RISKING IT ALL |TABOO BOOK 🧨❌ SAMPLE ONLY

1

THEN- ELLA

"Ella, look at me."

Tears streamed down my face as Franco knelt down in front of me, brushing my hair out of my eyes.

"What's happened?"

"Ben Calladine wrote on Ella's locker that she's a frigid bitch." Maria sang, dancing around us in circles.

"Fuck off, Maria!" I yelled as Franco cringed.

"I'm telling Papa you swore!" Maria shrieked, her lower lip trembling.

"Hey, if you can keep it a secret, I'll give you five bucks." Franco grinned, fishing a crumpled note from his pocket.

Maria gazed at it, her eyes flickering over to me.

"And she says sorry."

Franco turned back to me, his delicious brown eyes pleading with me.

"Say sorry, El, come on."

"Sorry, Maria."

"Hmph. Cash." Maria smirked, holding her hand out to Franco, who dropped the note into her hand, turning back to me as she scurried off.

"I don't think we were that savvy at thirteen."

"I wasn't that fucking emotionally retarded either," I snapped, wiping under my eyes with my sleeve. "It doesn't matter, Franco, I'll be alright. Just a shitty day, that's all."

Franco studied me, his hair falling in his eyes.

God, he was handsome.

"I'll be the judge of that. What happened?"

Franco fell back on the grass, gazing at me as I shrugged, wishing my little sister hadn't opened her mouth.

"Just some dick at school."

"How old is this dick?"

"He's my age."

"Sixteen?" Franco asked, slugging from the soda can beside him.

I nodded, playing with the hem on the bottom of my skirt.

"He called me frigid, but I don't know why that upset me so much. Maybe it's because I am, but I'm proud of that, you know?"

I could tell Franco anything.

"Little fucker. I'll sort it, I know Calladine, thinks he's the fucking man." Franco growled, staring at me. "I'm glad that's your reputation, Ella. Rather that than a slut."

Like his girlfriends, I thought, chewing on my lip.

At twenty-one, Franco was living my dream life. He rented a house not far from here and had landed a job in the city for a huge financial company doing god knows what.

All I knew was he worked hard, and played hard, as my dad often said.

"Are you still with whats-her-face?"

"Who?" Franco laughed, tilting his head at me. "I'm not with anyone. Listen, I've gotta get home. I've got stuff to do for work. Ignore the pricks at school, yeah?"

My eyes followed him to the gate, as he called goodbye to my dad and Maria. He turned to me with a grimace.

"They're arguing again."

"Great."

"Chin up, beautiful."

THREE YEARS LATER