[Currently being rewritten and updated chapter by chapter]
Book One in the "Hard Love" series.
It's hard being knocked down. And it's even harder getting back up.
Thalia Carter grew up on the south side of Chicago with a dead-beat dad and never real...
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I drop my overnight bag on the marble floors, right next to my jaw.
Because holy shit. I have never been in a house so grand. I feel like I'm dirtying it just by standing here. Do I take my shoes off? Maybe I should've left them outside.
"You live here?" I exclaim, making Zoe laugh. She grabs my hand and pulls me through the house, past the double staircase and golden chandelier. A freaking chandelier. I am in awe. And I certainly don't belong.
We enter a modern chef kitchen, decked out with black cabinets and white quartz counters. Everything is so pristine. I wonder if they even cook in here? There are a stack of recipe books artfully placed on the large square island, but Zoe mentioned her parents are always at the hospital, and Zoe kind of reminds me of Hadley in the sense that they should never be left alone in the kitchen. Does Isaac cook?
Why do I care if Isaac can cook? I don't. Tonight isn't about him. Tonight is about me and my new friends.
This past week has been tough after the party and my suspension. I seem to be the topic of every conversation, whether it be good or bad. A couple of guys actually hit on me, because they assumed I was in an open relationship. Isaac ended up dragging me away while I told them off. I'm pretty sure I blacked out and just started spewing stuff out of anger.
My emotions have been running pretty high. Grant's anniversary is coming up quickly, and with the knowledge of that I keep thinking about him more and more and it's putting me on edge. Well, I was already on the edge of a cliff. Now I've got one foot left on land and I'm seconds away from slipping and falling to my death.
My eyes bug out when Zoe enters a freaking walk-in pantry and emerges moments later with several packets of microwave popcorn and a crate full of candy.
"What don't you have here?"
Zoe thinks for a moment before giving me a mischievous grin. "A hot tub. There was an incident with Nate last year, so my parents got rid of it."
"An incident?"
She brings a hand up to cover her smile and my mouth forms an O.
"Oh my god," I gasp. "Did they catch you guys?"
Now Zoe cringes in revulsion as she grabs a few popcorn bowls. "Almost. There was definitely enough nudity to tell where it was going. My parents got rid of the thing in retaliation, and their hate for Nate was born that night, but I think they know by now there's no stopping me from having sex. That's like asking me not to breathe!"
I laugh incredulously, because sometimes I'm not sure if Zoe is a real person. I have never met a girl so confident in her sexuality.
I pop the popcorn, but the microwave has a million buttons, so it takes me longer than it should to do such a mundane task. Zoe pops her head out of the freezer.
