The Places We Were Small
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- Votes 1
- Parts 3
Alessandra never wanted this type of life Outside the broken walls of her house is a secret no one has ever spoken or heard about,bruises hidden under sleeves,belt straps across backs.In a world where praying her father dosen't come home drunk is the most normal thing,Alessandra learns early how to survive, how to shrink, and how to never let anyone get too close.
With the exception of Lorenzo.
Her next-door neighbor, the lopsided-grinned, dimple boy, has been watching her more consistently than ever before. From fence-line glances exchanged between them to picnics in back gardens,Lorenzo was basically raised alongside her. Alessandra is not aware, though, that when things all start to go downhill,somebody is watching-and that somebody is him.
What follows then completely turns everything around.
As Alessandra's world is taken apart and put back together by the strangers.Her daily routine consists of court,therapy,visits.She pushes away the very person who's always sought to protect her-without ever being told the whole truth about what he did.
Instead, she goes to him for comfort. Someone Lorenzo never imagined she would go to.
And in a moment, all of that-all those summers, all their shared secrets whispered-starts to unravel. Lorenzo feels he's lost her. Alessandra feels like he never cared.And neither of them realizes how far back into the past their future is being etched.
A but life isn't done with them yet.
Years later, when destiny crosses paths once again in the most unlikely way, Alessandra and Lorenzo are no longer children with scraped knees and stolen smiles. They're adults with scars. With guilt. With questions neither of them has had the heart to ask.
And maybe-just possibly- that bond never actually faded.
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No one sees her. No one knows her. Alyssa Williams is the girl who fades into the background, the one who slips through the hallways unnoticed. She wears her black hoodie like a shield, her face hidden in the shadows, always on the edge of the crowd. She doesn't want to be seen. She doesn't want to be known. Because if anyone were to truly look, they'd see the fear in her eyes, the bruises that don't heal, and the story she's terrified of telling. Her life is a quiet war she fights every day-against her father's fists, against the memories that threaten to consume her, and against the world that's turned its back on her. She's learned to survive in the silence, to hide from the chaos that swirls around her. But when she decides she's had enough, and tries to run away from the nightmare that is her home, she finds herself crashing headfirst into something-or rather, someone-who might be even more dangerous than what she's running from. Dylan Scott. The bad boy. The bully. The one everyone stays away from. His presence is a storm, and his reputation is as dark as the night. He has a group of friends who don't question his actions, a life filled with secrets, and a world where no one dares to get too close. Everyone warns Alyssa about him, but she's already seen the worst the world has to offer. So when their paths collide, she's not sure what to expect. Will Dylan help her escape the hellhole she calls home-or will he drag her back into it? The truth is, Dylan Scott is hiding as much as Alyssa. He's trapped in his own battle, with his own demons, and just like her, he's been running from something for far too long. But when his and Alyssa's lives intersect, everything begins to unravel. The walls they've built around themselves begin to crack, and neither of them can ignore the pull between them. The question is: will they be able to save each other, or will they destroy each other in the process?
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