Perfectly Hopeless

by Hood, Holly

  Perfectly Hopeless

  By Holly Hood

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, places or things living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Perfectly Hopeless

  Printing History

  2012

  All rights reserved © Copyright 2012 by Holly Hood

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form,

  Without the prior

  Written permission of the author

  © Coka - Fotolia.com (Cover art)

  To

  My imagination, may we stay the best of friends for a lifetime.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to everyone in my life that makes writing so much fun. The readers, my family, my friends, I appreciate all of you. It’s always nice to share my imagination with willing readers. Some books come easily, some are more difficult. Some make me cry. Others make me laugh. A few drag me into dark places, regardless of what story it is I am proud of them all. From the wobbly first, to the recent ones, they all helped mold me as a writer. The Wingless series was my first steps into my journey, and as I release Perfectly Hopeless into the world I feel accomplished—and a little bittersweet. I feel like Henri and Maven took a special place in my heart and I hope they do the same for the readers.

  Perfectly Hopeless

  By Holly Hood

  Summer time

  This was her summer. She swore it. The summer life would go from devastating to incredible. Maven stared out of the window as her parents gossiped in the front seat about Claudia, their excessively confident neighbor with more money than the entire town.

  She closed her eyes dropping her head back against the leather seat, her golden blonde hair cascading around her shoulders. Maven was a young woman full of hope. She never went to bed without reflecting on all she wished would happen for her.

  Portwood was the setting of their summer home. Every home was nestled between giant willow trees. A small town right outside the lake. Maven’s family went every year during the summer. It was a place full of memories for all of them. A place you sat back and smiled about when you thought about all the times you had there. Portwood was magical.

  “I wonder if Jake is going to be there,” Nick, her older brother said mockingly. Doing his best to tease Maven from her spot in the family car, Nick knew Maven was hoping for the opposite. After their messy breakup he was the last person she wanted to lay eyes on. Jake was a jerk. And the entire family knew it.

  “I don’t know and I don’t care.” After the tears she cried over a guy like Jake it was the truth. And suddenly the family’s annual vacation was sounding less exciting and more torturous to her. She shrank down in her seat as the Portwood welcome sign whizzed by the window.

  Mom shot her a sympathetic smile.

  “Everyone who is anyone is at Portwood for Summer vaca,” Maggie her younger sister said, tearing off her sunglasses to gain better view of all the younger guys as they carried beach towels and coolers on their way to the lake.

  “I don’t think the Maves considers Jake Summit anyone anymore,” Nick smirked. He leaned forward, clamping down on Maven’s shoulder. “If he gives you any trouble you just let me know. I’ll rough him up for you.”

  Their mother shot a concerned look in both of their directions. She knew just how Nick’s temper could get sometimes. This wasn’t a joke in her eyes. “Nicky you remember what we said.”

  Nick sighed, letting out the loudest grumble he could muster. “I know, I know. No more money for college if I lay a finger on Summit. I thought that was what family was for though, Mom.” He ran a hand through his shaggy brown mop of hair giving Maven a secret smirk.

  Maven unfastened her seat belt, staring up at the family summer home. A modern two story brick home with white shutters and a huge wraparound porch, lush green grass with the perfect amount of shade and sun.

  She wasn’t about to let Jake Summit ruin her summer.

  The brown eyed boy

  Maven sat down on her bed. Looking around her room at all her favorite belongings, such as the rose-colored mirror, the antique vanity and the queen sized canopy bed her mother had when she was younger, all that she loved coming back to every year.

  She stood. Going to her window, just across the way were several families she was all too familiar with. They to migrated to Portwood for the summer. And they also had kids that attended school with Maven.

  Nick tapped on Maven’s door. He wondered what his sister was in deep contemplation over. “You could have stayed at home and hid in your bedroom.” He stepped inside his sister’s excessively feminine bedroom, looking at all the photographs and art on her walls. He breathed in the floral fragrance. “I am going down for frozen yogurt. And seeing you’re a diehard fan I thought you would want to come.”

  Maven nodded. She knew if she refused their parents would start with all their psycho babble. They were both doctors and they never stopped analyzing everything their kids did. It was best to keep that to a minimum.

  “Let me grab my jacket,” she said, cracking open her walk in closet for the first time in months. She smiled at the sight of so many clothes. She was that girl—one who loved to wear nice things. She plucked a jean jacket from the hanger and hurried down the stairs after Nick.

  Maggie had already beaten her to the door. She carefully applied clear lip gloss waiting on Maven and Nick so they could all head out for frozen yogurt.

  When Maven was with Jake it was the same every year. Their parents vacationed together, ate together, played tennis together. Everything they did was together and that wasn’t exciting. Even their fathers worked together.

