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  Copyright © 2014 by Jasmine Rose

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  It is fiction and not to be confused with reality. Neither the author nor the publisher or its associates assume any responsibility for any loss, injury, death or legal consequences resulting from acting on the contents of this book. The author’s opinions are not to be construed as the opinions of the publisher. The material in this book is for entertainment purposes ONLY. Enjoy.

  A Unique Kind of Love

  By: Jasmine Rose

  © Jasmine Rose 2014

  ISBN: 978-1-62761-810-6

  To my amazing parents, to Luci, Dana and my fans,

  without whom I wouldn't have been able to do any of this

  You didn’t go.

  You stayed.

  It caught me by surprise.

  I never had somebody stay before.

  It was almost like,

  You wanted to stay.

  I never had anybody want to stay.

  Strangely,

  It was like you loved me.

  I never had anyone love me before.

  What’s even stranger is,

  It was like you were my best friend.

  I never had a best friend before.

  Along this twisted path,

  I fell in love.

  I’ve never fallen in love before.

  And my love,

  That’s the only thing,

  I’ve ever felt certain about in my life.

  ~Anonymous~

  Prologue

  Two light grocery bags in hand, she followed her Dad to the bright, white family car that caused them many troubles as they struggled to find it in the middle of snow. The girl opened the front seat door and slipped inside the car, completely oblivious to the look her father was giving her.

  He sighed. “Lena?” The girl froze because he never called her by her actual name, unless he was serious about something. He always called her Rosie. “We talked about this. On the way here, you’d sit in front. On the way back, you’ll sit behind me.”

  “Daaad! Please?” Lena pouted and widened her eyes a little. He shook his head and pointed to the back seat. He refused to give in to her, not again. Lena groaned and held out a hand to her dad. He took it and supported her waist as she moved to the backseat. She huffed and put on her seat belt.

  “Happy?” she asked.

  He gave her a smile. “That’s my girl.”

  The car ride was silent, until her Dad put a CD in and played it. Lena grinned and sat up immediately. At the first notes of the song, she made jazz hands. Her ponytail swung as she swayed in her seat to the music.

  “Love, love me do. You know, I love you. I’ll always be true,” They both sang loudly. The Beatles had always been their favorite band, even though Lena’s mom didn’t like them much.

  “I love you, Dad!” cried out the girl, her chestnut colored eyes shining in exhilaration and excitement.

  Her father laughed. “You know I love you too, Rosie.”

  The next seconds were a blur. Between the music, their singing and the momentary happiness; there was a truck that had passed the red light and was heading towards them. Time froze, because this was a moment that would turn the girl’s life upside down.

  Lena turned just in time to see the truck inches away from colliding with the car. Her dad noticed as well, and his eyes widened. She screamed. The car lurched and Lena was thrown forward violently, the seatbelt biting into her stomach and knocking the wind out of her. The sound of her Dad calling out her name was the last thing she heard before the world faded away from her.

  “Rosie!”

  I could hear a vague sound in the background.

  I felt myself crying. For a long moment my upper eyelid seemed glued to the lower one, because I couldn’t open my eyes. When I finally could, they hurt from my tears.

  My gaze settled on Mom’s terrified expression, and I watched as her face slowly softened with relief. She wiped the tears on my cheeks, although that didn’t stop them from falling again.

  She patted my hand. “Was it a bad dream, honey?” she asked. I took deep breaths to steady myself. I nodded.

  “I wish I turned earlier, so I could—I don’t know,” I whispered, watching as the invisible switch clicked in my mom’s mind.

  “I wish he was here,” she said.

  Me too, Mom, I thought. I miss him too. How often had I wished that he was still alive, and that I was the one who had died?

  I closed my eyes again and felt myself drift away into another dream.

  1

  Wonder and Anxiety

  “The best is yet to be.”

  ~Robert Browning~

  Lena Rose Winter

  Sighing, I laid my head down on the unshaven grass. I smiled. Stars glimmered and gleamed at me, assisting the moon's job to light up the sky at night. It seemed to me that there was a snowfall sparkling in outer space and I felt privileged to witness it. Soft, soothing music blasting in my ears, I felt better than I had in a long time. Comfort was something I cherished more than anything. I could feel a slight breeze blow on my neck; it cooled the few beads of sweat that had formed earlier that night.

