The Reaper Diaries Book 2: Everly's Journey Chapter One

I couldn't just end book 1 with what happened so I had to finish off the series with book 2. To be honest, I can write many more in this series, but for now, there will only be two books.

Here is a sneak peak!

Chapter One

A ghost called my name.

I hesitated, then faced her. Her life during the past few minutes flashed into my mind. She fled during the Grim Reaper’s arrival, returning once it departed.

“Yes, Eleanor?” I feigned ignorance concerning her desire.

“Use your ability on me.” She hovered, freezing the grass beneath her. Her transparent body still showed her shorter hairstyle and her white button-down shirt over pleated pants. Her lover killed her for getting pregnant with his child.

My stomach churned because she asked for precisely what I never wanted to do. I called my scythe from my soul and contemplated the world’s wicked murderers instead of her. How many deaths had they caused before law enforcement apprehended them? How many more required stopping? My power turned my blade black as my anger rose. I couldn’t use Eleanor because she wasn’t evil. She had trusted the wrong person, and that led to her death.

“Everly, what are you doing?” my father asked me. His tone filled with anger. He attempted to stand, but he lost his balance. His body still suffered from being frozen by poltergeists for six years. Despite our ability to heal rapidly, he required time and physical therapy before he walked again.

“I’m giving a ghost what it wants. You taught me that.” I ambled down the stone pathway. The surrounding air chilled as I approached Eleanor. My heart raced, and tears sprang to my eyes. I had grown to like her, despite being mortal enemies. She was a poltergeist, and I was a reaper. She was supposed to attack me, and I was supposed to send her to heaven or hell.

“Don’t use our family’s ability against poltergeists!” my father yelled at me.

I ignored him and planted my right leg forward, readying my scythe.

Eleanor closed her eyes. “Thank you,” she said. A single tear rolled down her cheek and turned to ice as it fell from her chin.

I swung at Eleanor and plunged the point of my blade into her chest.

“Everly, stop!” my father screamed at the same time. “Someone stop my daughter!”

Eleanor’s eyes widened as she burst into balls of white light.

I released my anger at the last second and sent her to heaven. She never would’ve let me if I hadn’t darkened my scythe. She believed she deserved to no longer exist. The era she had lived in caused her to make poor choices. She had fallen for the wrong man, who impregnated and left her. She had gone for help, only to become a victim of a botched abortion. If God could not pardon her, I would, but God had, just as I suspected.

I bowed my head, brought my hands together, and told Eleanor, “May you rest in peace.”

“Everly, don’t ever do that again.” My father clenched his fists at his sides. In his current state, he couldn’t stop me. He was incapable even after his health improved. My mother failed whenever she tried.

“Sending a ghost to heaven? You taught me we should always help them.” I released my scythe and joined him under the stone gazebo with my friends. Except for Cherry, she was my nemesis.

“No, sending a poltergeist to the Nothingness,” my father answered.

“I didn’t. If I hadn’t pretended, Eleanor would’ve run away.” I scratched my cheeks, glancing at my friends. They either shifted their weight between their feet or rubbed the back of their necks. They appeared as clueless as I felt. Why was my father yelling at me for something I never did? He had woken up less than thirty minutes before. I was surprised that I lasted that long without getting into trouble.

“Dad, what are our powers?” Brooke asked.

Gratitude rose inside me for my older sister changing the subject. Our father was thick-headed, and he would never understand. He loved to teach, though.

“We see the lives of poltergeists, and we can send them into the Realm of Nothingness,” our father answered.

“Which is?” Brooke ran a hand through her hair.

“The name reflects the Realm of Nothingness. It’s all white or black, and you’re alone with just your thoughts. It’s the worst place a soul can be sent,” our father answered.

“Even more than the River Styx?” I asked. Reapers who disobeyed Death went there.

“Absolutely. You don’t return from the Nothingness,” our father answered.

“Why can’t we send poltergeists there? Some souls deserved to live in a void,” I pointed out. The Black family’s choice to send them there proved better than their annihilation.

“How can you say those words? Our job is to help souls. What has your mother been teaching you since I’ve been away?” our father asked me.