  The Wilder’s and the Summit’s grew up together. Maven could remember the stories her mother forever was recounting about the times she had with Jake’s mother on the high school cheerleading squad. It was almost like an arranged marriage.

  All that changed rapidly when Tatiana Fleming rolled into town. Tatiana and Maven were nothing alike. She was raven haired while Maven’s was fair. Her parents were laid-back while Maven’s were more formal. Maybe not strict, but they expected their children to act like upstanding citizens. That meant manners and no foul language. And of course young women were supposed to act like woman. And men were supposed to have respect for them.

  Because of these rules many kids that grew up with Maven and her siblings coined them the goody goodies. It got Nick in much trouble. He was always trying to prove to everyone around him that he wasn’t perfect or uptight. Maggie the youngest of them became the rebel, and Maven simply ignored what everyone thought about her and tried to be herself despite all the immature teens. She didn’t feel she needed to prove herself to anybody.

  “What flavor you getting?” Nick asked, nudging Maven from her train of thought. She concentrated on the white menu with the little magnetic black letters. Noticing the L in vanilla was crooked. The line moved, bringing her back to reality and to her brother’s question.

  “Orange.” She nibbled at a nail, staring at the back of the woman’s head in front of her as she ordered. She was almost certain the woman was from their neighborhood back at home, which meant most of her hometown was there too.

  “Stop biting your fingernails,” Maggie said, she swatted Maven’s hand. “That is so unhygienic.”

  Maven shot her a scowl, dropping her hand to her side. Just in time it appeared. She could feel their eyes on the back of her like daggers. Nick shot his sister a quick look before resting his elbows on the counter. He leaned down to place his order.

  “Just breathe. He probably won’t say anything if you don’t.” Nick offered.

  Maven knew the odds of that happening were sl
im. Jake was a prick. If he knew he had an opportunity to showcase his new girlfriend he would. She drew in a deep breath letting it escape as she waited for the red haired girl to return to the window to take their order.

  Time slowed. Maven’s throat constricted at the thought of Jake and her coming face-to-face. She wasn’t sure if she could handle it. He had embarrassed her in front of their entire school senior year.

  Tatiana and Jake had been messing around behind her back for months. And sadly she was the only one who didn’t know. Even her brother figured it out and he was in college. And instead of letting it go Jake insisted on rubbing it in her face whenever he could do so.

  Maven snatched half the napkins from the dispenser in angst. Suddenly she wasn’t so cool and her jacket was doing nothing but making her perspire.

  The red headed girl gave a toothy smile and pulled the window open. The combination of warm air and candied nuts wafted past Maven’s nose. “What can I get ya’ll?”

  Nick gave the sheepish smile he was so famous for, dragging his fingers through his messy hair before opening his mouth to speak.

  “I’ll take the usual. Medium orange cone,” Maven said in a hurry to get to the next window.

  As if her voice sent off bells of warning Jake took notice. He slid his hand around Tatiana’s curvy waist. Gravity pulled Maven’s eyes in their direction. As hard as she fought against it she had no choice but to look.

  “Maven. I didn’t think you guys were already here,” Jake said, looking her over with his usual holier-than-thou expression.

  Nick took hold of her elbow guiding her to the next window. Jake grinned at Nick before casting his attention to the red head waiting for his order. Tatiana chewed her gum giving Maven a cold smile. It was beyond Maven if she hated her or liked her. Chances are it was hate.

  Maven looked away. She was beginning to wish she stayed back home with their Grandfather watching the pets and taking it easy as he put it. Anything would be better then staring at her ex-boyfriend with his trampy girlfriend.

  At one time she did have strong feelings for Jake. Well not anymore, now she thought they were just stupid feelings. She learned quickly that boys had a way of breaking your heart. And soon she was refusing to believe that love existed. To her love was cruel.

  Jake touched Tatiana’s cheek with his fingertips as they waited for their yogurt. She giggled a little too overdramatic for Maven’s taste. She wondered what he saw in her as they flirted openly. What made him choose to forgo their relationship for the likes of Tatiana? How was she any better than her? She almost wanted to ask him.

  “Here you go.” The guy behind the counter said, he stuck his hand through the window offering Maven her yogurt. But she was too busy watching Jake and Tatiana fondle each other in public, trying to figure out why.

  “Maven heads up,” Maggie said elbowing her sister.

  But Maven was too besieged with all the pda going on to know what was happening. She grabbed for the yogurt totally missing. She gasped; losing her footing, the last face she saw was the brown eyed boys as she plummeted to the concrete. She swatted her brother away as he tried to help her up, her pride refusing to allow anyone to lend a hand, her hand shot above her head and blindly located the counter, she gave the counter a tug breaking the latch and falling back down on the ground in horror. She dusted her knees and tried one more time at standing, silently begging herself to hold it together and take the orange yogurt so she could sit down.

