LOGINFour teenagers embark on a journey and face a harsh world of adulthood, only to realize that despite differing backgrounds, their experiences bear notable parallels. Their journeys are marked by deception, hidden family secrets and trials that could jeopardize everything they stand for. Axl is from the wrong side of the tracks, living a less privileged life. He has an unshakable bond with North, who is at the top of the elite ladder. Aspen befriends Merit and pulls her into their circle, both girls coming from a wealthy background. When Axl becomes an unwavering source of support and comfort, the roles are reversed and the decisions made by each of them will shape their futures. The only difference between them is that Axl has nothing to lose. Their lives are impacted by the actions and choices of their parents. It’s a slippery slope as they try to navigate the precarious position of importance and try to avoid the enemies they never knew they had.
View MoreAspenFive years laterShe sat on the wooden deck, which Axl had built with his own two hands. The wood was warm beneath her bare feet, sun-baked and smooth from years of use, each plank carefully sanded and sealed. She could still remember him measuring twice, cursing once, insisting on doing it himself even when contractors had offered. He’d taken a break from touring a year earlier, but Blunt Pain still recorded albums regularly. The house was quieter now, more grounded, yet music still drifted through it like breath. They’d won numerous awards, the kind that gathered dust on shelves because life had become fuller than accolades, and they’d finally decided that for four months each year, they would rest and not tour—just long enough to feel alive without losing themselves.She sipped her coffee slowly, the warmth seeping into her palms, grounding her. Merit joined her on the swing bench, the wood creaking softly beneath their combined weight, and Aspen smiled as she watched Axl on
MeritSunlight filtered through the open curtains, pale and warm, and a slight breeze made the fabric move in slow, lazy waves. Curtains? The thought surfaced sluggishly, disconnected. She blinked, lashes sticking together, and shifted on the bed. The mattress dipped softly beneath her weight, unfamiliar but comfortable. The room was painted a light yellow, not the sterile white she half-expected, and the sheet draped over her was soft cotton, worn thin in a way that suggested use rather than neglect. The pillows beneath her head were plump and forgiving, cradling her neck instead of forcing it into stiffness. Her chest tightened as awareness crept in.“Don’t try to sit up too fast,” a voice said.Her head snapped to the side on instinct, panic flaring white-hot. She scrambled to her knees, heart racing, and the room spun violently. Her hand flew to her head as dizziness overtook her, nausea rolling through her stomach in a sickening wave. Gentle hands caught her shoulders, steady but
RikerTwo years earlierNone of it sat well with him. The whole thing had left a bitter taste in his mouth, one that clung stubbornly no matter how many times he swallowed. It wasn’t fear that bothered him—he knew fear intimately—it was something heavier, something unsettling, the kind that crawled beneath the skin and refused to let go. He got to his feet and grabbed the duffel bag hiding the bundles of cash, the weight of it pulling at his shoulder as he lifted it. The money felt wrong in his hands this time. He stowed the bag in his ceiling, pushing it into the narrow space he used for things he didn’t want to see. Then he grabbed his keys from the counter, the metal cold against his palm.He’d done similar jobs in the past, harder ones, bloodier ones, but never before had it bothered him like this. He couldn’t remember when he’d taken the wrong turn—when discipline and duty had eroded into something darker—but somehow he’d gone from being a marine to a kidnapper, and sometimes a m
AxlThey left that same night and boarded a commercial flight to Boston. The decision had been made quickly, almost instinctively, leaving little room for hesitation. He moved through the airport on autopilot, muscles tight beneath his skin, his thoughts racing faster than his feet. They flew first class, and he kept the baseball cap pulled low on his head, the brim casting a shadow over his eyes. It didn’t matter. People still recognized him—the double takes, the whispered names, the phones raised just a little too casually. Even when he turned his face away or shifted in his seat, someone always seemed to catch a glimpse. It was ridiculous how little privacy existed anymore.Aspen sat beside him, calm on the surface, though he could feel the tension in her whenever their arms brushed. Her fingers curled and uncurled in her lap, a small, unconscious movement that told him she was thinking just as hard as he was. When the plane finally landed and they disembarked, the stale cabin air
MeritShe wiped more tears from her face, the skin beneath her eyes raw and tender. Nothing in her life had gone the way she’d imagined it would. She was supposed to be a society princess, admired and envied, married into power with photographers flashing cameras at every event. Instead, she was al
AxlHe was soaring; the high was so incredible it pumped through his veins. The bass, the drums, his voice, it all mingled together, and it made him feel invincible. The crowd cheered, and it was the single most powerful thing he’d ever experienced.From the moment he stepped foot on that stage, he
NorthNorth couldn’t stay in the apartment any longer. He just drove. He didn’t know where he was going at first, only that he couldn’t be anywhere near his father. Fake. The word echoed in his head. Weston’s voice rang in his ears. Bile was rising up his throat. You were never married, North. That
MeritMerit learned how to be invisible long before anyone ever asked her to disappear. University was supposed to fix her. That was what she’d told herself when she’d packed up her life and moved into an apartment on campus.She had believed distance could rewrite her life. There would be new stre
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