Deceitful Choices(6)

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Yeah, that’s right, I know.” It was hard to remain calm. I had to remember that going off the deep end could only make things worse.

“I’m sorry I lied, but I like you, and…” I cut her off.

“I liked you too, but that’s not an excuse to lie.” I walked around the side of the car and opened the driver’s door.

“Zack.” Her sad whisper made me look up at her. “I’m really sorry. I just wanted to forget who I was for a little while. It was nice pretending I wasn’t Lindsay from Roanoke, and you made me feel good about myself for once.”

I could see she was fighting her emotions, and it did something to me. I never wanted to upset this girl. Even after the shit she pulled, knowing she was hurting made me feel like shit.

“I truly am sorry that I lied, and I won’t tell anyone about what happened between us, I promise.” She turned and rushed off toward the beach and I stood frozen, watching her leave.

Part of me wanted to rush after her and pull her in for a hug. She looked so fucking sad it broke something inside of me. But I knew her leaving the way she did was for the best. It was a clean break and for the first time in hours I felt like maybe my future in the Navy still had hope.





Chapter 4





Lindsay



A trip that was meant to be one I would always remember turned out to be one I just wanted to forget. And it was all my fault.

I have been told multiple times that I grew up too fast. A seventeen-year-old girl who lived the life most do at twenty-five, minus the fact I was still in high school.

I’ve held a job since I was legally able to work. I paid bills and bought groceries. On the days when my friends were off at football games and dances, I was cleaning our trailer and making dinner. I wasn’t able to live the life of a teenager. So the moment I got the chance to live a little reckless, I took it without hesitation, and now I regretted the lies I told. I was careless and I didn’t think of the consequences, not only for me, but for Zack too.

Being friends with him would have been better than the enemy category I landed myself in.

The ride home was filled with Haven throwing Rigdon’s name around over and over. She went on and on about how they exchanged information and planned to stay in touch. I knew she was doing this to get to me; the problem was—it was working.

I spent the entire trip curled toward the window, watching everything pass me by. Wishing I could go back to when I first met Zack and tell him the truth. It may not have turned out the way it did, but I was okay with that because right now I felt like I was the worst of me.

I was a liar, just like my parents.

I had become the exact type of person I had told myself I would never be.



***



“Where the hell have you been?” my father yelled as he stormed into my room, without taking into account I could have been indecent. I had long ago learned to only change in the bathroom where the door locked.

The force of the door bursting open caused it to smack hard against the wall behind it. A small hole was still present from the last time he had done the same thing. I had an amazing ability to get beneath my father’s skin and drive him to an uncontrollable state of anger. To be truthful, it didn’t take much for my father to grow angry.

Over the last six weeks, since my week in Gulf Shores, I had been making a habit of running off, which is exactly what led to the current situation.

“You take off for almost three days, with no contact, leaving only a goddamn note.” He paused, fisting his hands at his sides. “Just last month you took off for over a week. Do you think leaving a piece of paper for us is explanation enough? When the hell are you gonna grow up and face life? You have responsibilities to this family. You owe us.”

“I told mom I was going with Taylor and her family. She said it was okay.” I lied slightly; I had mentioned it to her once. I was sure she ignored the entire conversation while she was filing her nails and watching her soaps, but I still mentioned it.

“Bullshit. She had no idea where you were,” he growled. “Taylor and her rich family think they run this house. Does her tight-ass father wanna pay my bills, fill my fridge?” He stepped closer to my bed and I curled into myself, sliding back toward my headboard.

My father had an anger problem, one that didn’t take much to enhance. Life at the Lauss home was lived daily by one rule, and one rule only. Never give my dad a reason to be angry, no matter what the cost. It was apparently a rule I broke often. But you try living daily with Charlotte and Nolan Lauss, and then you can lecture me about rules.

“You want to run around with that girl, acting like a tramp, then they can support your ass. I’ve had enough of this bullshit from you. Get your shit together, and get out.” He glared at me.