“Not a damn thing,” I answered. My mother had done nothing to teach me about becoming a reaper, and she forced me to hide it. If I got a few things wrong, I deserved leniency.

Levi Silver, my boyfriend, laughed and covered his mouth while sobering. He knew my words were true.

My father pressed lips together. “I’ll have a talk with you and your mother when we return home,” he said to me.

Brooke shifted to stand behind our father, and she pointed at her empty ring finger. She mouthed the word, “Mom.” Yeah, our mother remarried shortly after our father disappeared. She or our sister might inform our father. I had already disappointed him enough for today.

Levi and Chaz White, Brooke’s boyfriend, helped our father down the stone pathway. Reaching the bottom, he declared, “I require a brief rest. I can walk the rest of the way myself.” The men lowered him onto the ground. My father tested his legs, and the tips of his shoes wiggled. He would need more movement for the journey we had ahead.

I sat on the stone that had been my father’s bed.

Levi took the spot next to me and rested his head on my shoulder. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks to you.” I could never have saved my father without Levi healing him or Cherry’s fire to melt the ice encasing him.

“I didn’t know Eleanor’s plan until your blade turned black,” Levi said.

“After you and Cherry released my father, I figured it out.” I probably knew all along, since I saw into her soul, but I never wanted to admit it. Would I have agreed to it if she had told me? I’d never stop searching for him. Now that I had, I wanted to pinch myself. This seemed unreal.

“What do we do about my grandpa?” Chaz asked.

All gazes fell upon the corpse, then turned toward me expecting answers. The Grim Reaper had taken Chaz’s grandfather’s soul for the River Styx.

“We’ll let the council decide,” I answered after a minute. They would investigate even when I told them what had happened.

“Feels wrong to leave him here,” Chaz said.

“Your grandfather tried to kill my sister, so he can stay,” Brooke pointed out.

“He’s still my grandfather. He deserves a proper burial,” Chaz said.

“You can’t carry both him and my dad back,” Brooke said.

“I figured you girls can take him or your dad.” Chaz squished his eyebrows together.

“My dad is six feet and over two hundred pounds of muscle. I can’t lift him, and I’m not carrying a dead body.” Brooke folded her arms and glared at her man.

“The council will investigate James’ death, so we’ll leave him here. If they don’t, we’ll come back for him,” I said to end their fighting. My head pounded against my skull.

“We’ll give him a reaper funeral?” Chaz asked.

“What part of your grandfather almost killing my sister do you not understand?” Brooke asked her man.

“How did he find us?” Levi asked before Chaz rebutted.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The council wanted to question James, right? No one knew where he had fled, or we were saving your father, but our friends and us,” Levi answered.

James White, aka Jamesass, had released poltergeist bait in popular human towns and caused their deaths along with reapers, who had tried to save them. Seventeen of our people had died because of his actions. The human deaths were blamed on a plague. Why would anyone work with him? Levi’s words played through my head.

“Then one of the council members told him or us. My money is on Cherry,” I joked.

“Why are you blaming me?” Cherry asked. Her voice rose a couple of octaves, and she averted her gaze from me. Why was she acting suspiciously?

“What did you do?” Brooke went to her friend, staring her in the face.

“I…I did nothing,” Cherry answered. Her face turned as red as her hair.

“Cherry Watermelon Red, I know when you’re making shit up. Did you tell James where we were?” Brooke asked.

“He told me he wanted to speak to Everly. The entire situation was a mistake, and only she could fix it,” Cherry stammered.

Whack! Brooke smacked Cherry, and the other girl fell to her knees. “I forgave you once already for trying to kill my sister, but I won’t do it again,” Brooke said. Rage filled her eyes. Her friend had tried twice to kill me, and now she was upset?

Cherry held onto her cheek. “How was I supposed to know James wanted to kill your sister? He said he wanted to talk to her.”

“And you told him without thinking? I knew you were jealous, but this is pathetic. We watch each other’s backs,” Brooke yelled.

“I…I helped save your father,” Cherry stammered.

“And that is why I am not kicking your fucking ass right now.” Brooke ground her teeth together and turned around. “Someone else can deal with her. I can’t look at her.”

