Buried secrets, two girls with the same face, and a boy who loved too much.
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When Travis and Nicole meet on a bus for the first time, he thinks she's his ex, Rachel, who broke his heart two years ago. But he doesn't understand why she's pretendin...
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I tried to ignore the tight feeling in my chest as we cruised around Central Park. Luke had connected his phone to a Bluetooth speaker, and hip-hop blasted in the car. The girls were singing along with screeching off-key voices that scratched the brain, and Heath quietly nodded his head to the beat.
Everyone was relaxed, even Jahdiel. There was a soft smile on her face, something I hadn't seen on her for a shockingly long time now.
She looked beautiful and innocent when she smiled, when she was at peace.
New York passed by in a blur. The road stretched on and on the minute we escaped the city and its agonizing traffic, and I snuggled into the seat, my thoughts hovering around me like a cloak.
My eyes widened in awe at the first view of the stretching Atlantic Ocean. It was majestic. Never-ending. The waves crashed against jagged rocks relentlessly; then there was silence, and the relentless crashing repeated again and again.
I thought about myself and the ocean. What did we have in common? The ocean was mysterious. It held many secrets in its depths. It was heavy, deadly, and could become angry, but it could also appear still, calm, and blue. Blue.
My head turned as if on its own accord to the back, and I caught Travis's eye on me, even though little lady Jillian had fallen asleep on his shoulder.
He didn't look away. He kept staring right back, daring me to look away. And it was as if he knew I would, because his face set in a grim tightening as if he was in pain.
I turned forward, my heart pounding at the base of my throat from the little exchange, if I could even call it that.
I felt a soft thud on my shoulder, and I looked to see Jahdiel's cheek pressed against it as she napped. After a few minutes, she snuggled closer, clutching my arm tightly and mumbling something that sounded a lot like momma.
Why would she call for her mom in her sleep? I'd met Mrs. Galantine twice, and I never liked her after both encounters. She could be as bad as Aunt Pearl, with her condescending eyes and the way she looked down her nose at everyone.
I couldn't imagine Jahdiel having a pretty relationship with that woman. No. Not when she showed up in school covered in bruises.
My eyes stayed on the ocean as we drove on, until "Welcome to Montauk" appeared. It was a lovely town; its quietness was a stark contrast to the bustling city we'd left behind.
Fascinated, I watched the lighthouse from a distance, gazed at antique and ice cream shops, and the sandy beach. It seemed to be warmer in this town because people still wore skimpy clothes and sunbathed in the morning sun at the beach.
