Yours Always Book 1

1

I was woken by a loud bang; there was a storm raging outside. The wind was howling like crazy and making a tree branch scratch at my window. It was startling, and I couldn’t get myself to go back to sleep.

I shook my head, wiped my eyes, and then looked at the clock. It was 05:49, and I was tempted to go back to sleep, but I had to be up in 10 minutes anyway to get ready for school.

I sat up and was about to go to the bathroom when I heard my stepfather’s loud footsteps. He had come home early this morning. He was the Head Detective of the LA Police Department. His name was Dean Walker, he married my mother two years ago, and I had never seen her happier. I knew most kids didn’t like their stepparents, but Dean was pretty cool, young, and understanding of us kids.

I went into my bathroom and shivered when my feet touched down on the cold tile. I really wished Ozzy would let us keep the house warm, but he seemed to like the cold and always turned on the AC after everyone had gone to bed. Ozzy is my twin brother, and I love him, but I hated the cold, especially in June.

I looked in the mirror and saw dark circles under my eyes; I hadn’t been sleeping well, and it showed. Lately, I had been getting the feeling that I was being watched. It didn’t matter where I was; the feeling was there. At school, at the beach, even in my own room, it had made me restless. I quickly brushed my teeth and took a quick shower. Thankfully, by the time I was done, I no longer looked like something the cat would have dragged in.

I walked out of the bathroom and into my walk-in closet. I was the only girl in the house, and I had to admit, I was a bit spoiled, but I tried not to act like it. I quickly threw on a black underwear set, along with my favorite pair of blue jeans, and followed it up with a black tank top. It was the middle of June and quite hot outside, even so early in the morning.

I also added the red necklace my mother had gotten for me on my last birthday. Ozzy also got a necklace, but not as pretty as mine. Our 16th birthday party was a great one, and I hoped this one would be just as awesome. I put on my black biker boots and was satisfied with my look. I walked back out and into my room.

In my room, I found Ozzy’s girlfriend, Stacey, going through my things. She was the head cheerleader at school. She had light brown hair and muddy-colored eyes. I hated her. She had cheated on Ozzy a few months back, something for which I would never forgive her, even if my brother had. She slept with Ozzy’s best friend, Daryl.

“What the hell are you doing in my room, Stacey?”

“Ozzy said you might have some red lipstick I could borrow,” she replied.

“I’m a pale-skinned girl. No, I don’t have red lipstick. It doesn’t look good on me,” I said, in the same salty tone she used.

“Do you really not have any, or are you just being mean?”

I gave her a half smile and walked over to my vanity. Pulling out the only red color I had, I threw it at her and told her to get out. I wasn’t going to play nice with her just because Oz forgave her for what she did.

After she left, I started on myself. Smoky eye shadow and a thin layer of pink lipstick made me look in top shape. I straightened and blow-dried my hair and let out a huff. My hair was always the hardest part to do because it was so long.

I looked back at my clock; it was now 06:30, so I went to grab my things for school. I had a lot of books I had to return that day. When I grabbed my phone, I noticed an email:

From: yoursalways102@gmail.com

To: ivyturner120@gmail.com

Have a wonderful last day at school, Sweetheart, and a great birthday.

The message was weird, and I had gotten that same feeling of someone watching me. Even though I was in my room alone, I still looked around me. I had no idea who this could be. I decided it was best to forward the email to Colin at some point.

Colin Nelson worked with Dean at the police station, hacking computers and cell phones. He also coded and decoded messages, along with tracking and cloning phones when needed. He was extremely smart and my crush for the last two years.

He was tall and muscular, with jet-black hair and bright blue eyes that stood out perfectly with his pale skin. He was also a really sweet guy, and he made me laugh. Ever since he learned about my crush on him, he has made jokes, and although I hated them, they were funny. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard Oz and Stacey arguing downstairs – a can’t-miss for me – so I made my way there.

When I entered the kitchen, Dean was already annoyed. His mahogany brown hair was a mess from him pulling at it, and his hazel eyes looked dead tired. He had just gotten back from working a double shift to come home to this. He hadn’t even had time to change out of his work clothes yet.

Sometimes we went days without seeing Dean; his job was a hard one, but he loved it. I looked over at Oz and figured I would try and save Dean from this nightmare. “Will you two shut it? Mom is still sleeping, and Dean looks about ready to put you both in jail,” I said.

“Ivy, this has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it,” Stacey snapped, thinking she would get away with it, but as twins, we always had each other’s backs.

“Ivy is my sister, Stacey. Don’t speak to her like that. Why don’t you just get out,” Ozzy yelled. A smile came to my face, knowing this b***h had to leave. Ozzy hated it when people messed with me, and it didn’t matter that it was his girlfriend. I could tell that Ozzy had had enough as well. His rosy-red hair was in tangles on top of his head, and he was glaring daggers at Stacey.

Stacey gave me an evil look and walked out of the kitchen, slamming the door as she left the house. I took my seat after grabbing an apple from the fridge that Oz quickly stole from my hand.

“Ozzy Dante Turner, you need a new girlfriend,” I said, making him hang his head in shame. His ice-blue eyes met mine, and he smiled.

“Don’t be like that, little sister; soon you’ll have a boyfriend of your own to argue with, and then you will understand. Well, that is if you stop being so picky,” Oz replied, laughing.

“I’m not picky. I just don’t feel like dating your friends. Daryl is the only guy that has hit on me, and he is a major player. Well, other than Zac, I’m pretty sure he is just joking around with me, though.”

"Daryl isn't a bad guy. He just acts like it sometimes," Oz mumbled.

"Daryl Davis is a player. Always has been and always will be. That doesn't change just because he is your best friend. He slept with Stacey. How can you be okay with that?" I argued back.

“I have gotten over that. You should as well. Even if it isn’t Daryl, you can’t just sit around waiting for Colin,” he replied, making Dean raise an eyebrow.

Yes, I was crushing on my stepfather’s best friend. How horrible is that? Dean must have seen the blush come to my face just at the mention of Colin.

"Yeah, let's just not talk about my personal life," I growled, earning a chuckle from both Dean and Oz.

“Fine. Happy birthday, by the way, Little Sister,” Ozzy said.

“Yeah, what he said,” Dean jumped in.

“Thanks. Happy birthday to you as well, Ozzy. It’s our birthday and I’m already annoyed with you,” I said, smiling.

“It’s what I do best,” he replied.

I shook my head and ignored them the best I could until my mother walked into the kitchen. I looked at my phone and saw it was now 7 o’clock, which was when she usually woke up to start the day.

The sad part was that when my mother woke up, Dean started getting ready for bed. I felt bad that they never got to see each other. They fought all the time, and I knew that was a big reason why. It wasn’t even small fights; it woke the whole house up, and the fights lasted days. One even lasted a month with them not talking to each other.

I started packing up my backpack for school. I was happy today was the last day. I slipped on my leather jacket and grabbed the keys to my Subaru. “I’m driving myself to school, Oz; I will see you there,” I yelled.

“No, I’m skipping the last day,” he hollered back.

I yelled back, “Okay!” while walking to my car. I opened the driver's side door and noticed a red rose sitting on my seat with a note attached to it. I picked up the rose and slid into my place, then unhooked the letter from the rose stem. The message read:

Baby,

I love you with all my heart. I hope you like the rose; I know how much you love them. I was thinking of you and how much they remind me of your beautiful hair.

Yours, Always