It goes without saying that I have a lot of people to thank and to praise. I love writing. It’s a passion I didn’t know I had until a few years ago. This is a complete dream. I’m thankful to everyone in my family who puts up with me. I make a lot of weird phone calls and send texts with random questions that I’m sure Google is flagging. I’m so appreciative that I get to follow this dream and have the complete support from my family, friends and my Kickass Babysitters Club girls. You ladies keep me sane.
I want to thank, Kiki, Colleen, Darlene, Athena, Kristina, Jill and Megan - The Next Step PR -Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and guidance. Thank you for working on my emails, sharing all my info and release materials, and creating eye catching flatlays and designs for my book. Thank you for listening to my questions and keeping me on track when I need it. I can’t say it enough how happy I am to be working with this company.
Darlene and Athena - Sisters Get Lit.erary Author Services - Thank you for answering all my random messages when I need to bounce ideas around. Thank you also, for alpha reading this manuscript and helping me give life to this love story.
Rebecca - Fairest of All Book Reviews - I can’t thank you enough for editing and proofing this manuscript. I wanted to give readers the best version of this tragic love story. With your wisdom and guidance I feel proud to share this story. You are the best! Thank you for giving me your time. I appreciate you!
Amanda Simpson - Pixel Mischief Design- Thank you for patiently working with me, again, on this cover. I appreciate you more than you know.
My Readers - Thank you for your purchase and support. It is because of you that I can continue to write and live my dream. I love you all! I wanted everyone to get a little something of the story they wanted. SURPRISE! I truly hope you enjoy the beginning.
XOXO Ashton
We Belong Together- Mariah Carey
Over and Over- Nelly ft. Tim McGraw
Mo Money Mo Problems- The Notorious B.I.G., Mase, Diddy
In Da Club- 50 Cent
If You’re Gone- Matchbox Twenty
Ride With Me- Nelly, City Squad
In the End- Linkin Park
She Hates Me- Puddle of Mud
Lose Yourself- Eminem
Fat Lip- Sum 41
Papercut- Linkin Park
Points of Authority- Linkin Park
My Way- Limp Bizkit
Heroes- Hollywood Vampires
Crazy- K-Ci & JoJo
Hemorrhage (In My Hands) – Fuel
Hanging By a Moment- Lifehouse
U Got It Bad- Usher
Hot In Here- Nelly
Just Like a Pill- P!nk
Picture- Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow
Right Thurr- Chingy
Bring Me To Life- Evanescence
Headstrong- Trapt
Calling All Angels- Train
What Was I Thinkin’- Dierks Bentley
Beer For My Horses- Toby Keith, Willie Nelson
Sing For The Moment- Eminem
Here Without You- 3 Doors Down
Just a Dream- Nelly
Far Away- Nickelback
Lips Of An Angel- Hinder
Country Grammar- Nelly
I Don’t Wanna- Aaliyah
The Real Slim Shady- Eminem
Party Up- DMX
Silver Springs- Fleetwood Mac
Rhiannon- Fleetwood Mac
Dreams- Fleetwood Mac
You and Me- Lifehouse
Find the #Rogue playlist now available on Spotify!
I regret the end.
The way we couldn’t
leave one another
without wounds.
The way we made
it seem as if
all the love we shared
was wasted time.
~S.L. Gray
Kelly - 13 years old
I was going to be late. One glance down at my wristwatch and I begin to panic on the inside. My first day of middle school and I would be marked tardy, leading my teacher to assume I was a sloppy and immature kid who was never on time. Half of the students would probably laugh or hide their smirks behind grins, while the other half, those I’ve known since elementary school, would be concerned with why I was late. And, my mom, when my mom finds out about my tardiness, she will give me the lecture of a lifetime. This was, after all, exactly what she warned me about. After weeks of begging, last night, she let me stay up past my usual bedtime to watch the movie awards on TV, with the condition that I would make it to school on time for the first day back after summer break. My palm hits my forehead, just picturing her face and the gloating look she will give me. I’ll never be able to stay up late again.
My legs pump relentlessly, pushing my bike as fast as it can go down the streets of my small town, Savage Lakes. I hear a few store owners call out greetings to me, but I refuse to look, instead keeping my gaze on the building down the road. Students are just starting to walk up to the doors and head inside. When I find Matt Jakobe at some point today, he’s a dead man. This is all his fault. He was playing with my clock radio before he left last night, swearing he was just listening for a certain song on the radio, but what are the odds my alarm doesn’t go off the next morning? It never happens. Despite the image and assumption that I’m lazy or unorganized I’ll be giving off today, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m never late. I never stay out after it gets dark. I never get less than a B in any of my classes, and my assignments are never late. I’ve never been grounded and truthfully, I’ve never really been in trouble. There have been times where it’s been a close call, again, thanks to Matt, but I can usually talk my way out of anything for both of us or just myself. The epiphany I have as I run up the sidewalk, desperate to get inside before the hallways clear out, is that whenever there is trouble, it always comes back to Matt. So why is that loser my best friend?
The hallway is thinning out as I reach my new locker for the year. We were told at orientation that they would be in alphabetical order and I’d be grouped with all the students with a last name starting with M. Not a huge deal, except that some of these kids are new to me. Our town has two elementary schools, but for middle school, we all merge together. My neck cranks from left to right, hoping to spot Matt over where the J locker bay should be. I don’t see his usual mop of messy brown hair anywhere. Rolling my eyes, I stuff my things in the locker and dart to the hallway everyone is heading down.
I barely manage to squeeze in the door of my first hour before it closes behind me. The teacher gives me a stern look and I smile back politely. Kill them with kindness, it’s what my mom always says. I duck quickly into an empty desk.
“What happened to you?” I hear Matt’s voice choke with laughter. I spin in my seat and pin him with a glare. I’m fully aware that my hair is wild and windblown. All my intentions of starting off the year with sleek hair and a new makeup routine went up in flames when my alarm didn’t go off. His cheeks puff out, suppressing another laugh, while our teacher introduces herself.
Her name is Mrs. Johnson and she is our homeroom teacher. We will check in here daily, before we start our hourly schedule, changing classes and teachers based on the subjects they teach. I listen as she speaks and take notes in my notebook. Opening new paper and pens and pencils is one of my favorite things about the first day of school. I was so excited this year when my mom bought me the lime green trapper-keeper I wanted. When Mrs. Johnson finally releases us, I’m excited to keep moving.