  Mom and I had decided to do a Welcome to the New Home barbecue. We’d eaten until our stomachs were begging for a break. It was always a moment that embellished my relationship with her. She went to sleep about an hour ago, the wine easing the process. So I’d been lying here for what; an hour or two? In those moments, I witnessed the sun disappearing and permitting the moon to rise in the sky; it was a never ending cycle.

  Except, of course, for people who lived in the North Pole.

  I had come close enough once, though. A few years ago, when I was twelve, Mom’s company gave her a post somewhere in Alberta, Canada. We lived there only for about two months, but my, oh my, we had gone there in the middle of January. I still recall fearing that my toes were going to fall off because I couldn’t feel them.

  Thank God that this time, we moved into a place that wasn’t too horribly cold, hopefully. Albany, NY seemed like a pretty cool place so far. I took a walk around yesterday and there
was a gigantic park, Ridgefield, where I was sure to spend more time throughout the year. Myrtle Avenue was a considerably calm street and I was content about the small house we rented for the year. Since it was senior year, Mom promised that we could stay here long enough so I could finish my year and do all of the senior celebrations.

  I was never one to fear new beginnings considering this was the seventh home I lived in. In the span of four years, I had gone to seven different schools, met different kinds of people and lived in unique types of houses. I was aware of what was waiting for me tomorrow.

  Pressure.

  Questions would be asked and answers would have to be given. I’d have to walk away from the spotlight and fade away from the minds of students who loved the new girl. I would go back into the turtle shell I built myself.

  A particular star winked at me in the sky and it got me thinking about Dad.

  I often wondered why life could be so fair, yet cruel. Growing up without a father for the past seven years was hard. I saw my mother cry on his birthdays and, of course, I also carried around the memory of my fellow 4th grade ‘friends’ practically engraving the idea that I murdered my dad in my mind. Mom often said that I wasn't to blame, that it was his fate to die. Still, it wasn’t something anyone can just forget.

  A shooting star shot through the sky, and I closed my eyes.

  I wish that this year brings me happiness, I thought.

  ♥♥♥♥♥

  I forced a big smile as I looked at myself in the mirror, my reflection looking ecstatic. Letting go of the strain I was feeling, my lips fell into a straight line. I gave the rest of my features a cursory look. My long, dull chestnut brown hair flowed to my waist, and not even the sunlight hitting it could make it appear any more special than it was.

  I wrapped a silver bracelet around my wrist. "Let's do this," I murmured.

  "LENA! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" called Mom, disturbing the moment of peace I was having and making me jump in fright. I shook my head, chuckling absent-mindedly.

  You'd think that after 17 years of living with her, I would've gotten used to her yelling that I was going to be late, which I never was, but I could swear that her screaming gets louder every time. I slipped my comfy, soft jean jacket on and hopped down the stairs.

  I placed a kiss on her forehead. "Good morning," I said.

  I mentally pinched my nose as I did so; I hated the smell of coffee. Mom gave me a small smile, sipping on her black, steaming drink. Her onyx black hair was in an elegant bun and she was in her business clothes, which meant that she was going to work.

  "Good morning sweetheart,” she said, checking something on her phone. She looked up at me and gave me a small smile. “You ready?”

  I nodded, pouring myself a cup of apple juice.

  “Oh, I just remembered,” said my mom, lifting her eyes from the magazine. “One of my co-workers’ daughter goes to this school. Look for her, Stacy Hennings. Okay?" I noticed the familiar kindness and worry in her gaze. Noticing my absence of response, she prodded: “Okay, Lena?”

  I rolled my eyes. Mom always had a fear of me being friendless. But what she didn't understand was that sometimes, I wanted to be alone. I'd gladly choose re-reading Looking for Alaska on a Saturday night than partying with a bunch of stuck-up teenagers. I was just that kind of person.

  Saluting like a soldier, I replied. "Yes, mother." She looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

  "What?" I exclaimed, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. She walked over to me and stuffed a waffle in my mouth.

  I immediately removed the oversized waffle from my mouth and glared at her, both of us extremely amused.

  "I was just wondering what I've ever done to deserve a daughter like you," she winked, poking my nose.

