Verses Of Us

Verses of Us Mimi Flood Copyright VERSES OF US Copyright © 2022 by Mimi Flood [email protected] www.mimiflood.ca All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. Any product names or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. 978-1-7777921-3-8 (Print) 978-1-7777921-2-1 (eBook) If you obtained this copy through legitimate sources (i.e.: buying, using a lending option, or through a paid subscription or library), thank you for being honest. If you are reading a PDF of this for free obtained from a pirating website, your mamma would be ashamed of you. Good For You, Sir. Cover design by Mimi Flood Contents Dedication Epigraph Content Notes Verse One 1. THE LUCKY ONE 2. THE MEET 3. THE GREET 4. LEFT STANDING 5. JUST A KISS 6. SHOWTIME 7. WISH GRANTED 8. BACKSTAGE PASS 9. NOT LIKE THE OTHERS 10. LITTLE WHITE LIES 11. WINDOW SHOPPING 12. MAD DASH 13. MISUNDERSTANDINGS 14. UNEXPECTED 15. PANIC 16. NOT ALL LOST 17. NOT AVAILABLE 18. CONSEQUENCES Verse Two 19. NO CHOICE 20. REUNITED 21. NON-DATE 22. DINNER AND A DATE 23. LET THE SHOW BEGIN 24. A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE 25. LETTING HIM IN 26. NEW LUST 27. BEGGING YOU 28. WHAT, NO BOXTY? 29. RAGE 30. A SLICE 31. QUICK EXIT 32. SAD TRUTHS 33. SHOULD I STAY OR… 34. ABNORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES 35. FIRSTS 36. IN ANOTHER LIFETIME 37. HORRIBLE MISTAKES 38. IMPRACTICAL 39. IF ONLY Verse Three 40. TARTS AND TEMPTATIONS 41. HELLO 42. ONE MORE DAY 43. INSOMNIA 44. ONE DRINK 45. ALL THE REASONS 46. LOST 47. NEW 48. NOT KIDS ANYMORE 49. CHANCES 50. COUNTRYSIDE 51. TIPTOEING 52. AGAIN 53. AMENDS 54. AIFÉALA 55. SAFE 56. THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM 57. BROTHER & SISTERS 58. ONE MORE TIME 59. MARKED 60. NEVER AGAIN Last Verse 61. VERSES OF ME Afterword Acknowledgments About the Author Also By Dedication For every fan who ever dreamed of being seen. This one’s for you. Oh, RW made me do it. Epigraph “All of my friends used to laugh. Said I was certifiably mad. ‘Til the day that she came, and she blew them away. And asked me if I’d be her man.” (Girl in the Life Magazine © Sony/atv Songs Llc, Ecaf Music. Written by Kenneth Edmonds.) Content Notes Please be aware, this story contains topics that could trigger some readers. Certain topics include: sexual content, alcoholism, drugs, infidelity, physical assault, parental separation. Also, please note that parts of this story take place in Montreal (Quebec, Canada), where the legal age to drink is 18 years old. THE LUCKY ONE AlexisNestled atop her white wooden dresser, between the posters of TLC, Dawson’s Creek and Good Will Hunting, sat the large black RCA boombox. Alexis flipped the switch on and hopped onto her bed, staring at it while her heart hammered an irregular beat.Alfred Simmons, otherwise known as Alfy, the DJ who hosted the afternoon radio show aptly titled Alfy in the Afty rambled about the thousands of entries they got, amplifying her skepticism about her chances. The prize was the opportunity of a lifetime, or at least, one she would sell her soul for.Never in a million years, he said, had they expected their Win Brunch with Ciarán Jones Contest would create such buzz or garner such a response. Alexis crinkled her nose—of course, they didn’t expect it. People constantly underestimated teenagers, as if their young age meant they weren’t strong-willed and determined, but she understood it very well and had experienced it firsthand. Teenage girls were ravenous, hormone-infused beasts that would do anything for a chance like this.She fiddled with a loose string hanging from the cuff of her frayed jeans, wrapping it around her finger until the blood stopped flowing, then released.“Lexi, you didn’t finish the dishes!” her mother shouted from downstairs.“In a minute!”After an eternity of endless droning, Alfy got to the draw. A fake drum roll sounded over her speakers and Alexis nibbled her nail. Ciarán’s unmistakable sound filled the background as his latest single played. The odds of her winning were less than small. They were minuscule—practically non-existent. But she ignored the voice that insisted she had no chance in hell and refused to give up hope. Someone had to win, so why couldn’t she?“And the winner of an exclusive meet and greet brunch with Ciarán Jones at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Montreal is…” The host was putting it on thick, delaying the announcement and elongating every single syllable.Alexis dropped her head into her clutched hands, praying to no one in particular. If it was kind enough to grant her wish, she would beg to anyone.“Are they doing the thingy?” Her mom, Louise, peeked in from the doorway.Though Alexis nodded, she didn’t look up. Her knee bounced rapidly, matching the pulsing heartbeat that coursed through her ears. Even with the gusts of cold air conditioning blasting into her small bedroom, she felt sweat building everywhere.Alfy cleared his throat. “Alexis Stanek!”Time froze. She stopped breathing, convinced she was suffering a hallucination brought on from the abnormally hot June weather. Dehydration could play nasty games with your mind.“Congratulations, Alexis,” he repeated, yanking her from her daze. “You have thirty minutes to call us and claim your prize or we’ll hand it over to someone else.” He laughed. “And I’m sure we’d have loads of takers. Am I right, Kim?”“You betcha,” Kim, his co-host, replied with an artificial chuckle. “I bet there is more than one young lady out