Chapter One
Courtney
The soft sound of waves gently echoes in my ears. It’s soothing, relaxing, especially accompanied by the warmth of the sun heating my skin and the gentle breeze that pushes my hair out of my face.
Slowly, my eyes peel open, the scene before me blurry for a moment until I blink the haziness away. Maybe I didn’t do a good-enough job, though, because clearly I’m still dreaming.
“What the fuck?” I mutter to myself as I stare at the rolling crystal-blue waves coming to shore.
The sun is slowly sinking into the water, and the sand beneath the lounge chair I’m in is so white, it almost looks fake. I’m on a beach? What the hell is going on?
Forcing myself to sit up, I notice my muscles don’t cooperate at first before I scrub my hands down my face. What happened? I live in Seattle, born and raised. I’ve never even been outside Washington state. Becoming caretaker to your chronically ill little sister at seventeen will do that to a person’s travel plans.
That was a shitty thing to say. I wouldn’t trade being Lily’s sister or taking care of her for anything in the world, even if keeping up onour bills has me working myself to the bone. That’s why, as crazy as it was, I was willing to do anything to get us out of our situation.
Oh shit.
Like a freight train, it all comes rushing back to me.
“What do you mean we’re maxed out?” I snarl into the phone.
I listen to the bitch-ass insurance agent tell me some bureaucratic bullshit about how we’ve used too much of our insurance, like that’s a fucking thing, before I come unglued.
“No, no! You listen to me: My little sister is sick, okay? Do you think we go through all of this because it’s fun? No. She’s in pain and she is suffering every day, so I don’t want to hear jack shit about us being maxed. We pay our part, on time, every time. I expect you to do the same.”
“I’m very sorry, ma’am, but until the next year begins, there’s nothing more I can do.”
The next year. It’s fucking May. She can’t go seven months with no insurance, we’re barely surviving as it is. I hang up the phone before I can say something I’ll regret, though it sounds like he wasn’t going to help me much anyway, so maybe I should have gotten some of my frustration out.
“Everything okay?” Gretchen asks.
I turn to her with a forced smile before a tear slips down my face. Gretchen is one of the best nurses in the children’s wing of the hospital. She’s like a surrogate mother to us both. She goes above and beyond for Lily, and I know for a fact I wouldn’t have my clerical job downstairs if it wasn’t for her recommendation.
“The, um, the insurance won’t pay out anymore. They said we’re maxed. I… I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Anger takes over Gretchen’s face. “How can they even do that? That is fucking bullshit! I swear to God?—”
Her beeper goes off on her hip, and she glances down at it before giving me a pitying look and taking off down the hall.
Blowing out aheavy breath, I do my best to push all of my emotions as far down as they’ll go, wipe under my eyes quickly, then step into Lily’s room.
“Hey, Lilypad. How are you feeling?” I ask softly.
She looks to me and smiles. “Tired.”
I take a seat beside her. “Dr. Kostoff said the transplant went well.”
“That’s good,” she responds.
“Yeah… it is.”
A silence hangs between us for a few moments before my phone chimes in my hand with a notification. I go to swipe it away and pause, furrowing my brows. Then I click on the email and begin reading it.
Congratulations! You have been accepted as one of our leading stars on the upcoming hit reality TV show Locked In! Attached you will find our NDA and your intake profile. We ask that you fill both out immediately to confirm your spot. More details to come!
Locked In? Accepted? What the hell? Is this that reality dating show Lily was trying to convince me to sign up for? I never filled out the interest form. I never?—
Slowly, my eyes lift to my sister.