“What if I say sorry to Everly?” Cherry grabbed Brooke’s hand.

“Then say you’re sorry to my sister and not me.” Brook shook her hand, and Cherry dropped it.

“She’s more than dead to me,” Levi said to me as he knocked me on the shoulder.

I stared at him, trying to figure out what his words meant. Cherry and I never got along.

Cherry stood in front of me, mumbling, “I’m sorry.”

I slid off the stone and slapped Cherry. The smack made my hand hurt. “Hand of Death,” I told her.

Cherry rubbed the mark and said nothing else. Technically, the reaper council should put her to death for attempting to harm me, but they never believed me, even with Levi bearing witness. The council and I had issues.

I pushed past Cherry and headed toward my father. “Shall we depart, or do you require further rest?”

“Why did you smack her?” my father asked me. My sister had moments before, and he said nothing to her. He was still mad at me.

“Because it is my right with the hand of Death,” I answered.

“You shouldn’t be hitting your friends.” My father shook his head.

“Cherry and I are not friends. Should we depart, or do you require further rest?” I asked him.

My father tried rising, and upon his inability, the men offered support. We slowly made our way back to the Black family mansion. He wouldn’t go to the Institute, saying, “I refuse to step foot in there.” At least I learned where my stubbornness came from.

If you want to know more:

After six years of searching the reaper realms, Everly Black has finally found her father. But he doesn’t agree with her using her family’s abilities. If she doesn’t do her job—sending poltergeist to the Real of Nothingness—she will lose everything. Her friends join her until they’re overwhelmed, and her quick thinking saves them for now.

Everly finds out more poltergeists trapped in the Grim Reaper’s realms flee again. The previous culprits are dead or locked away. Everly and her friends search for answers, but no one knows why poltergeists are escaping. If they don’t figure it out, the answer might tear the reaper families apart forever.

https://mybook.to/RD1E

The Reaper Diaries Book 1: Everly's Quest Chapter One

I had the idea for a family of reapers and then I thought about how would they get around the world? The answer was portals.

Here is a sneak peak!

Chapter One

A transparent poltergeist floated across the meadow, and frost spread across the grass. She shifted and resumed her endless search, drawing closer to me at the top of the hill.

I held my breath so as not to alert her to my presence. My heart pounded so loud it sounded like thunder in my ears.

As she shifted closer, her life sprang into my head for a second, like I watched a movie with me in the starring role instead of her. Until him, she had lived simply. She and her lover had planned a secret wedding and met before he knocked her into a well. The slick stone walls hampered her grip as she struggled in the water.

Her lungs had burned for air, and an inequitable knowledge of her impending death filled her. She had called for his help, her throat growing too sore to continue until exhaustion overcame her, and in those last moments, she realized the truth. Now she searched endlessly for the man who had killed her, to harm him as he had harmed her.

I called my scythe from my soul, and it glowed as it appeared. I waited for her to spot me. When she changed directions again, I planted my right foot forward for better leverage on my weapon.

The poltergeist turned toward me, and its mouth popped open. Her jaw dropped lower as she screamed so loud it pierced my eardrums. Her 18th-century dress billowed around her ankles as she flew at me. She grew closer; her eyes were filled with rage.

The image of her lover filtered into my mind. She didn’t see me, only him as I struck, my blade slicing through her with ease. Tiny balls of white light erupted from her body before she faded, and the skin on my left hand glowed as my tattoo grew from releasing her from this realm.

“May you rest in peace, and may he burn in hell,” I told her. She’d probably spent hundreds of years wandering. If she had, my father wouldn’t be in this realm. Other poltergeists had taken him six years ago.

I marked off this location on my hand-drawn map and retreated through the newly formed portal. The glass-like purple shimmered in my wake. I swore it had been green when I entered, for the color reminded me of moss on the aged stones in a broken ring holding them in place. Had I imagined the change? What if I hadn’t? Were the other collapsed portals still functional?

My final alarm buzzed as I contemplated returning through the portal. I cursed and hesitated for a second. My mother would yell at me if I were late babysitting again. I doubted visiting the realm would advance my quest, and would only feed my curiosity. I never had enough time for the latter.

