It's Not All Roses

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2023 by Maia Terry All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected]. First paperback edition February 2023 Book design by Kaylee Beeman -Beauty Bee Branding LLC This book contains explicit language and mature themes that may be triggering to some. These include mental health topics such as panic attacks, PTSD, depression, self-harm, attempted suicide (mentioned briefly), alcohol use (mentioned briefly), physical and mental abuse, and off-scene, sexual assault. To my younger self, I hope you’re proud. Rosalind 2 Years Prior I can’t believe I let Amelia drag me to this game. It’s not that I hate basketball, I actually enjoy it. I’m just not in the mood to pretend to be upbeat and happy right now. However, after the fight I had with my mom this morning, I know that staying at the house wouldn’t be the smartest move. “Earth to Rose.” Amelia waves her hand in front of my face, grabbing my attention. “Sorry, I spaced out,” I say, turning to look at her. “What were you saying?” “I was just telling you how I wanted you to meet Trevor tonight,” she says with a smile. Trevor is the guy she has been talking to for a few weeks. I’ve never seen her act like this over a guy before, so that in itself makes me intrigued to meet him. “Oh shoot, I knew I should’ve brought my interrogation notebook,” I tease. Amelia smacks my arm with the back of her hand and turns her attention back to the game. Now that the star player is no longer a red shirt, our school has one of the best basketball teams in the conference. No one knows what happened or why he got red shirted to begin with. Of course, like with any campus, there were plenty of rumors flying around. But no one could back up the claims. At the sound of the final buzzer, the crowd jumps to their feet, cheering for yet another victory. While people mill about and the players head to the locker room, Amelia and I wait in the stands. Once the majority of the crowd has gone, the guys begin trickling out of the locker room. Amelia squeals and climbs down the bleachers as she sees Trevor. Following behind her we come to a stop at half court. “Rose, this is Trevor,” Amelia says as she introduces us. “It’s nice to meet you, Trevor. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.” I give Amelia a wink and she groans in embarrassment. “Hey, Trev. Do you want to go to Tony’s? I’m starving,” a voice from behind me says, interrupting our conversation. “You guys okay with that?” Trevor asks as he looks between Amelia and me. “I love Tony’s,” I say before turning to the man behind me. I fight to keep my jaw from dropping. The man behind me is none other than Atticus Reed. I try to be subtle as I take in his appearance. He is a good six inches taller than me, with curly brown hair and the bluest eyes. Tearing my eyes away from his face, I notice the tattoos that decorate his left arm and appear to vanish under his cut off. “Hi, I’m Atticus,” he says with a smirk, clearly catching me looking at his tattoos. “Rosalind, but you can call me Rose,” I reply with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Rose,” he says before looking over my head at Trevor. “Let’s go, I’m starving.” Once we arrive at Tony’s, we find a booth at the back of the restaurant. Amelia and Trevor slide in on one side, leaving Atticus and me to sit on the other side. I smile sheepishly as I slide in, and Atticus follows. “What kind of pizza does everyone like?” Trevor asks. “Meat lovers,” Atticus and I say at the same time, and I laugh. When the waitress leaves after taking our order, Trevor and Amelia instantly fall into a conversation clearly lost in their own little world. I look over at Atticus who is already looking at me. I feel my cheeks flush and I advert my gaze just as the bell dings. My eyes follow some of the other players on the team as they mill by our table, letting Trevor and Atticus know they played a good game. I notice a few of them from class, but I realize I don’t know any of them by name. “You guys coming to the party tonight?” One of the players asks as he comes to a stop at the end of our table. “Nah, thanks for the invite, Murphy. But we are just going to hang out and eat some pizza,” Atticus replies. When he says Murphy, the name clicks. Derek Murphy. I’ve heard it announced several times during games. “Oh, come on,” Derek says. “I’ve got some kegs coming, and there’s going to be beer pong.” “Oh look, here’s our food,” I interrupt as the waitress comes up to the table. Derek grumbles as he walks away, and Atticus looks at me. “Sorry if you wanted to go. I didn’t mean to answer for you.” “I don’t do parties, so it’s totally fine,” I assure him and grab two slices of pizza. As we eat, the four of us make small talk. It’s amazing how the conversation just flows between us. I never make friends this easily, but it seems like Trevor and Atticus are the missing puzzle pieces for Amelia and me. Once we are finished eating, we sit and talk for another hour before we