Wrong Side Girl (The Girl Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

know damn well how hard I’ve worked to leave that life behind, Cole! So go to hell!” Without giving him a chance to respond, I got into my car, cranked it up, and shot out of the parking lot and headed home.
    By the time I got to my apartment, I had three missed calls and two messages, all from Cole. I turned my phone off and collapsed onto my bed, too emotionally drained to even get undressed before I climbed under my blanket. I didn’t cry, but instead stared blindly at the wall in the dark, trying to push down my pain, to not feel anything.
    But for the first time in my life, I was unsuccessful.
    So I let the tears fall while big sobs shook my body. I don’t know for how long I cried. What I did know was that, for the first time in fifteen years, I cried myself to sleep.
    Cole
    In the breezeway outside of Lizzy’s apartment, I could hear her heart-wrenching sobs. On my way over here, I had thought of nothing but finding a way to make her hear me out, of letting me apologize. She must know that I hadn't meant what I said, that I could never consider her trash. I had just been so frustrated and angry that I could never make her mine when that’s all I wanted. But of course, she wouldn’t know what that felt like.
    Hearing her crying was breaking my heart. I had seen her cry silently often throughout our childhood and during our teen years, but that sobbing… God! It was killing me! Lizzy was the strongest woman I knew. She didn’t let anyone beat her down, although lots of people have tried. I had made it my job to take care of her, to console her when things at home were bad, to build her back up when she was down, to protect her from the assholes in our town. She had always let me, had expected me to be there for her.
    But tonight was different. She had needed to get away from me, hadn’t wanted to talk to me. For the first time in our lives, she had pushed me away. And that left a gaping hole inside me that was tearing me apart. I couldn’t lose her. Not ever.
    She was my everything.
    And I would show her exactly that.
    I didn’t know for how long I sat leaning my back against her door, my head in my hands, the fear of losing her so strong I was shaking. I couldn’t lose her. I just couldn’t. And if nothing else, tonight proved that I wouldn’t be able to watch her fall for another guy. Just seeing her talking and flirting with another guy, a guy who had made her laugh, drove me absolutely insane with jealousy. I couldn’t stand it. What would I do when she eventually found someone she was actually going to date long-term, move in with, marry, have babies with? No. Absolutely not! That was not going to happen! Ever!
    Yeah, I was a selfish bastard but that laugh was mine, those bright green eyes were mine.
    She was mine.
    The crying had stopped. She must have fallen asleep. I shouldn’t wake her. I would give her the space she needed from me tonight.
    But tomorrow, things would change.
    Tomorrow, I would show her exactly how I felt about her.
     

Chapter 4
    Lizzy
     
     
    Fourteen Years ago.
    Lizzy is eleven. Cole is thirteen.
     
    Cole is taking me to get ice cream. I love ice cream. It’s one of my most favorite things in the world. Getting ice cream with Cole makes it my most, most favorite thing in the world.
    Cole is my best friend. We do pretty much everything together. Every day, as soon as I come home from school, I dump all my stuff in my room and go to our special place as fast as I can. Then I wait for him. Sometimes I don’t have to wait long, sometimes I have to wait longer, and sometimes he doesn’t come at all. But I’m never mad at him for not showing up. He explained to me that sometimes his mother won’t let him go outside and keeps him with her inside all day. First I thought his mother must really love him if she wanted him around so much, but he told me that wasn’t it. I didn’t know what it was, he didn’t share that with me. And I didn’t ask. He will tell me if he wants