Asshole.
“Mom, let me explain,” I started again, hoping that she would let me talk. “I just wanted to see him for a little bit. I planned to stay with him for only an hour or two, but then I fell asleep when we were watching a movie. I woke up and started freaking out.”
“You never should have gone to him in the first place. You’re grounded.”
“You can’t keep us apart. I love him, and he loves me!” I shouted.
“You have no idea what love even is, Alexandria! You’re still a child.”
“Yeah, I do. I know what I feel for him is love, and there is nothing you can do to change that.”
I stomped past her, focusing on the front door in front of me. Once I made it inside, I hurried upstairs to my room. She followed, obviously not finished with me.
“You are not to leave this house for a week. You were kicked out of school for the rest of the week, and since you don’t need to be there, you don’t need to be anywhere.”
“What does it even matter? This is the last week of school anyway. If I hadn’t been suspended, I would have skipped anyway.”
My mother shook her head. “I will never understand you, Alexandria. You’re not my baby girl anymore, and I have no idea what happened to you. I’d blame Joel, but this attitude of yours started long before him. If things don’t change, I’ll—”
“You’ll what? You might as well figure out what you’ll do to me because this is me, and I won’t change who I am to make you happy.”
“You’re destroying yourself, Alexandria. Look at you—you’re as thin as a twig. You’ve dyed your beautiful blonde hair black and put red through it. You won’t listen, and you have no respect for your father or me.” She glared at me. “And don’t even get me started on those piercings in your lip and nose. They look horrible.”
Currently, I was rocking a septum piercing, a piercing in my nose, and looped snakebite piercings. I really wasn’t sure why she was still so angry over it. I came home with new body modifications all the time. I would think she’d be used to it by now.
“Don’t forget about my tattoo. I know how much you love it,” I said sarcastically.
Almost three months ago, I’d come home with a tattoo on my left arm. I wasn’t eighteen yet, but Joel’s friend was a tattoo artist, so he had done it for me. I’d wanted a tattoo forever, so I’d jumped at the opportunity to get one. I had drawn the design myself. It covered most of my inner arm from my elbow to my wrist. At the top was a skull that ended with partial butterfly wings. Below that was a blue rose. I loved it even though I’d ended up being grounded for a month when my mother saw it.
“I’m tired of your attitude, Alexandria. Enough is enough.”
“I love you and Dad, but I’m tired of you both looking down at me. This is my life, and I’ll live it however I want to. I don’t have an attitude. I just can’t handle how you freak out over every little thing.”
My mother’s nostrils flared as she tried to control her temper. She closed her eyes, and I watched as she counted to ten under her breath. Her entire body sagged the second she hit ten. It was like someone had dropped a ton of bricks on her shoulders.
“I don’t know what you expect from me, Alexandria. I refuse to just sit here and watch you self-destruct.”
I stared at my mother as she spoke. She looked tired, the kind of tired that came from worrying. Her blonde hair was hanging limply around her face, and there were lines around her mouth and eyes that I hadn’t noticed before. Her hazel eyes that were identical to mine had fear in them. I felt a twinge of guilt for causing her any worry, but I pushed it away.
“I don’t expect a damn thing from you.”
For me, this is the hardest part of my books to write. I need to thank so many people, and I know I’m going to miss a few of you!
First, I want to thank my husband. He’s stuck with me since the beginning. If it wasn’t for him, I would never finish a book. His support means more to me than he knows. I love you.
To my son—You make me smile when I have absolutely nothing to smile about. Your giggles, silly games, and sarcasm (I wonder where you get that from!) make every single day brighter.
To my author friends—I love you all so much. Without your constant support, I’d be a raging lunatic by now. I love tossing ideas back and forth with you ladies. You rock my socks. A special thanks to Tijan for being my rock. I swear, I’d marry you if you lived closer. Please never stop answering my 3 a.m. Facebook messages. If you do, I’ll hop on a plane and hunt you down.
To my blogger friends—GAH! You guys are so incredible. Seriously. Several of you have been with me since the beginning, and I don’t know what I’d do without you. Your dedication to everything book constantly amazes me. Nicole, Kristy, Amanda, and Amber—please never stop Snapchatting me.
To my assistant, Amber—This is my seventh book, and I’m just now mentioning you. How horrible am I? Don’t answer that. I just want to thank you for everything you do. I would be lost without you! Also, you make traveling to signings so much more fun! If you ever tell me no, I’m going to force you onto an airplane. You know I’ll do it. I can’t survive airports without you.
To my parents—I love you guys. That about sums it up. You’re always there for me, no matter what.
Chasity—You were Logan’s very first fan. Thank you so much for beta-reading this book for me. I hope his story was everything you hoped for. Love you, chica.
And last but not least, to my readers—Your dedication constantly blows my mind. I owe you guys everything, and I love all of you so much! I couldn’t ask for better readers. YOU make all of this totally worth it. If it wasn’t for you, I would have given up long ago.
K.A. Robinson is twenty-three years old and lives in a small town in West Virginia with her husband and toddler son. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Torn Series, The Ties Series, and Breaking Alexandria. When she’s not writing, she loves to read books that usually have zombies in them. She is addicted to rock music and coffee, mainly Starbucks and Caribou Coffee.
For more information on K.A., please check out the following pages:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/karobinson13
Twitter: @karobinsonautho
Blog: www.authorkarobinson.blogspot.com
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Toxic: Logan's Story Page 24
