Me Against the World

By Casey Harvell

Charity can't trust anyone. Her and her son Zack have relied on nobody but themselves for a while now.
Charity doesn't need anyone's help. People can't get close. It's just not safe.
When she meets Lincoln McClain, she's screwed because sometimes life has to slap you upside the head.
Only the secrets she has can't stay hidden forever.
Linc McClain is the town outcast. He's given up on needing anything or anyone--until someone new to town moves in next door.
Can either of them escape the secrets of their past--or are they destined to tackle the world alone?
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Casey Harvell
• Release date: Feb 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524212056

Casey Harvell

Casey Harvell is an up and coming indie author. She lives in the Hudson River Valley of New York State with her husband and their two sons. Casey is slightly zombie obsessed and known to use the word 'boom' frequently. She is currently hard at work on the sequels to her series and a couple of stand alone novels. Keep an eye out for Shocked early June 2014! Find out more on http://caseyharvell.com

Book preview

Me Against the World

© 2016 Casey Harvell

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the express written consent from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.

Trademarked names appear throughout this book. Rather than trademarked name, names are used in an editorial fashion, with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

The information in this book is distributed on an as is basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

The characters, locations, and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity or resemblance to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Interior Formatting & Design by Fancy Pants Book Formatting.

This book is for all the misfits, dreamers and black sheep of the world. Don’t let anyone steal your song.

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Other Books by Casey Harvell

Author Recommended

"Here I lay

Still and breathless

Just like always

Still I want some more

Mirrors sideways

Who cares what's behind

Just like always

Still your passenger..."

~Passenger~ Deftones

Charity

I can still recall the day my entire existence changed. We all have them—days that change the course of our lives—but often we don’t know it until it’s too late.

Hindsight’s a motherfucker.

I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. A nanosecond—even faster if I knew what to call it.

Mom, are we almost there?

I glance into the rearview. Yes, about another hour. You can make it, right?

He gives me a grin. I know I can.

The boy has confidence for days and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When we get there, we’ll find some food. I promise.

McDonald’s? Zack asks hopefully.

Maybe. I answer vaguely. I have no idea what we’ll find here. Luckily, Zack has always been pretty easy about what he eats. I know there are some kids who are super picky, so I count my blessings daily.

I notice how low the sun hangs in the sky. In conjunction with the readings on my GPS, it looks like we’re going to arrive after dark. I frown. This is so not how I planned this.

I catch Zack as he yawns in the back seat and crank the rock music up a little bit more. It works, just like it always has. Zack’s fast asleep before the next song.

I tap my fingers to the beat while I try to keep my thoughts positive.

The lights and crowded bustle of city streets are things I thought I’d miss, but honestly I don’t. Small town America has been good to me and Zack and I’ve more than adjusted to it. Maybe it’s the anxiety being around people brings me since...

Even in the murky shadow of night I can tell this town will serve our purpose well. The houses are small, but well-maintained. Streetlights bathe the sidewalks. The cars in driveways aren’t flashy, but they aren’t pieces of shit, either.

Yeah, here will do for now.

The GPS tells me my destination is on the left. Our house is no bigger than the rest. No lights chase the dark from the place. I pull into the driveway and cut the engine. Zack sleeps soundly so I lock him in the car and walk up the pathway to our next new home alone. I shake my ass a little on the way because it’s asleep.

It doesn’t really help.

The key slides right into the lock. It offers no resistance as it turns. I reach inside and find the light switch. Everything looks exactly as it did on the real estate website. The movers brought all of our stuff already, so boxes abound—but this can work.

This has to work.

The fact that I bought this house—outright bought it—intimidates the fuck out of me. It was all done through my trusted lawyer and the agent, as it will be when I decide it’s time to move on. Still, it’s more roots than Zack and I have put down for years.

It’s supposed to be safer now than it ever has been before. At least, that’s what they tell me.

Part of me wants to believe it.

But the rest of me knows better.

Safety is something I’ll never have—not really.

Not in this lifetime.

Zack sleeps soundly. I deposit him first onto the couch while I fix his room and then into his new bed. He’s always been that way. Once he’s out, he’s down for the count.

My body screams at me to get some rest, but my anxiety has other plans. I dig up the coffee maker and brew a pot.

Fuck it.

