The Seventh Family

Prologue

Betrayal.

That was the primary emotion Noelle Scott felt at that moment.

Hurt. Sadness. A bit of anger. Those were all mixed in as well.

How could they do this? She thought. How could they keep this from me?

"Noelle."

Her name came from the lips of the betrayer. Noelle ignored it, keeping her back turned.

"Noelle! Please, look at me. Or say something at least!"

Finally, Noelle gave in, whipping around to face her best friend. The person she always trusted. The one person she thought she could rely on and confide in for over ten years. The one that she thought was always completely honest with her. The one who had deceived her.

"What do you want me to say, Audrey?" She snapped, sending her best friend the iciest glare she could muster. She saw the sadness in Audrey's eyes. She saw the heartbreak. At that moment, she didn't care.

"Noelle, please, just let me explain—"

"What is there to explain? What could you possibly say that could make all of this right? What possible good reason is there to lie to your best friend for ten years?!"

"I promise, if you just hear me out, it will make sense. You'll understand!"

"Will I? Because no matter what situation I've been in, no matter how embarrassed or scared I was, I always told you the truth. Everything with my family, all of my insecurities—"

"Noelle, it's not the same! Your family, sure, they aren't perfect, but compared to mine—they're saints! Your Dad's a police sergeant! Mine is a criminal!"

Noelle could only glare. The logical side of her brain knew Audrey had a point. The logical side knew that Audrey didn't even know the truth herself for many of those ten years. The logical side knew that she understood, even if she didn't fully grasp the gravity of Audrey's situation. But the other side, the emotional side, the side that had always been dominant in Noelle's head couldn't care less what the logical side of her brain had to say. So instead of listening, she left.

She left her best friend standing there, staring helplessly after her, tears in her eyes, as she stormed out, the door slamming shut hard behind her.

And that was one of the biggest mistakes she'd ever made.

A/N: Hello lovely people! Thank you for reading the exceptionally short prologue...hopefully it gives you enough incentive to keep reading! I've had this story idea for a while, and I'm pretty excited for it, but there are so many plot twists in my head I sometimes make myself dizzy. Anyway, if you liked the prologue...vote, comment, whatever your heart desires...the more feedback I get the more motivated I am to continue to write! Your opinion means a lot to me!

Love, Hannah ♥️