  Jake and Tatiana laughed behind her enjoying her ham-fisted behavior.

  “Thanks.” She gave him a smile, taking the cone and hurrying to the picnic tables, he watched with a small nearly nonexistent grin on his face feeling horrible about what just happened, but he thought she was doing a fairly remarkable job at hiding her humiliation.

  Maggie and Nick took the picnic table closest to the yogurt hut. Maven sat down beside Nick, her taste for orange yogurt nonexistent at this point.

  “Who's the guy in the hut?” Maggie asked no one in particular. This brought Maven’s attention back to the window. She took a long look at the guy with brown hair and equally brown eyes to match. He offered her a sympathetic smile.

  “No clue. Never seen him before,” she offered. And she hadn’t.

  Nick shrugged. “Me either. Maybe it’s just a summer job for the guy. They have to have someone run the yogurt hut.”

  Maggie licked her fingers free of yogurt. “Sandra’s parents own the place. They make their kids run it. That girl is Sandra’s older sister.”

  Nick smirked. He had been eyeing her since they got there. “Do you know her name?”

  Maggie groaned. “Gross. I’m not doing your dirty work, creeper.”

  Jake plopped down across from them at the picnic table. Tatiana sat on top of the table, her back facing Maven. From Maven’s position she could see the slutty tramp stamp on her bronze skin.

  “So how’s it going guys?” Jake asked, taking a bite of his vanilla yogurt, his eyes darting between the three of them.

  Nick shifted in his seat. “It was going great until you showed up.”

  Maggie smirked.

  Jake made a sad face. “So hostile.”

  Nick stiffened. “Why don’t you just get lost? Nobody wants you here. This place is big enough for you to steer clear of my sister.”

  Maven got up from the picnic table. “That’s fine he can stay. I’m leaving.”

  She tossed her yogurt in the trash on the way to back of the yogurt hut. Finally out of view she pressed herself against the cool concrete. She wondered if it ever got easier. Or if Jake would forever want to make her life miserable.

  “Don’t cry,” she said aloud. But it wasn’t enough to stop the tears from escaping. She quickly wiped at them, but it didn’t matter she was in a full on cry fest.

  The back door of the yogurt hut opened. The brown eyed guy came out. He tossed empty yogurt tubs into the trash cans at the side of the building, wiping his hands on the front of his black apron, looking Maven over. She was crying.

  He debated on ignoring what he just witnessed. It wasn’t his place to ask a girl hiding beside the trash cans of the yogurt hut why she was crying. But he did it anyways. “Are you okay?”

  Maven’s head shot up, she was shocked to be caught in yet another embarrassing position. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  He nodded, waiting for her to look him in on the eye so he could be certain. But when she didn’t this made him feel worse not better about leaving her there alone, he nervously bit at his lip, trying to come up with something to say to her. “Rough day?”

  Maven finally looked at him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Unfortunately.”

  “Does it have to do with that guy with the wallet chain over there?” He grinned, trying to inject a little humor into such a sad moment.

  Maven didn’t grin, but she nodded.

  “I think your boyfriend scared him away.” He nodded, taking hold of the handle.

  Maven shook her head. “No. That’s my brother. And the girl, that’s my sister.”

  He noted this. “So does that mean Mr. Wallet chain is your old boyfriend?”

  Maven nodded, afraid to admit it. She didn’t want anyone to judge her based off Jake’s bad attitude that exuded from him nowadays.

  What ails you?

  Maven sat on the porch of her parent’s summer home. She had a horrible dream the night before. One where she was completely and totally helpless, her parents stood by laughing with the crowd of family and friends, all laughing as Jake made out with Tatiana for the world to see. Everyone pointing fingers at her, taunting her, but she couldn’t run. It was as if her feet were cemented in place and she was being forced to watch the one guy she ever had real feelings for cram his tongue down someone else’s throat—it was torture.

  She rocked a little faster on the old rocking chair she was sitting in. The arms of the willow trees melodiously fluttering as if they too were trying to get away from something jus
t like her. Maven wrestled her hair behind her ear ignoring the more than light breeze. She chewed on her bottom lip, staring straight ahead lost in the dark unbearable dream. How could Jake do what he did to her?

  Some would call it betrayal.

  Just then a newspaper dropped at her feet echoing against the wooden porch. She came back to life. Bending forward and picking up the paper. She rested it in her lap.

  “Have a good day.” The brown-eyed boy said—the same one from the yogurt hut. She felt a bit embarrassed to be seeing him again after nearly breaking her neck—and to make matters worse being caught crying about her ex boyfriend behind the yogurt hut.