Take My Past And Burn Me Down

Chapter 1

My mother was my idol. Ever since I was little she was the one to root for me. Some idiot changed that. A drunk driver took away my roll model, my inspiration and my mother all in one agonizing swoop.

The doctors said she fought hard which I assume was meant to make us feel better about her death, but I haven't been the same since.

I used to be happy. I used to have dreams and aspirations. They died when we got the phone call two years ago.

My once charismatic and loving father turned into a drunk monster I hadn't known existed.

I was beaten nightly to the point that I couldn't see or breathe. He usually took my unconscious body and put me in the garage overnight and left for work early in the morning, leaving me to get ready and get myself to school. When I got there, I was pushed and shoved and called horrible names because of my different ethnicity.

The teachers were never around when I was being bullied. I always told them I had been in another bike accident or I fell down a set of stairs.

They believed me. The one time I wanted someone to see through my lies, they believed me.

"And your boyfriend, Emmett was it? How is he helping you?"

"He's great. Him and my adoptive family are a huge help."

My psychologist nodded. "How are you settling in with them?"

"Wonderfully. Martha got me my job at the modeling company. Chad is the father I wish I had. My two little sisters are annoying but they're fun and Sam visits a lot."

"Well miss Nina, I'd say you're making wonderful progress. When you come back to see me next week we will talk about your father a bit more. Sound good?" I nodded and shook Mr. Sullivan's hand.

After exiting the quaint little office, I walked across the street to my favorite little cafe which had the best iced coffee in my smallish town on the outskirts of LA.

I ordered my usual iced latte and sat down to wait.

When my order was ready I paid and walked down the street to where my Porsche 918 Spyder was parked. That car was my pride and joy and it was the only car I would ever drive. With 887 horsepower, it went from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds. It pulled 82 miles per gallon and it was a hybrid. It was everything I wanted and more in a car.

When I got home, I was attacked by Sam, my only real family besides my father. Sam was my older brother by three years who had also been beaten by our father when mom died.

I was on the floor laughing and smacked him over the head. "Idiot!"

"Nice to see you too lil' sis," he said and ruffled my hair before getting up and walking through the halls of my adoptive family's mansion. Martha owned a booming modeling business and Chad was one the best lawyers in the country.

"Hey Martha! What do you want me to do with this thing I found on the streets? " Sam yelled. I stifled a giggle as she came down the stairs.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was me. "Sam it's nice to see you but don't scare me like that," she said and pulled him in for a hug.

"Aww Martha, where's your sense of humor gone?"

She laughed. "Nina, dear, lunch is on the table." She looked at Sam. "You join if you would like, I suppose. Just don't bring in any homeless people."

He hung his head in mock defeat. We both laughed at him and went into the dining room where Chad was looking through some paper work for a case that he was involved in.

He looked up as we walked in. "Hi honey. Sam, it's always a pleasure," he said as they shook hands.

Sarah and Danielle, two thirteen year old twins, came downstairs and hugged me with a death grip.

We all sat down to lunch and talked about normal family things like school and the weather.

"Hey Martha." She looked up at me. "What's the schedule for tomorrow's shoot?"

She sat and thought for a second and took out her planner. "You have your hair appointment at ten, then we get on the plane to Sacramento at eleven thirty, we go to the studio, you have your makeup done, and then you go into the photo studio. Pictures should be done by seven thirty so you can go to that little vintage boutique and shop until nine, then we get back on the plane and be home about midnight, assuming there aren't any delays."

I nodded. "And what company is it this time?"

"Lancome."

I nodded again. "Will Carmen be there to do my makeup again?"

"Yes but she's training a graduate so she will be there but she won't be doing your makeup."

Sam stood up. "As much fun as this discussion is, I have to get to classes."

We all said goodbye to him as he got into his jeep and sped away from the conversation of makeup and fashion, both things in which he had no interest. He was currently attending college to become an auto engineer which was great because my slightly-below-a-million-dollars car was very expensive to fix.

I was still sitting on the porch when Emmett's red Mustang Convertible pulled into my driveway. I immediately jumped up and hugged him. He hugged me back and kissed my cheek. "And how are you, Gorgeous?"

I smiled at his nickname for me. "Depends."

"On what?"

"On how you are," I said and kissed him.

He smiled when we pulled away. "Do you want to go to the fair with me tomorrow?"

I sighed. "I'm flying to Sacramento for a shoot and I won't be back until around midnight. Can we go today?"

He shook his head. "My dad needs help with his paperwork." (A/N: His dad is also a lawyer and his mom is a doctor)

I pouted. "We never get any time anymore."

"I know, Gorgeous but these things need to be done."

I nodded into his chest. "We need like, some sort of schedule or something. This is annoying."

"I know, princess. Trust me I know. Next week we will have to plan something."

I tried to look up at him but he was almost a foot taller than me so all I could see was his nose. With me being 5"3' and him being 6"1' there was no way for me to see his face when I was so close to him.

"Nina! Come inside! Hello, Emmett."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Thompson," Emmett replied and let me go. He gave me a quick kiss and I walked up the gravel sidewalk to the house.

I gave Emmett one last wave before I closed the door.

"I like that boy," Chad commented more to himself than to me.

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. "Well that's too bad, 'cause he's mine."

Chad chuckled. "He may be, but you're my daughter now and I need to protect you," he said and assaulted me with endless tickles.

"Chad, leave the poor girl alone."

"Martha, you're no fun!" He said and chased her around the house to attack her like he did to me.

I couldn't help but wish this was the family I had been born into. No broken hearts, and no abuse to speak of. This is what a family should be.

😚

Hey guys! For those of you who read my other story Life Is Tough you are already familiar with my writing. This story is in no way related to Life Is Tough, it's a new story that I hope you like just as much, if not more than Life Is Tough. For returning eaders, thank you for your constant support. To new readers, I hope you like my little world involving Nina and her struggles with her past. I sincerely love and thank every single one of you 💋