"My life is a lie, a dark place," Alyssa Pearson said, looking up at the sky with a heavy sigh. The weight of her existence was suffocating her.
"You are in a safe place, Alyssa. This is your home, and your life is as real as you are." He reassured...
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"Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form."
"So you lie?"
The red haired turned and greeted the person who dared to say her that. She passed her a weak smile. "Jamie darling. Let the elders enjoy the party. Don't be a, what do you people call it - umm, yeah, party pooper."
"Aunt Rebekah. The elders must not forget their limits too. Anyway, enjoy the party. I've far better things to do than stand here and let you bitch about my best friend."
Jamie gritted her teeth.
"A who? Are you two still friends after whatever you and her brother did behind her back?" Rebekah laughed at her face, and the other guest standing with her cleared her throat.
Jamie was ready to give her the taste of rudeness when her father walked into the scene. "Rebekah, you look ravishing."
Jamie rolled her eyes and walked to the bar area. She asked for a lemonade. She was against the party, but it was a ritual of Adkins's family to throw a new year's party. Last year when they did, it became a controversy. She did not want to bring that bad press on the family yet again.
Her boyfriend entered the house with his sister by his side. She found them and walked to them. Pulling Alyssa in a hug, she smiled. They were still awkward around each other. Then she moved to her boyfriend and rested a kiss on his cheek. Alyssa excused herself from the love birds and walked away.
She was in no mood to attend the party. She had not left her room for two days straight after what happened at the cliff. Landon told his father about Arthur. Keith was furious, he did not want Alyssa to know that part of her past. He knew a lot would change with that truth. Alyssa only left her room to talk to Karen about how the date went. She was at least excited about that. She wasn't talking to Landon, but he did not want to remain silent this time. He told her how Arthur meant the world to her and after the accident, when she woke up and did not remember him, everything came crashing down for the both of them. Arthur was heartbroken and he did not want to be any harm to her. She wasn't ready to hear anything that her brother had to say, it broke her that neither the two boys trusted her with such a big truth about her life.
"You guys were never apart, Ally."
It broke her to hear those words. For the last two days, every time she shut her eyes, she wanted to imagine Arthur, to be able to remember something. But she failed miserably. There was nothing. She hoped for a dream too, but that didn't happen.
She found her best friend Neil. He was laughing at something that Zach said. They both welcomed her with a warm hug.
"How are you, babe?" Zach asked her, pulling away from the hug.