With a sigh, I headed toward the Head Institute, using the various portals. As I drew closer to the last, I released my scythe, forgetting I had it. No one knew about it except for my mother, Fay, and the Grim Reaper, who had given it to me after I called for help. If anyone discovered it, my mother would be livid. I doubted Fay even remembered because she was three at the time poltergeist kidnaped our dad. I suspected Death never cared. It had given me the weapon to release souls. Nothing else worked.

I checked my wrists for the conclusive proof I had become a reaper, and my tattoos had faded. The marks covered much of my upper body. I had earned each tattoo from releasing a soul.

After walking through the blue waterlike surface of the portal, I stepped into the courtyard of the insanely large Institute. Despite the appearance, the gateway didn’t drench me, unlike a few. The structure’s design, resembling a gothic mausoleum entrance, was appropriate. My family and everyone who lived here dealt with death or would when they turned eighteen.

My sister and her friends hung out near the entrance. “About time you arrived,” she told me.

I ignored her and hurried up the stone steps. Miles of dense forest surround the building, making it impossible to approach on foot. The stone Grim Reaper statues made the place unnatural, like they could steal the souls of passersby.

“If I had to watch the twerps, I would’ve killed you,” my sister called after me. She ran a hand through her boyfriend’s hair. He and her other friends lounged around each other. Most of them paired off, except for Levi and Cherry. He wasn’t as bad as the rest, so it was a shame they eventually would.

He walked the dog with his yo-yo.

I stopped and turned to my sister. “Have you gone out soul releasing?” I asked her.

Brooke shrugged. “We’re busy.” She’d probably spent most of the day making out with her boyfriend when not in school. Despite the daily death toll exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand, she remained preoccupied.

“Did you know every reaper is related?” I asked them.

Brooke dropped her hand away from Chaz White and blinked at me.

“Yeah, my research says we’re all cousins,” I answered.

“Distant?” Brooke asked. Her voice quivered.

I shook my head before heading inside. I refrained from laughing until I was in the grand entrance more. If I stopped their make out sessions for a day, I’d be happy.

“Everly Dawn Black, I’m glad you think being late for babysitting is so amusing,” my mother said. Her hands were on her waist, and she glared at me. She wore that expression earlier today and every day she saw me.

“What excuse do you have this time?” my mom’s husband, Jackass White, asked me. His real first name was Jack, but I preferred his nickname.

“I’m here now, so why does it matter?” I asked my mother. I did my best to ignore him.

“Don’t use that tone with me,” Jackass said. He shifted to stand in front of my mother.

“What tone?” I blinked at him, acting innocent.

“You know. If you were my daughter—” Jackass started, but I cut him off.

“Thankfully, I’m not. I have a father,” I reminded him.

“You had a father,” Jackass corrected me. He sneered at me.

“Still do,” I told him.

“Your father is dead,” Jackass said.

“Hun, we should go. The council is waiting for us.” My mother set her hand on her husband’s bulky shoulder before I retorted. Why had he stuck around? He led the Institute and ruled its board, overseeing reapers. Had he stayed to yell at me?

What a pathetic piece of shit, I thought. I wished my mother had moved on with someone else, anyone else, after poltergeists took my father. She could’ve waited, but I understand why she didn’t.

“Yes, we’re discussing increasing the age for new reapers,” Jackass said.

“Why would you? By law, we’re adults,” I pointed out. I would graduate the following week, and three days after graduation, I turned eighteen.

“You’re not an adult yet. Times have changed, and the smoking and drinking age is twenty-one. The age increase makes sense because some children are not completing their duties.” Jackass ran a hand through his greased-back black hair with gray streaks.

I turned on my heel and walked away, reading through his lines.

“Where are you going?” he called after me.

“To babysit, since I take my responsibilities seriously.” I tapped my watch over my head without turning around. “The council’s waiting for you. Shouldn’t you do the same?”