  I folded my arms over my chest and pouted. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

  "A little bit of both," she answered, putting her now empty cup in the sink. She pointed at it and I nodded.

  "Hey! And I'll do them, I know."

  After a few minutes of the daily teasing and fighting, I walked out the door, blowing her a kiss.

  “Love you!" I exclaimed, taking a red apple and walking to our front door.

  "Take care! Watch out for cars and don't forget to smile and be happy!" shouted Mom. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. I felt a smile appear on my face, making me feel just a little bit better.

  Sure, it was autumn, but the weather was extraordinary. The sun was out, perfectly shining, but there was a breeze cooling the slight heat. The leaves of the trees surrounding my neighborhood were red, orange and yellow, making the view breathtaking. I wished I had my camera to capture this moment. My dream has always been to become a photographer, to save every moment of every sunrise, sunset and every scene that takes my breath away.

  I began my route to my new school, Albany High School. During the summer, I had walked by the school so many times, I knew the way by heart. I plugged my earphones on and put them in my ears. Lego House was playing, and that was because it had been on replay for a few days. I hummed its tune softly as I walked to the high school in which I'd spend my senior year.

  It was time to pick up the pieces and build a Lego house.

  ♥♥♥♥♥

  After about 15 minutes, I arrived at my new high school. Unlike all those summer days when there was no one, it was now packed with teenagers. And seriously, it was chaos. As my eyes scanned the scene before me, all I could see were footballs being thrown around, making any path to the main entrance impossible.

  Jocks these days.

  There was a girl leaning her back against a giant tree, absent-mindedly smiling as she gently rocked her head. I could see ear buds in her ear and I figured she was listening to the music she loved.

  A group of girls were gossiping about something, concentrating on that subject. I frowned upon seeing one of them dressed in underwear, or as they called them, short-shorts. It was autumn for God's sake! If you needed to get lustful gazes from guys, you should've done it during summer, instead of risking hypothermia.

  I headed to the main entrance, eager to get my schedule. I muttered a few "Excuse me’s" along the way. Some students looked at me, as if analyzing me with their eyes.

  Why wouldn't they?

  I was the new girl.

  Out of nowhere, something hard hit the back of my head. Black spots clouded my vision and I felt my body fall to the ground as I lost consciousness.

  Well, gosh diddly darn, what a great start to the new school year!

  2

  Surprise and Meetings

  “I’ve fallen for your eyes, but they don’t know me yet.”

  ~Ed Sheeran~

  Lena Rose Winter

  I felt reality come rushing back to my head, which ached painfully, by the way.

  I opened my eyes. I blinked several times to clear the hazy view in front of me.

  "Thank god!” exclaimed a worried-looking blonde, gorgeous girl. “You're okay. She's okay, everybody! Now, go away, shoo!"

  Shockingly, every single person who was around me a second ago, dispersed like they were bees and the girl was their Queen.

  Lifesaver Barbie extended her hand towards me. “Thanks,” I said, brushing whatever dirt there was on my pants. I momentarily felt relieved that I hadn’t chosen to wear white skinny jeans today.

  "Hi, I'm Stacy, are you okay?" Lifesaver Barbie asked kindly.

  Great. My first potential friend’s initial impression of me was that I was a clumsy, fainting freak.

  "Uh, hello! I'm Lena.” I said, giving her a smile. “Are you the Hennings' daughter? I think our parents work together.” I clutched the back of my head, feeling a bump forming. The pain still thudded against my skull.

  "Yeah, that's me! Sorry about that, Ryan and the rest of the boys can just be so stupid sometimes!” And she giggled. I mentally flinched. Giggles were like laughs sent from fairyland.

  Then again, why would anyone deny Stacy Hennings
a giggle? She was the epitome of beauty. She had long, cascading blonde hair that made her look as if she wore a golden cloak of silk over her head. She had bright blue eyes and simple, yet delicate features. She was wearing shorts and a blue t-shirt that showed a little too much cleavage.

  I let out a small laugh. “It’s fine. After all, what’s a first day of school without a little bit of fainting?”

  ♥♥♥♥♥

  Looking at my schedule, I felt content.

  Pre-calculus

  Art

  AP World History

  AP Biology

  (Lunch)

  French 4

  AP English Literature