Disappeared

Disappeared Copyright Disappeared—Crude boys of Hawthorne High book (1)2023 © Stacey Marriott All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, businesses, or locales is coincidental and is not intended by the author. Note From the author I just wanted to clarify that I chose a trailer park not to discriminate against those who live in them, but because when I envisioned my characters’ lives… this is how I saw it. All places to live are valid. Addiction is something that is serious, and I’ve dealt with it in different variations throughout my life with friends and family members. It’s not something I take lightly and hope I make that clear in this book. If you are triggered by drug use, this book talks about its effect on the children’s lives but doesn’t focus on taking them. But with that being said, if it triggers you, this might not be the book for you. This book helped heal my inner child. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read it. I appreciate you. Dedication I dedicate this book to all of those who had tough childhoods and wished for a magical escape. Trigger Warnings S/A Rape Drug use This is a reverse harem. Meaning the MFC will end up with more than one love interest. Contents 1. Apple Music Playlist 2. Back When We Were Just Kids 3. The Day After 4. Reminiscing 5. Present Day 6. Help Wanted 7. The Next Day 8. First Day of School 9. Sucker 10. Green Pepper 11. Betrayal 12. Things Couldn’t Get Any Worse 13. When Life Hands You Lemons 14. Sunscreen 15. Tattletale 16. Buttons 17. When will I ever learn? 18. The Last Straw 19. The Mirror 20. Something's Happening Here 21. Careful 22. Handsy 23. Right Hand on Yellow 24. Pot Stirrer 25. Impossible 26. Bane of my existence 27. Insane 28. Sick 29. Denial Isn't Just a River in Egypt 30. Panic Attack 31. Relax 32. Oops 33. Too Late 34. The Honest Truth 35. Tangled Web 36. A Turn of Events 37. Follow Me Apple Music Playlist Apple Music Back When We Were Just Kids W e were just children. Despite being poor, we still had each other. There was no way for us to know what would happen that night after playing on the train tracks. “Richie, it’s your turn.” Mitch digs at the dirt by the train tracks with the toe of his shoe. Mitch Spencer, Maverick Rowbrook, and Kal Mintz are all the same age, nine. Richie Keys is eight. Then there’s me. My name is Ryler Bennett. I’m the youngest at seven, and I’m the only girl. “Alright.” Richie sounds terrified. He wipes his hands on his pants, which is something he does when he’s nervous. He shakes his head like we are crazy. He’s not wrong. We are. We all cheer him on, hooting and hollering. Richie stands in the middle of the train tracks. Then he lies down, staring up at the star-filled sky. “Time starts now,” Mitch tells him, staring at his watch. He runs a hand through his coal-black hair. His copper-colored eyes glimmer as he smiles at me. “How long does he have?” I whisper, walking toward him to get closer. “He picked last, so he has ten minutes.” I half listen to him as I watch Maverick start a fire in a rusty steel drum. Kal throws more twigs and leaves in it, helping to stoke it. “How much longer?” Richie is panicking. “Nine minutes,” Mitch tells him as a train whistles in the distance. Before Richie’s nine minutes are up, the train chugs closer. We can hear it hissing and grinding along the tracks. “I lose. I don’t care.” He says, scrambling off the tracks and holding up his baggy pants as he tries to run. He trips and falls, smacking his chin on the ground. Thankfully, he’s in the grass, so he’s fine. I rush over to him, running my hand through his brown hair as his head rests in my lap. Richie stares up at me with his green eyes and takes a deep breath. “You alright?” I take my hands down his face. Richie nods frantically. “More than.” He gulps. Butterflies swim in my stomach. Wait, that’s not right; they fly, they don’t swim. “You lost.” Maverick grins like a jerk. “Naw, Ryler’s playing with my hair. I think I win.” Richie laughs as I smack at him. “Let’s play, would you rather?” Kal says as we gather around the fire. “Would you rather only talk out of your butthole or not be able to speak?” Maverick squints out of one eye, looking up at the stars. He rubs a hand through his dark auburn hair. “Does your butt fart when you speak?” Mitch asks and we die laughing. Maverick thinks about it for a moment; his dark eyes are on me. “Sometimes, and you don’t know when it’s going to happen.” Kal shakes his pale blond hair. “I’m going to have to go with talking out of my butthole.” He chuckles, and his blue eyes scan over our judgmental faces. “Come on, the other choice is to not speak. I know for a fact, Ryler, you couldn’t live without speaking.” All the boys laugh. We all take a seat except Maverick. He’s propped up on a log. Looking like the leader he is. Keeping my eyes on Kal, I scowl. “Rude.” I huff. Maverick looks between Kal and me. “Would you rather kiss Kal or me?” Maverick asks, folding his arms over his chest. “Ew, neither.” It’s not a lie. I like them and everything, but I’m not sure I want their lips on mine. Had I known that