once I push through the double doors I take a deep breath of f
resh air. The warmth of the sun beams down on me, bringing my jumbled nerves a small measure of peace. I hear the sound of birds chirping and vehicles far off in the distance, but everything else is eerily quiet.
I walk a few steps with my hand slightly out in front of me then come in contact with the warm metal railing. I walk down five cement steps before turning to the right, and walk another seven strides until I hit the grass. I turn left and continue straight forward, counting another nine paces, then reach out and feel the car. Making my way to the passenger side I feel under the handle to make sure it’s Cece’s, then let out a sigh of relief when my fingers come into contact with the familiar grooves of her handle.
Okay, so her car is still here which means so is she, but then where the heck is she? I’m just about to try her on my phone again when I catch the sudden sound of light footsteps a second too late.
“What are you doing?”
I yelp and jump back startled, dropping everything in my arms including my phone. I instantly register who the voice belongs to and rest my hand over my pounding heart. “Jesus, Kyle, you scared the shit out of me. What are you thinking, sneaking up on me like that?”
“Sorry,” he replies smugly, without so much as even a hint of being truly apologetic. “Just wondering what you’re doing out here all by yourself?”
As much as I don’t want to answer him I decide to keep my pride in check, knowing I need to find Cece. “I’m looking for Cece, have you seen her?”
“Nope, but I’d be happy to give you a ride home.”
Yeah, I’ll just bet you would… “No, I’ll wait for her. I’m sure she’s just running late.”
I hear him let out a sigh and feel him step closer to me, too close. “You know, Emily, I promised your father that I would look out for you, and you are making that very difficult when you keep avoiding me.”
I back up against the car, putting as much distance between us as possible. “I don’t need you to look out for me. I told you to stay away from me and I meant it.”