Jackass said something, but I rounded the corner, already unable to hear him. He would purposely raise the age limit because he didn’t want to lose his permanent babysitter—me. He mistakenly believed I’d stay after becoming an adult. He and my mother had no legal right to keep me here. I stayed only because my father believed school was important. My education lacked real-world preparation. Where was balancing a checkbook 101 or paying bills 100? The reaper training came next, yet my enthusiasm for those lessons diminished, since I hardly received any.

I wiped the scowl off my face and replaced it with a smile. “Who wants to play hide-and-no-seek?” I asked the twerps. I meant kids as I entered their playroom.

Tan and Can, my younger brothers, who were twins, ran up to me, jumping up and down and saying they did.

“Again? You never find us,” my half-sister, Dakota, said.

“That’s because you hide so well,” I lied. I glanced at all the other kids before I continued. “Ready? One. Two. Three.”

They scattered.

After I got to ten, I sat on the matted floor and removed my portal map. I needed to get the pathways I had searched sketched out before I forgot them. I wanted a video. Unfortunately, cameras malfunctioned in the realms. The pictures were grainy, much like images of ghosts in this dimension, the human world. I used EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding tape to get my alarm to run on my phone.

I set my map into my backpack and marked off ‘love’ on the list of ingredients to my dad’s recipe for poltergeist bait. I had baked the treats with extra care and pretended affection. When I broke it, nothing happened. What had he meant? Someone had ripped the page from his journal, and I had used the lead from a pencil on the next page to reveal the impressions. Maybe I missed something.

“What you doing?” Dakota asked me.

Her sudden appearance scared me. To calm my racing heart, I hugged the journal tightly. “Why aren’t you hiding?” I asked her.

“Why you need you?”

“What?”

She pulled down the journal and pointed at the word ‘me’. “Why do you need you? What are you baking? A cake?” Her brown eyes sparkled, and she jumped up and down. Her pigtails swished as she moved. She was a smart five-year-old.

“I will later,” I answered her. An idea formed that I had never realized.

“Can we now?” she asked.

“Why don’t you hide?”

“I already won.” She smiled at me, revealing a missing tooth.

“Should I make a cake or cookies?”

At the mention of the sugary treats, heads popped out of every piece of playroom equipment ever sold, including slides, walkways, and plastic houses. Some climbed the rope ladder to hide in the spider-webbed rope maze attached to the ceiling.

Despite their possessions, all my mom gave me was a watch and a cell. I had missed a few voluntold babysitting, and she got me the two items, even though everyone else at fifteen had a phone and more. My father had bought me whatever I asked for without question.

Kids screamed for cake and cookies.

“I’ll make treats later if you stop screaming,” I told them.

They stopped, one after the other.

“Let’s play another game,” I said. I had nothing else to do but keep them entertained until supper. They weren’t bad, but their parents, who were on the council and acted like mini versions of Jackass, sucked. I planned on filling their children up with sugar before bedtime.

“Can you tell us how our families became reapers instead?” Tan asked.

“We’ve heard it a million times.” Can groaned. He lay on his belly, propping his head up with his arms, anyway. Even at twelve, he still liked my stories.

As the rest of the kids settled in, Dakota climbed into my lap.

I cleared my throat before saying, “When the population of the world boomed, Mr. Reaper needed help.”

“Wait, why do you call the Grim Reaper, Mr. Reaper?” Can asked.

“Like you, Cannor Black, the Grim Reaper also has a first and last name. Grim and Reaper.” I gestured with my hands to separate the two words.

The kids giggled.

“I’m Cannor White now,” he said.

“Yeah, you are.” I pushed away the annoyance building inside me. My mother tried to guilt me into being adopted by her husband, like the rest of my siblings. I refused to erase my father and told my sister that dating her crush with the same surname would make them inbreeders. She also denied the change because of me, much to our mom’s dismay. I planned to give my future children my surname to keep it alive. If the man refused, we wouldn’t be together.

I continued with my story. “Mr. Reaper couldn’t keep up with the souls needing to be taken to the gates of heaven or hell. So, it recruited our ancestors and gave them the power to reap souls.”

“Why though? Why did Mr. Reaper choose our families?” Can asked.

“We’re the best. My father says so,” Dakota answered. He would.

