AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Another long story. Don’t ask.
Her cackles fill the air as she climbs into her ride. It’s right there on the tip of my tongue. I want to ask for her name again. Her email address, maybe. Just so we could—
No, Mason. Not this time.
I always fucking do this. Find the fixer-upper girls. The ones that are running from something. The ones that are broken. I try to fix them and instead, they end up breaking me. Not this time. I’m changing the pattern.
New town, new Mason.
So I let her go. She drives out of the parking lot, taking the highway out of town. I’m left standing there like an idiot, staring after her car, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
That was fucking explosive. But she and I are two ships crossing in the night. She’s going in one direction, and I’m going in the other. I’m arriving. She’s leaving town.
Deep down, I know I just dodged a disaster. That girl is a train wreck just waiting to happen. And this time? I’m keeping my ass off the tracks.
I can’t lose sight of why I’m in this town to begin with. Fresh start. New beginning. This time, the focus is on me. Finally.
I go back to the motel room and I’ve got this sluggish feeling moving through my blood. Out of nowhere, there’s a faint headache building at the back of my head.
I consider taking a shower. But I can’t even get the rickety pipes to churn out some lukewarm water.
I consider lying down. But then I see something creepy-crawly scurry across the comforter.
Fucking hell.
I guess that’s my cue to get out of here, too. Not wasting any time, I pack up my shit. Then I hit the road.
Doing my best to ignore my headache, I take in the scenery as I go. Everything is green and nourishing and intriguing. I drive past the highway sign inviting me to town.
Welcome to Starlight Falls…Turn on. Tune In. Love All.
Despite everything—and not knowing what the heck that means—I can’t help but feel like there’s something magical about this place.
I still have no fucking clue what I'm doing with my life. But a part of me is willing to believe that maybe there’s a greater plan at play after all.
2
KARLI
It never ceases to amaze me how much better life is without a bra.There’s just something so damn liberating about freeing the girls.
Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, I wiggle, reaching around to unclasp my bra. I pull it off right there in the front seat of my car, not giving two shits who might see as I coast along the winding mountain road. With a sigh of relief, I toss the scrap of lime green cotton toward one of the many bags and boxes piling up in the backseat.
My hometown is a quirky, five-thousand resident town in the enchanted backwoods of Iowa. I don’t care what anyone says, I swear this place is magical. From the eccentric hippies to the wide-shouldered lumberjacks. The weird festivals and the superstitious ceremonies. The vibrant farmers’ market and the secluded waterfall rumored to have the ability to make people fall in love. There really is no place like Starlight Falls.
I’m already feeling more like myself by the time I pull up to the family property where I grew up. It’s a small but picturesque ranch with a sprawling front yard. Tall, towering trees close the property off from the main road, and that’s probably my favorite thing about this place. The woods extend all the way to the back and always felt a little mystical to me, like a storybook with otherworldly characters just waiting to go on an adventure.
Despite being wrapped in the welcoming comfort of home, the tentacles of anxiety clench around my gut. This is not at all where I thought I’d end up this summer.
I’m supposed to be in med school right now. Iwantto be in med school right now, but apparently med school didn’t want me.
I applied to so many medical faculties. So damn many. And all I received was rejection after rejection after rejection. I wasn’t accepted by a single med department, reputable or not.
Yesterday, one final rejection letter came in the mail. And that was the straw that broke this camel’s back.
I broke. And I ran.
I feel like a failure, and no one knows but me. I just can’t stomach telling any of my family members the truth when it still stings so bad. But I suppose they're going to figure it out sooner than later. I mean, it’s kind of hard to disguise the fact that everything I own is crammed into my little silver Nissan.