I tear into boxes and get the kitchen set. Then I move into the dining room. By the time the first rays of sun blossom over the horizon, I’m on the last box in the living room.

It may seem silly to someone for me to stay up all night doing this after driving the entire day previously. But if it helps Zack to wake up in a home—a real one—it’s more than worth a day of me being tired.

I toss the empty boxes into the basement to be dealt with another day. My room doesn’t take long, just some clothes to put away and the bed to make. When that’s done I lay down just to rest for a moment...

Mom? A little voice calls and my eyes shoot open.

Hey, buddy. I say in a thick voice. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. The clock reads nine o’ six. At least I didn’t sleep until noon. You want breakfast? I ask Zack.

Yes, please. He says and takes off into the hallway. This place is awesome.

I smile. I’m glad he likes it.

Then I go make another pot of coffee. It’s the only chance I have to keep up with this kid.

Zack settles in quickly. Being a kid makes him highly adaptable. He plays while I shower and dress. Then we have no choice than to go in search of the nearest grocery store.

Once we’re in the car I hit the microphone on my Google search bar. Take me to a supermarket. I request.

The results populate and I click the closest one. Moments later we’re on our way.

It becomes apparent on the checkout line that I spoil the shit out of Zack. It’s practically impossible not to. He’s a great kid and if two packs of double stuffed E.L. Fudge cookies make him happy, who am I to stand in his way?

I make us a decent meal for dinner. Zack goes to bed early because his first day at his new school is tomorrow...the third one since he began kindergarten last year. I know it’s rough on him and hope this can be it for a while.

When the kitchen is clean I grab my acoustic guitar and step onto the back porch. Quietly I strike the chords to Jewel’s Save Your Soul. I sing softly into the cool night air, words filled with emotions and meant for no one but myself...

Linc

I’m not going to act like I didn’t notice the movers next door the other day. They were impossible to miss. Sometime last night I heard a car and saw the lights on inside. At that point it became unescapable.

I have a new neighbor.

Ordinarily this wouldn’t be an issue. Not for a normal person. But I’m not a normal person. That house belonged to my grandparents for years—it’s the reason I bought this one. When they passed away last year my parents decided to fix it up and sell it. I tried to convince them not to, even tried to buy it myself.

Unfortunately (as they always do) my parents got exactly what they wanted. It may be dumb to automatically hate whoever lives there now, but I think I do.

Fuck them.

I slam my dinner plate into the sink a little harder than necessary before I step out back for a smoke and brood.

It’s the guitar I hear first. It takes a moment to realize where it’s coming from, but by then a voice sings out into the night and I forget everything.

My name.

Where I am.

That I hate this person.

This girl with this angelic voice.

My feet move into the shadows at the edge of my property for a better look.

My feet suck.

Even in the dim moonlight I can see that this girl is every bit as beautiful as her voice. I’m still in awe. My cigarette remains unlit in my hand. Time seems to freeze as I watch this girl.

I can’t tell you if she plays for hours or years. Song after song I continue to stand there. When she stops, she stares up at the stars. At one point the light hits her face perfectly and I can make out every detail.

It’s not until she goes inside that she releases me from her spell. I stumble back to my porch and sit down—finally lighting that cigarette. I inhale deeply and try to figure out what the fuck just happened to me.

I don’t sleep worth shit—not at all, actually. My entire night’s sleep succumbs to a voice and face I have no right to even think about.

None at all.

Too much has happened over the last few years, too many people have been lost, too many people gone.

Gone.

It started with my grandparents, but it didn’t end there. When my parents and I began to battle, they began spreading lies about me. These lies effectively killed every relationship I had. Even my fiancé split. Since then I avoid people. Even after the gossip died down, what’s the point?

People suck.

Now some pretty new thing shows up and I damn near lose my mind!

Well, fuck that.

Fuck that hard.

I rinse my coffee mug in the sink and make the mistake of glancing outside. Sure enough, I see her in the driveway. She struggles with a big box. I stand there and watch as I debate the notion of going out there to help her. I shut off the water and something else catches my attention.

Something I didn’t notice before.

A kid!

She has a kid? She barely looks old enough to be on her own. I frown. I’m not sure why, but I do it all the same.

When the kid begins to push against the same box with what appears to be all his might, she scolds him...and then proceeds to