“Jack…Jack has his beliefs and I have mine.” I had to stop myself from saying his nickname in front of my sister. Dakota was even if we had different dads. She and our baby brother were the only good things from my mom’s relationship with him.

“What yours?” Dakota looked up at me.

“Mr. Reaper made us into reapers because our last names are colors.” I tapped her on the nose. Many children shared similar surnames, so I checked their records. Death lacked imagination.

“And me?” Sophia Smith asked.

“That’s because you used to be a Yellow.” I showed her the family trees I used to keep the names at the Institute straight. I had discovered we shared a unique quality when writing everyone down. Some didn’t have it now, like Sophia, but I traced back her family to the original color for my investigation into the kidnaping of my father.

Sophia scrunched up her nose in disgust.

“Surnames arose from the need to distinguish individuals sharing a first name. So, Yellow because of your ancestor’s yellow hair. Green because they lived next to a grassy area,” I pointed out.

“Mr. Reaper picked us because of our ancestor’s hair color?” Tan asked. His eyes widened.

“Pretty much.” I gave them more details, and they were genuinely interested. I never told them they could become reapers without the ceremony. They needed more training, and being an adult would lower their risk of death.

If you wonder what The Reaper Diaries Book 1: Everly's Quest is about:

Everly Black can’t tell anyone she’s a reaper. If she does, the Institute kids will die to become one. To protect her secret and keep them safe, Everly’s mother forces her to babysit.

Six years ago, Everly’s father went missing when poltergeists took him. As soon as she graduates, she’s going to find him. No one will stop her, not even Levi Silver, the hottest reaper she knows. He’ll either help her or get in her way.

Close to graduation, poltergeists trapped in the Grim Reaper's realms flee. Everly goes after them and sends them to the afterlife. But no one knows why it happened. If she stays to figure out why, she won’t find her father. If she leaves, humans and reapers will continue to die.

https://mybook.to/RD1E

Why Do People Suck? Chapter One

This book helped me with my frustrations. Surprisingly, I think people are great, but sometimes they have to deal with those that are not.

Here is a sneak peek!

Shrieks from the most frightening monsters pierced the air.

My heart hammered, sweat beaded on my forehead as I searched for them. They headed in my direction, chasing their next prey.

I retreated to the grass to let them pass. Those barbarians had once stripped the clothes off a boy band’s lead singer, scaring him into leaving the entertainment industry forever. I couldn’t afford a bodyguard to protect me from the Sol fans, Solar Harmony’s fanbase name, because my manager had stolen my money.

The famous person rollerblading would never lose the teenage girls chasing him without help. Pity rose inside me, and I rolled across the bridge, waiting for them. The bridge blocked my view. They had nowhere to go unless he turned around to face them. I doubted he would.

The guy arrived at the top of the bridge. He kept the brim of his baseball cap low, as if it did anything to disguise himself.

“Under the bridge,” I called to the lead singer of Solar Harmony.

Jordan Space glanced at me and then behind him. He had less than a minute to decide to follow me or not.

“You’ll never lose your fans,” I told him. Maybe he thought I was worse than them, but I had never acted like them, and I never would after experiencing it.

Jordan hesitated and asked, “Which way?”

I gestured for him to follow me, then carefully descended the small dead grass next to the bridge, using the side as support.

He hurried behind me, and we hid underneath the bridge.

The screams from the teenage girls sounded closer.

I missed them at my concerts, and jealousy rose inside of me. I had trusted the wrong person, and he took my stage name, Cam. Jordan had fans loving his music. Well, I had nothing, but I didn’t want them chasing me.

Footsteps thudded on the wooden planks.

Jordan pulled me against the underside of the bridge, pressed his body close to mine, and placed a hand over my mouth. His scent of overpriced cologne wafted into my nose.

“Jordan!” one girl screamed.

“Marry me!”

“I’m marrying Jordan!”

They argued until someone announced, “We can all marry Jordan.” They cheered as they finished running across the bridge and hurried away, chasing after nothing.

I didn’t have the heart to tell them that they all couldn’t marry him. If I did, I would reveal our location. Not like I needed to hide.

Jordan took his hand off my mouth and muttered, “Sorry.”

