* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *NEW YORK CITYFOUR YEARS LATER* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *TAYA's POV :"Well?" Hallee came right in, bombarding my personal space as soon as I stepped out of the auditorium lobby.Her eyes were wide, full of hope and expectancy. I gave her a small, sad smile and sighed, "I didn't get in,""Aw, man! Are you serious? I really thought you had it in the bag. I mean, the Juilliard admission was all over you, flying you out to New York City for a damn audition too,""Meh, it's okay. I'll get it next time,"It really was nice of the Juilliard Academy to fly me all the way over here for an audition into their selective conservatory program. A representative of the school saw my graduation piece at UCLA and she loved it so much, she came to me after the show to talk about the possibility of me having a future in New York City â Broadway and all that jazz.I never even thought that something like this would be an option. So of course, I took
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *LOS ANGELES, CASIX MONTHS LATER* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *JUDAHâs POV :Christmas used to mean nothing to me.My mom and I were too busy being in survival mode to care about stupid holidays like that. Plus, we didn't have any money for gifts or holidays. Usually, sheâd work through Christmas, and Iâd get high and pass it by.But not this year.This year would be our first Christmas together, Blondie and I. We went back to Hawaii for Thanksgiving, as we promised our friends, but we were staying in California for Christmas. Plane tickets were expensive and Blondie wanted to stay here and rehearse anyway. Thatâs right, my very own Blondie was chosen as the lead role for UCLAâs upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet. That's fucking sick. I'm hella proud of her. The play would open in January, and Blondie would rather spend Christmas break practicing than anything else. Even though the school and the production were on break
GABEâs POV :It all started because of one stupid promise.I promised my friends that I would speak to Maddie before I leave for college. I had a crush on this girl since freshman year of high school, though the number of conversations we had could be counted with one hand.Though my friends had already left for college and I was the last one to go, I couldnât leave without keeping that promise. But the problem was that Maddie didn't even know I exist. I couldnât just go to her house and declare my undying love for her. I had to meet her somewhere and I don't know, maybe strike a conversation first?So when I got word that there was gonna be a party at a yacht thrown by Ryder Jake Williams and that Maddie would be there, I thought this must be a sign. Maybe this was the universeâs way of giving me a chance to speak to her.Ryder Jake Williams was actually Tayaâs cousin. He was quite well known in this town. He was this surfer hero that all the guys wished they could be and all the gir
RYDERâs POV :âHey, Ryyy!â Taya screeched as soon as I picked up her Facetime call.âHey, T, whatâs up?â I chuckled.From where I was standing, my cousin sister looked alright. Her skin was glowing and her hair was neatly tied up. Several days had passed since she left Hawaii and I was glad to see her alive and doing well.âRy, we just saw the article online, congrats on winning the Hawaii Pro. Weâre so proud of you!ââThanks,â I said. âWhoâs we?ââJudah and me, of course,â she chirped. She then turned the camera slightly and showed Judah sitting next to her on the couch.âRight,â I snorted. âHow are you doing out there? Is everything good? Is he being nice to you? You tell me if heâs doing something shâââEverything is great and he is perfect, Ryder,â she cut me off sternly. âWe just moved in to our apartment and got our first couch today. Everythingâs great here, so donât you worry about us,ââGeez, stop referring to yourself as we and us. Itâs creepy,â I rolled my eyes.âOh, Ryder,
