Stripped

Untitled Stripped Prequel

Thanks to everyone who has read Stripped! In honor of surpassing 500 reads I am releasing the first chapter of the Untitled Stripped Prequel. It tells the story of Jake's parents Tom and Ellen. Here is the first chapter. It is still in the works of course so it may be a while until it's complete. For now please enjoy this first chapter! Much love, LL

Ellie's arms curled around Tom as he tried to climb out of bed. "Don't go!" she murmured drowsily into his chest. The simple plea convinced him easily and he nestled back into her warm embrace. The truth was he didn't want to go. All he could think of was the day when they didn't have to be so secretive and he could hold her all night, every night. Sadly things simply couldn't be that way. 

Ellie's mother, Debra was bound to be home any moment. The last thing the young couple needed was to be caught together, in Ellie's bed. It nearly killed him to leave her but he couldn't stay. With a chagrined sigh and a brush of his lips on her cheek, he whispered,  "You know I have to go soon Ellie. Your Mom will kill us if she finds me here. Especially like this," he gestured toward their bodies which were completely bare beneath the blankets. 

Ellie looked up at him, those green eyes of hers went big and round.  Her soft bottom lip poked out in a pout, "I want you to stay. Just stay here and hold me all night. Please?"

Her pleading nearly convinced him, but they couldn't be caught together. "You know I can't." Ellie accepted his answer, she knew what would happen if he were caught in her room. Debra was bound to lose her mind. She hated Tom, couldn't even look at the boy without bearing an expression of pure anger.  Neither of them knew what caused her disdain for him. The only conclusion they could come to was his lack of money.  From the moment Debra discovered that her daughter's new boyfriend lived in a trailer on the other side of town, she made it clear he was unwelcome in her home.

"It's time for me to go Ellie," he said again. This time the girl reluctantly released him, her slender fingers gripped his hand tightly for a moment more before finally letting go. 

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," Ellen said, pulling the blankets around her as Tom stood.

Tom cupped her face in his hand, his thumb tracing her jawline, "Me too Ellie. But I'll see you tomorrow at school."

She tried to smile but he could see she was upset. He hated when they had to say goodbye, Ellie always looked near to tears. Almost as if she didn't expect to see him ever again. Sometimes he even wondered how her mother treated her behind closed doors. Debra seemed the type to get physical when she didn't get her way. But, Ellie never mentioned anything outside of the typical they shouting matches seemed to have daily. 

Tom slid into his jeans and tucked his shirt into the waist band, cinching his belt tightly. He leaned down  and planted a kiss on her lips. "I love you Ellie."

She forced a smile, "I love you too Tommy."

It was then that they heard Debra's voice, "ELLEN!!! I'M HOME!!"

Tom's heart plummeted and he immediately began scrambling for his things. How was he going to get out of there without crossing paths with Debra? He debated hiding in the closet or even beneath Ellie's bed. Those options left the risk of Debra finding him, so he settled on the window. Being on the second story made that a daunting task.  He slid the window open and started to duck outside. That was when the door of Ellie's room flew open.

There was a moment of tense silence as Debra took in the scene. Her daughter lying in her bed wearing nothing but a sheet and the boy she despised with one foot out the window. Both wearing looks of complete panic.  "What the hell are you thinking Ellen?! Letting this trash in here! Letting him touch you?!"

Ellen wrapped the sheet tighter around herself and she stood to face her mother, they stood eye to eye and Debra seemed surprised by the girl's boldness. "You don't get to talk to us that way mother!" Ellen screeched. What exactly was said between the two women after that seemed to blend together. Tom couldn't catch much between the tears and screaming. 

Unable to see his beautiful girl so upset, Tom did the only thing he could think of. The only thing that would quiet Debra immediately, even though it broke his heart. Just as Debra began to lift her hand toward her daughter, Tom put himself between the pair. "I'll go Debra. I'll go!" Tom paused briefly, staring Ellie in the eye willing her to know how much he loved her no matter what he was about to say. "Ellie, she's right. I'm not good enough for you."

The room went silent, the women both staring at him in disbelief. One wearing a look of glee the other,  confusion. "What did you say?" Ellie said, her voice thick with tears.

Tom sighed, he couldn't stand between a mother and daughter like this. He was ruining their relationship. "She's right Ellie. I love you but I just can't provide for you the way you deserve. And I won't be the cause of these fights between you and your mother anymore. Family is the most important thing."

Tears glittered in her emerald eyes, "What are you saying?"

The words caught in his throat, he didn't want to do what he was about to do. There just didn't seem to be any way for things to work out. "I'm saying... I'm breaking up with you. I don't want to come between you and your mother. I'm not worth all of this."

Ellie's face contorted with rage and she slapped him hard across his face, "I hate you!" She shouted, "Get out!" 

The look of triumph on Debra's face hurt worse than the stinging on his cheek. This woman really hated him so much, she wanted him to break her daughter's heart. "Goodbye Ellie. I love you." With those final words he walked out of the room, Ellie's wails echoed in the halls of the huge house. His heart broke with every step he took away from his perfect Ellie. He would never love another the way he loved her. But he was okay just having the chance to love her at all.

In his car, Tom finally let his emotions take over. Tears blurred his vision so badly he needed to pull off to the side of the road. It felt like a mistake, leaving her the way he did. But he couldn't drag her down with his selfishness. She was probably going to hate him for a long time, but as long as she was taken care of, he could live with that.