Before The Bad - Volume I

"If I told you my secrets, you would never look at me the same."

His fingertips graze my jaw, travelling up behind my ear and into my hair. I let out a soft sigh, unsure of how I feel about all of this. It's all sort of abrupt, but the way my stomach flutters when I'm around him is undeniable. Jaxon inches his face closer and I'm sure he's going to kiss me. Only he doesn't. He shakes his head and steps back, rethinking his choice. And now, he's gone. He's left me, in the empty parking lot of Cardinal Carter, and all I'm left with is the chanting from the field. I turn my head and watch him pick up his pace as he nears his Jeep. He fooled me. Again. Really, I should've never let an old flame burn twice.

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If anyone's experienced childhood trauma, it's Stella Blake. In her just fourteen years of life, she's witnessed her abusive, alcoholic father repeatedly beat her mother, saved her mother's life during the last straw, and truly knows what poverty is like. Headed into her freshman year of the prestigious Cardinal Carter Academy, Stella finally feels as if she's better. She knows she is. Her mother and her are doing fine now-financially and mentally. So what could go wrong?

Jaxon Spade is the complete opposite. A once good boy turned Juvenile, the Junior carries an immense secret. One that he's sure will dethrone him as king. Jaxon is set to be the heir of the Canadian Mafia, also known as his fathers company, Spade Industries. Often seen as a rich boy who doesn't understand the ways of survival, he was once declared as Stella Blake's first love. Hiding family troubles of his own, Jaxon emotionally struggles to get by. That is, until he lays his eyes on Stella Blake.

Prequel to Good Gone Bad - if you'd like some insight on the characters after their high school experiences, I suggest you read that first.