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Chapter One
Dane
Present Day
Here I sit,in the office my dad left me. Bottle in one hand, cigarette in the other, I look around me. I guess he was right after all. I’ll never make something of myself. The man’s been gone for a year, and not one damn thing has changed. I’m pulled out of my thoughts when someone knocks on the door and opens it quickly. It’s Mason. He closes the door behind him and sits down across from me.
“What’s going on? You don’t usually come back here,” I say, turning in my seat to face him.
He runs his hands through his hair, something he always does when he’s nervous. “I don’t know. I met this girl.”
“I figured it had something to do with a girl.” I smile and sit up straight. “So, what is it? Is Ashley stalking you again?” I can’t keep the grin off my face. Sure, I’m a little buzzed, but I get a kick out of watching that girl torture my little brother. She never takes no for an answer.
“No, it’s not her.” He leans back in his seat. “Her name is Lennox, Lennox Madison. I met her yesterday. She and her father came by looking for a place to dock their boat.”
“And let me guess, you rented out dock space?” I scratch my jaw, just waiting for him to confirm my suspicions.
He nods. “How could I not? The girl is gorgeous. She has dark hair, that she wears in these soft curls, and legs that go on for days. She came into the shop in a little white dress and barefoot. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you, dumbass. You like a girl. Big deal.”
“I’ve never liked a girl this much. I took her out tonight, and we had a few drinks. After getting all worked up dancing, I needed some fresh air, so I took her on my boat, where we got a little too close.” His Adam’s apple bobs, and he looks at his hands on his lap. “I didn’t want to stop, Dane. Before, I didn’t care about girls. I mean yeah, I like girls. If they wanted me, great. If they didn’t, I didn’t care. But now, here comes this girl, and she has to like me. I’m a fucking mess.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
I know he must be messed up if he’s coming to me for advice. All I do is serve as a bad example. An example of love and loss and the misery life becomes after it. I long to protect him. So, I do the only thing I know. I give him a little bit of truth mixed with a little bit of lie. “Listen, I know how you feel. In high school, I fucked around with a lot of girls and never gave a shit about any of them. Then one day, Alissa walked into my life. She just had something no other girl had. I fell hard for this one. It was great for a couple of months, then she fucked my world up. She cheated on me with that asshole, Sean. I was angry. I beat the shit out of him, and I yelled at her and broke it off. But then you know what I did?”
I fell to my knees and begged her not to leave me, but I can’t let my brother know I’m that big of a pussy.
He shrugs while never breaking eye contact.
“About a week later, I called her crying, begging her to take me back.”
I didn’t actually call her either. She called me but refused to talk. When those calls came through, I knew it was her, and I bared my heart to her. Not that it did any good.
“You did what?” he asks with a smile, clearly finding my moment of weakness amusing.
“Yeah, that’s what a girl can do to you. You fall in love, and it’s over, man. Just like that. One day, it will be over, and you will be left alone to pick up the pieces.” I admit, I may be a little bitter over the whole situation. This was THE girl. The one that got away.
“That won’t happen. I’m not a pussy like that,” he says, interrupting my thoughts.
“Just wait.” I take a long drink of Jack. Thinking about that time in my life makes it feel real. It’s been so long now that it almost seems like I have someone else’s memories. Like it was just a dream I had. Like she never existed at all.
“Dude, this shit is depressing. I thought you would give me some sort of pep talk or some shit.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s true love. You must be with this girl. Go get her, now.” I sit up straight and wave my arms around dramatically. “Is that better?” The grin I’ve been trying to hold back since this conversation started tugs at my lips.
“You’re fucking drunk. Careful going home, man. I will see you tomorrow.” Mason leaves my office as quickly as he appeared.
Throwing myself back in my chair, I raise the bottle to my lips again and let the amber liquid flow into my mouth before swallowing it down. I reach for the pack of cigarettes that’s always tucked away into the top drawer of my desk. With a shake, one falls out, and I place it between my lips before digging the red lighter out of my pocket and holding the flame to the end. Memories wash over me before I have a chance to stop them.
* * *
Age: 16
“Dude,I can’t believe you didn’t come to the party last night,” Sean says as we walk down the dock.
“My dad wouldn’t let me out of the house. He’s on some curfew kick.” I push my long, dark hair away from my eyes. It’s hot today, but my dad insists I repair a damn jet ski — something I know nothing about. That’s Mason’s job, not mine.
“You should’ve snuck out. You’ve got to see the hottie that just moved to town. She’ll be starting school with us tomorrow.”