“Yeah, you didn’t need to cover my mouth,” I told him. Annoyance built inside of me, and I pushed it back down. Faced with overzealous fans, he did what any celebrity would: run, hide, or confront them.

“Sorry,” he said again. From the sound of the word, I could tell he didn’t mean it.

“Are you?” I asked.

Jordan opened his mouth and closed it again. “No. I had to get away. Didn’t want to lose my clothes.” He looked down at the ground, bringing his sunglasses to the tip of his nose and tilting his head as he looked up at me in his classic smoldering style.

I rolled my eyes. “Where are your bodyguards?”

“I’m not famous enough for them.”

I told him, “Surely a man consistently ranked among the top five sexiest men since eighteen doesn’t require fan protection.” My voice dripped with sarcasm. If the magazine lacked principles, it would’ve listed him much sooner.

“You know who I am.” His words weren’t a question.

“And I would like some personal space.” I motioned with my hands for him to move away from me. He didn’t need to stand so close that I could touch him. His scent gave me a headache.

Jordan inched closer, twisting his body to gather momentum before rolling backward. His loose designer gray shirt rustled in his wake. “Most of my fans can’t wait to be near me.”

“Who said I was a fan?”

“You don’t like my music?” Jordan asked. His smile faded from his handsome face. He pushed his sunglasses back up, but not before the hurt expression passed through his brown eyes.

I hesitated. Critics’ negative comments about my work always stung, but I had a grown thicker skin. I wished someone would’ve told me the truth. “I preferred your earlier work,” I answered.

“Not now?”

“Sounds like you’re trying too hard. Please don’t make a Christmas album.”

“What do you mean?” He leaned against the wall.

My legs ached, and I did the same on my side. “Singers make a Christmas album to make money or because they fear their careers are dying,” I answered.

“Not about the Christmas songs. Why don’t you like my recent music?” Jordan asked.

I took a moment to answer him. His latest song missed something, and it was like everything else out there.

“With your latest song, Best of Me, someone has sung it before. Why can’t women succeed alone? Why must you tie her to you? Or any guy, for that matter?” I answered. My cheeks heated. My intention included every love song, not solely Jordan’s. He wrote his own music according to the magazine Music Right Now.

“My song didn’t sound quite right, and I couldn’t figure out why. I didn’t want to release it, but I got outvoted by my band.” Jordan ripped off his hat, running a hand through his brown hair. He sported the classic swept back hairstyle popular among boy band members and actors. “Honestly, I should’ve changed the lyrics to something more like Best of You. Do you write music? What’s your name?”

The urge to escape flowed through me, but my exhaustion prevented me from running away. I hated discussing myself after everything that had happened. “You don’t need to know my name.” Like he would remember my name, Cobie Meine, anyway.

“Why not?”

“You won’t remember me, and we live in different worlds. We should go. Your fans will notice they lost you and circle back to find you.”

Jordan frowned. “You’re right, we should leave, but I’ll remember what you did for me, mystery girl. We live on one world unless you’ve discovered another? Should we go together or separately?”

I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck as a plan formed. “I realize you may not be keen on the idea, but we should depart the park together, holding hands. No one will suspect you’re on a date with me.”

“Why not?” Jordan asked me.

“You’re you and I am me,” I answered him.

“You’re beautiful.”

I plastered on a fake smile. “Thanks. We should go.”

Jordan rolled toward me and held out his hand.

I took his hand, and my heart picked up speed a little. Yes, I could verify that Jordan was a heartthrob.

We glided out of the tunnel and followed the path. His clammy hand had calluses on his fingertips from playing guitar. He worked hard. I shouldn’t have told him his songs sucked. I really was a fan of his earlier music.

“Can’t believe this is working,” Jordan whispered.

“I told you no one would believe you were on a date with me,” I reminded him.

“Why wouldn’t they? You’re totally my type.” His hand clenched mine, and his body stiffened as we glided past a group of teenage girls searching. Probably for him.

I half laughed at his statement.

Jordan glanced down at me and motioned with his head.

We steered away from a rather large pack of hyenas. They shrieked and laughed so loud that everyone nearby covered their ears. A few had broken off, making me suspect there might be others.

