Bring Me To Life: Hot and Cold Series, #1

By Jennifer Scott

Rachel, a teenage girl and for the most part a loner, visits her dad for the summer. There she meets Adam, a friend of her brother's, by accident. They have a love-hate relationship that has many bumps in the road along the way. They have a limited time together to try and make things work. Will her bitterness and his overly confident attitude mix or self destruct during a summer filled with sex, drugs, rock & roll, and shocking revelations?

This book is a novella of approximately, 20,000 words.

Other books by Jennifer Scott:

The Right Side of Memphis (Tennessee Series #1)
Somewhere In My Heart (Tennessee Series #2)
Three Ways to Fall (Tennessee Series #3)
Tennessee Love: The Collection (All 3 Books)
Bring Me To Life (Hot and Cold Series #1)
Don’t Say A Word (Hot and Cold Series #2)
Broken Faith (Hot and Cold Series #3)
The Hot and Cold Series: Box Set (All 3 Books)
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer Scott
• Release date: Jul 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781497721081

Book preview

Bring Me To Life––––––––

Jennifer Scott

Chapter 1

Can we please not talk about this anymore? I'm so sick and tired of hearing it. After tomorrow, you will be rid of me for the whole summer! Rachel Porter yelled at her mother from her open bedroom door. Her mom had been on Rachel’s case about spending time with her before she left for a few months. However, she knew that it never worked out well for either of them. Things would always start off on the right foot, but by the end of the night they would be at each other's throats.  Her mom chalked it up to average teenage behavior, but Rachel blamed her parents for all of her problems. So, going to stay with her dad for the summer could potentially result in the same argument, just in a different zip code.

I have a right to worry about you, sweetie. I just want you to make some friends and get out more. You need to be around other people and not be on your own so much, Rachel’s mom, Brooke, replied as she stepped into Rachel’s room from the hallway.

It’s a little too late to be worried about my friendship status, don’t you think? Where was all of this concern for gal pals when you and dad split up and we had to move away and leave my best friend Molly? She was like a sister to me. We grew up together. So, don’t act like you’re the concerned parent now.

Rachel would bring Molly’s name up in their arguments every once in a while. Molly lived next door to them back when they still lived in Virginia Beach. They went to grade school together. Most of Rachel’s childhood memories included Molly at one point or another. Molly was in almost every birthday party photo. When Rachel had to move away with her mom, she promised Molly that they would keep in touch. But, it became harder to keep that promise as time passed. So, they eventually stopped writing or calling all together.

Her mom sat down on the bed next to her.

We tried to make things work, you know we did. If we could’ve avoided a divorce, we would have. I’m sorry you had to lose Molly in the process. Would you rather your father and I stay married, even though we were unhappy? I wanted to be a good role model for you, teach you about relationships and what to do when it’s time to get out of one. Can you at least respect that decision? Brooke replied.

Brooke and Rachel’s dad, Daniel, met in college. They got married after they graduated. Daniel fought for his dream job as an architect and eventually achieved it. Brooke also had dreams of becoming a flight attendant. But, not too long after graduation she got pregnant. Brooke believed she would only be putting her dream on hold. She didn’t mind being a homemaker and loved being a mom, but she wanted more for her life. But, Daniel started taking more and more jobs out of town. The absence added to the resentment in the relationship. Daniel turned to another woman and Brooke found out about the affair. After a couple of years, the distance between them and Daniel’s affair finally led to filing for divorce. Brooke got custody of Rachel during the school year and Daniel could have her for some holidays and the summer. Brooke chose Marion to live because that’s where she lived before college. Daniel remarried a few years later to a woman that had a son named Joey.

I don’t want to get into this with you right now. I really hope dad doesn’t try to pull this crap on me this summer, or it will be a long three months! Rachel shouted as she marched out of her bedroom.

Rachel was not in the mood to pack anymore. Her mom just brought up too many memories and feelings that she was not ready to deal with at the moment. She climbed the ladder up to a tree house that was on the property when they moved into the house. It was childish, but a great place to go when she wanted privacy or space. She would stay up there until her nerves were calmer.

You are going to have your hands full this summer with Rachel. I sure hope you have better luck with her than I am having. I am at my wits end. I thought she would be over this phase by now, but her depression is out of control. She has a lot of built up anger, but instead of dealing with it she is isolating herself or lashing out at me, Brooke spoke anxiously into the phone to her ex-husband, Daniel.

He assured her that Rachel would come out of her shell gradually. Once she was in Virginia Beach with him and her stepbrother, Joey would introduce her to some of his friends there. Brooke felt better thinking of her daughter surrounded by other teenagers, enjoying her summer like a normal kid. But, she wasn’t entirely convinced that Rachel would be cured one hundred percent.

Once the mosquitoes began to bite, Rachel was ready to go back inside and begin the tedious task of packing her suitcases with items she would need at her dad’s. It would not take long to pack. Her closet consisted of mainly t-shirts, sweat pants, and a few pairs of jeans. She wasn’t much for dresses and skirts, but did own a few pairs of shorts for the hot summers in her current home of Marion, Virginia. She had an old bathing suit that no longer fit, so she decided to buy one once she arrived at her dad’s. It would be an excuse to avoid the interrogation she was sure to have about what she had been up to the last few months.

The next morning, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief as they passed the sign that said five miles to Virginia Beach. The ride there with her mom was extremely uncomfortable. It had only been six hours, but the tension made it feel like a full day’s drive. She wasn’t excited to see her dad, just ready for a change of scenery. She grew up near the water, but after the divorce she moved with her mom to the mountains. Marion was very close to the Kentucky and North Carolina borders. The mountains were beautiful, but her love of the beach trumped anything or any other place.

Her mom had hugged her and cried when she left. A few hours later, Rachel was unpacked and sitting on the couch in the living room, surprisingly numb. She knew she should feel something more, but all she could think about was bolting from the house as soon as possible.

Dad, can I borrow the car? I need to go down to Fenway’s and pick up a swimsuit.

We will be having dinner soon. Don’t you want to catch up first? Mr. Porter asked her, as he picked up the remote control and pressed the off button.

I won’t be there very long, I promise, Rachel whined.

As if she knew that she already had won the argument, she stood up from the couch to reach for the keys on the table.

Her father grabbed them before she had a chance. "I know better