BLAKEâs POV :âBlake, no!â My mom said rather sternly. She was blocking the door to my dadâs office with her body. âYour fatherâs not in a good mood right now,â she hissed.âThis canât wait,â I said simply and pushed past inside.âBlake!â she called after me, but I only shut the door behind her.My dad finally came back from his business trip to Nevada. He was gone for weeks. When I heard that he was back tonight, I left the prom right away and went home. I was still in my prom attire as I walked into his office. I yanked my tie open and stepped inside. He was alone, sitting at his desk, and a glass of bourbon was by his side. You could tell a lot about my dadâs condition by his choice of drink. Scotch meant that he was happy, and bourbon meant that he just had a bad deal. He mustnât be in a good mood right now.âDad, I have to talk to you,â I said once I stood in front of his desk.âNot now son,â he sighed and tipped his head back. âItâs been a long day,ââIt canât wait, dad,âI had
TAYAâs POV :âMake sure youâll call right after you land,â Mom said.âAnd call us when you get to the apartment,â Jenny added.âDonât sign anything if youâre not ready to sign,â Mom continued.âAnd call us if they try toâââMa, stop,â Judah groaned.âWe got this, mom,â I said to my mom as well.My mom and Jenny were standing with us in front of the departure gate at the airport. Finally, it was time for Judah and me to leave for California. We got our two big suitcases with us and we were ready to go. Except, mom and Jenny kept trying to hold us from leaving, giving us advice after advice.The two of them exchanged a look and a smile. They had been giving us the same advice over and over again the past week. But like Jesse said, moms will be moms.âYouâre right,â mom sighed finally. âI know you two will be fine,ââBut please, call us anyway,â Jenny added.âWe will,â Judah said as he hugged his mom. âIâll miss you ma,ââIâll miss you too, sweetheart,â Jenny started crying as she leaned
TAYAâs POV :We were sitting under a bed full of stars. And they were shining so bring, they looked like diamonds scattered across the Milky Way. I had never seen anything more magical than this. I was completely in awe, but Judah didnât look so impressed.âWhat?â I asked him. âYou know a better spot than this in Hawaii?ââOf course,â he said.âWhere?âHe put a hand on the side of my cheek, tilting my face towards his. And with that sexy smile on his face, he aimed for my lips and said, âRight⌠here,âOh, that was so smooth.His lips landed on top of mine gently and I tilted my face to the side, allowing for more access. Tightening his grip on my face, Judah deepened the kiss and I kissed him back with the same hunger and passion. Though it was cold out here, my body was burning up. Soft moans escaped my lips and Judahâs tongue slid his way into my mouth. Our tongues met and they tangled breathlessly as warmth and desire overtook our bodies.Pulling away slightly, Judah threw the blan
JUDAHâs POV :* HONK! * HONK! *âCome on, Judah! Rise and shine!âParked right outside my house, Blondie was beaming and honking the car. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses, a simple tank top, and jeans. Her hair was tied into a ponytail and there were two large cups of iced coffees in the cup holders. This could only mean one thing, she meant business.âBlondie⌠the sunâs not even out yet!â I protested as I neared the car.Ignoring me, she simply asked, âDid you bring a change of clothes like I told you?âI lifted the duffel bag in my hand. âYeah, and what are we doing exactly?ââYou ask too many questions, Judah,â she rolled her eyes and pushed the car door open, gesturing for me to get in. âCome on, chop-chop, we got places to be!â* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *The next thing I knew, Ed Sheeran was blasting on the radio as Blondie drove us to the highway. The cool breeze was blowing in our hair and the sun was just rising. I was a
TAYAâs POV :- - - - - One Week Later - - - - -âTaya, honey,âThis morning, I woke up to my momâs voice calling after me. I felt the bed dip and I stirred and groaned. I slept pretty late last night because I was binge watching Stranger Things on Netflix.And since Iâm not a high school student anymore, arenât we done with this? âWake up, sweetie,â she said again when I refused to open my eyes.âMom, what is it?â I sighed dramatically. âItâs Saturday morning⌠and Iâm not in school anymore!ââI know, but you have company downstairs,â she said.Out of curiosity, I peered my eyes open. âWho?ââWho else,â she smiled knowingly. She leaned down and kissed my forehead, saying, âOh, and happy birthday, sweetie,âThatâs right! Itâs my birthday today!Mom didnât say anything else and she walked out of my room with a naughty smile playing on her face. My body jerked up instinctively. There could only be one person crazy enough to show up unannounced and wake me up at eight in the morning on a