“This way,” I told Jordan. I tugged on his hand. We needed to find the exit.

Near it, more teenage girls waited. Another group joined them. Had they told others Jordan was at the park? They’d have swarmed him if they had.

Jordan released my hand and braked. He must’ve spotted his fans, too. After I stopped next to him, he pulled me into his arms.

I protested until he touched my face.

“They’re looking over here,” Jordan told me. Of course, he wouldn’t actually want to kiss me. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Thank me when we leave the park,” I whispered.

“Is there another way out?”

“Yes, your fans are probably there, but I may have another way.” I had snuck inside this park a few times after needing a break from touring. Someone might’ve fixed the board. If they had, I would leave him and tell his fans he was somewhere else.

“You don’t need anyone to rescue you.” Jordan smiled at me, and I bet his eyes twinkled underneath his sunglasses.

“I’m my own knight in shining armor.” I had to be after my parents kicked me out. They wanted my money, and since I was no longer their meal ticket, they had no use for me.

“Not me. I’ll rely on you. Why won’t you tell me your name?” Jordan asked.

I stared up at him. “Because I don’t want to be another notch on your belt. Let’s go when your fans aren’t looking.”

“You could never.” He touched the small of my back and pressed me against his chest. “We have an opening; however, I’m reluctant to mention it. I enjoy holding you.” Despite his words, he released me.

I guided him until we ended up behind the bathrooms. I took the overgrown path. We got lucky with the board being loose there. I peeled it back.

“I don’t want to leave you like this,” Jordan said as he bent. He had a hole near the knee of his blue jeans.

“Like what?” I asked, confused. I hunkered next to him.

“Not being able to thank you.”

“You did earlier.”

“Yeah, but I want to give you tickets to my concert or your favorite handbag, or something.”

“I need nothing,” I told him.

“I like you,” Jordan said.

My breath caught in my throat. “Sure, you do. Why didn’t you kiss me?” He had the chance more than once.

“I will on our first date.”

“You should go.”

“You’re not coming with me?” Jordan asked.

“Who else will lead your fans away from you?” I asked him.

“Again, you saved me, and I can’t do anything for you?”

“You can do something for me.” I realized I wanted something else. “Actually, two things.”

“What?”

“Don’t make a Christmas album,” I answered.

“Why not? You don’t like my music,” Jordan pointed out.

“Not now, but I did before.”

Jordan sat up straighter, and he brushed his knee against mine. “What if I make the album for money and never quit making music?”

“Then you’re doing it for the right reason.”

“What’s the second thing?” Jordan asked.

“Only release music you’re happy with,” I answered.

“I had already planned it after our talk. Goodbye, mystery girl.”

“Goodbye, Jordan.”

He squeezed my knee before he climbed through the hole. I was a bit surprised he fit through it, since his shoulders were so broad.

I waited for a minute and stood with my knees cracking. My feet ached, and I needed to remove the rollerblades, but I kept my promises. I rolled toward the center of the park. After getting there, I screamed Jordan’s full name and took off.

He had given me a new perspective on life. I could either stay angry or I could sing like he did, but I wouldn’t forget.

Once I got home, I tore off the eviction notice on my door. It would wait. I searched online for a talent show, any talent show, to perform. One happened next week, and I had enough money for the tram fare. The repo company repossessed my vehicle after I missed a few payments.

If you wonder what Why Do People Suck is about?

Cobie Meine, the world’s top singer, is abandoned by her manager who stole her money, fans, and stage name, Cam, after she decided to remove her mask. Left with nothing but her clothes on her back, she no longer sings until she saves a well-known musician from a horde of teenage girl fans.

Jordan Space leads Solar Harmony as its singer and songwriter. He'll always remember the woman who saved him from his fans, even if she doesn’t like his music anymore. He follows her advice to only releasing songs he’s happy with. Someday, he hopes to thank her.

However, fate, overzealous fans, lawsuits, Cam's impersonator, and the music industry continually drive Cobie and Jordan apart, leaving them questioning why they can't find happiness?

https://mybook.to/WDPS