Page 36 of Ignite
I looked at her, and all I saw was the shitstorm I’d unknowingly created while I was wallowing in my own weakness. Now I was facing the consequences. Ali hated me, Faye hated me, and now I was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun with Viper on the other end. The hardest part was none of it was black andwhite.
When Faye snarled me one last time, I didn’t try to stopher.
I just let hergo.
16
Alison
When my parents died,I was on a school trip toSydney.
The English department had organized for the year ten media class to go and see the film studios where they’d shot films likeThe Matrix,X-Men Origins: Wolverine, andThe Great Gatsby. It was an adventure of a lifetime for a wide-eyed sixteen-year-old with plans to break into the industry. I would never make it as an actress—I was far too shy—but I’d take anything I could get behind the camera. Maybe I would be a famous director one day, accepting an Oscar for BestPicture.
I knew my parents couldn’t afford the fee, so I took a job working at the local supermarket to save up enough so I could go. I begged and pleaded with my manager to give me any spare hours they could manage and if someone rang up sick, to call me first. In the months leading up to the trip, I was working almost as many hours as I spent atschool.
My parents, inspired by my dedication, decided to go camping while I was away. They’d rented a cabin at a caravan park on Phillip Island, a few hours south of Melbourne, and were going to spend the week eating fish and chips and walking on thebeach.
We were happy. The future was bright, and that was all thatmattered.
Until a truck took it allaway.
At sixteen, I buried both my parents and went to live with my only surviving grandparent. My mum’s mother, Nanna Maree. A few days after I turned eighteen, I buried her aswell.
Then I was alone, and nothing was bright again. Not until I stared into the face of a fighter namedBlade.
* * *
After Faye left,I cried myself to sleep. The next morning, I woke with scratchy eyes and a pounding headache, knowing I couldn’t go on like this. Wallowing, spiraling, throwing excuses at theworld.
I was alone, just like I’d always been, and I had to find a way to deal with it. If that meant getting up and putting one foot in front of the other until it didn’t hurt as much, then that was what I woulddo.
Getting up, I showered and dressed and decided to renew my jobsearch.
Instead of bland covering letters stating why I thought I was a good fit, I laid it all out, explaining my circumstances. Hoping it would be enough to at least land some interviews, I sent them off with fingers crossed. Couldn’t hurt. I’d tried just about everything else. Next on the list was getting down on my hands and knees andbegging.
That night, I made a pot of instant noodles for dinner and stared blankly at the television, trying not to dwell. That’s when someone knocked on mydoor.
Clutching the remote to my chest, I muted the TV, listening. No one ever came to see me unannounced. It was a trick. If I was quiet and pretended I wasn’t home, they would go away. Maybe they got the numbers mixed up and were supposed to go to the neighbors. Yeah, that wasit.
Another knock sounded. “Ali?”
I froze, my heart leaping into my throat.Liam?
“Ali? C’mon, openup.”
Scrambling to my feet, I dropped the remote and crept to the front door. Opening it a crack, Liam’s broad shoulders came into view, and his gaze met mine. My heart leapt into my throat, and I tightened my grip on the handle, attempting to steadymyself.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know why he was here. Was it a lame attempt at a booty call? To apologize and make sure he was free and clear of a stalking attempt by a heartsickmoron?
Peering at him through the gap, everything started to ache. “What do youwant?”
“Can I comein?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“I just… I just want to make things right,” he said, placing his hand on the security door. “Please, let meexplain.”
“There’s nothing to say,” I replied. “I got in over my head. Lessonlearned.”
