Total Obsession

contents Playlist Trigger Warnings Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Epilogue Extended Epilogue One Small Request… Acknowledgments Connect with Ivy Also by Ivy The Estate Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 You are beautiful Copyright © 2023 by Ivy Wild All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Cover Model: Onofre Contreras Photographer: @miguelanxo Editing and Proofing: Jamie @imnotapa To every girl who’s ever felt like they were losing their mind over a guy. This one’s for you. playlist * * * Listen on Spotify “Shiver” by Coldplay “Equal” by ODESZA “No Light, No Light” by Florence + the Machine “Do I Wanna Know” by Arctic Monkeys “I Feel Like I’m Drowning” by Two Feet “Begging for Thread” by BANKS Love is like war; easy to begin but very hard to stop. H.L. Mencken My dearest reader, My name is Aksel Michelson, and I am the hero of this novel. I use that term loosely. Soon you’ll be able to judge for yourself just what you think of me and my story. All that being said, I do wish to warn you that my tale is not for the faint of heart. There will be mentions of difficult situations. I’ve been told that some readers like to go in blind to these things while others like to see just what they’re getting themselves into. For those who fall into the latter camp, please do feel free to visit the below link to view the trigger warnings. This way we save the suspense for those who want the shock and awe factor. That’s all for now. Axe Link to trigger warnings prologue fifteen years ago... AKSEL MICHELSON "Are you nervous?" I asked her. We sat in the little gazebo on the edge of her property. It overlooked what really was just a stormwater retention pond, but it was still kind of a water view. It didn't matter to either of us though. It was still our place. "No?" she said with that infectious laugh of hers. "Are you?" I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. "No," I lied. Tomorrow was our first day of high school. Our town was set up so that there was just one big high school, but a bunch of small elementary and middle schools. New people scared me, but I'd never had to deal with that for all those years, at least not at school. Zoey was the complete opposite of me. She had this beautiful chestnut-colored hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled at everyone she met and within two seconds, they always smiled right back. She could start up conversations with strangers and by the end of it, she knew their whole life story. No one stayed a stranger to Zoey Campbell for long. I, on the other hand, was a different story. I wasn't sure that I was always this way, but my childhood hadn't been enjoyable thus far. People had hurt me in the past, so I stayed away from them. I tried to stay away from Zoey, but she never let me. Every time I tried to pull away when we were kids, she would come over to my house, knock on the back door, and force me to come outside and play. She was the only friend I ever had. And, the only one I ever wanted. I knew I was just a kid, a pretty messed up kid from a shit town with a shit family, but I knew what I wanted. And, I wanted Zoey. She was the only person who knew my secrets and even knowing about all the bad stuff my Dad did to me when I was just a toddler, she didn't judge me for it. She didn’t think I was weird or damaged. She said she still liked me, still wanted to be my friend, and still accepted me for who I was. "It's okay, Axe," she said to me. "Please just be honest. I want you to always be honest with me, okay?" she said, taking my hands in hers. I looked up into her sky-blue eyes. There was such kindness there. It was so calming to me. Some days I felt like she was the only reason to keep living. Some days I felt like she was the only reason I was sane. "I'm really nervous," I admitted to her. She smiled. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" I shrugged. "What are you nervous about?" she asked, squeezing my hands, encouraging me like she always did. I sighed. “The people." "What about them?" I twisted my lips. "I'm afraid they might hurt me." It's such a deep confession, it hurt just tearing it up from my heart. Zoey leaned in, wrapping me in her arms. I sighed into her embrace, reveling in the sweet pea body spray that she always wore. "You don't have to worry about that, Axe," she said. "I'm going to be right there with you. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." "I know," I said to her. She turned and reached into her bag, pulling out the little Polaroid camera that she was always carrying with her. She was always taking pictures and swore to me that one day she would be a photographer. “Here,” she said, holding up the camera so that it captured both of us. “One for me,” she said,