Always Will

By Lalae Mozie

Kennedy Shaver is a thirty-year-old nanny to five privileged sisters whom she fondly refers to as The Five. She cooks for them, cleans for them, and takes them shopping. Butmore than anythingshes their friend. When the sisters overhear the nanny talking in her sleep, Kennedy must tell them the story of Theo, her ninth-grade crush.
Enthralled in the world of Kennedys teenage drama, the sisters absorb every detail as the story unfolds. But when they dont get their way, the sisters team up and lash out against Kennedy, dragging to the surface all the truths she has buried beneath her love for the girls. Despite her care and comfort as their nanny, Kennedy realizes she must leave the girls and venture into the world to find herself. Will The Five ever hear the end of Kennedys story? Will Kennedy successfully brave the world and find the answers she needs so badly? And what about love?
Always Will is a warm and exciting story about a womans journey toward fulfillment and self-discovery. Filled with romance, humor, and the meaning of growing up, Kennedys adventure will capture your heart and leave you ready to find some answers of your own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 8, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496927606

Lalae Mozie

Lalae Mozie is currently fourteen years old. She loves to read, write, and eat apples. Ever since she could pick up a pen, writing has been her favorite pastime. Mozie has written two books, Merely Alive and Always Will. She enjoys the support of her parents, teachers, and three dogs.

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© 2014 Lalae Mozie. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 8/7/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2759-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2792-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-2760-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014912845

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue

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

About the Book

About the Author

To my munchkins

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Acknowledgments

T hank you to my parents. You have supported me and helped me in anything I have wanted to do. This wouldn’t have been possible without you. I love you.

Thank you to my favorite twin brother and to my favorite sister in the whole wide world. You’re both funny, impossible, and my best friends. Number one!

Thank you to my teachers Judy Rex and Katie Casey. All the long editing sessions and all their laughter belong to you two.

To Taylor Nelson, Shannon Casler, and Sara Matin for helping me make this book sharp!

The biggest thank-you goes out to my doggies, Foxy, Doodles, and Annie.

Prologue

H e leaned down and gently touched his lips to mine. The moment I’d been waiting for my whole life—my first kiss.

Oh, Theo, I whispered.

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"Oh, The-o!" a teenager squealed, startling me awake. Standing over me were the Five, the girls that I watched over, bug-eyed, each holding a stuffed animal. I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes, trying to shake the dream. God, two nights in a row I’ve dreamt of my old childhood boyfriend, Theo, kissing me for the first time when I was in high school, I thought. I’m thirty years old now!

The Five crowded around my bed. Ali, Lauren, Kelsey, Kameron, and Stephanie.

Were you dreaming about Theo again, Kennedy? asked Lauren, the oldest yet shortest sister. She wore her trademark big, round glasses.

Yeah, Kennedy, who were you kissing? Kelsey asked sheepishly. She was my favorite by far, and everyone knew it. I wasn’t very good at hiding my favoritism, but I liked her because she was wise beyond her years. I could talk to her. She had long, purple hair (dyed, of course) and she was about five feet tall with big, beautiful green eyes. Today she wore black combat boots, an oversized sweater, and leggings.

I was not! Who’s Theo? I said, pretending I had no idea what they were talking about. I jolted out of bed, took off my pajamas, and slipped on my dress. Besides, you guys should be getting ready for school.

We don’t have school. It’s Saturday, and Mom’s outta town. That means we have the whole day with you. C’mon, Kennedy, Lauren explained.

Sorry, I’m discombobulated. I woke up to five girls hovering over me, I teased.

Are you finally going to tell us the story behind all this Theo nonsense? pleaded Stephanie, the youngest. She had curly red hair that bounced whenever she moved, and she was holding the ratty old bunny she got when she was born, seven years before.

Maybe when you’re older. Besides, I don’t know what you’re talking about, I answered.

Oh, puh-lease! Kennedy, we all know that you love this guy. Just tell us! We can help you, Ali yelled impatiently.

Will you, please? Kameron added. For us? I mean, really. What harm would it do?

I stopped and thought for a split second—they weren’t very patient. For years I had been holding on to something that had ended in despair, hurt, and loss. Well, maybe it would be good to just get it out, I thought. I had no friends, a bittersweet job, and no money. And I looked a mess—my short, wavy locks styled into a makeshift Afro and my long dress, a disgusting pewter color, had more than a hundred coffee stains on it. What could I lose?

You guys really want to know, don’t you?

Yes! the girls yelled in unison.

Please do! Kelsey patted my arm.

We’re here for you, no matter what! Stephanie agreed.

Aw, you guys! I love you all so much. I grabbed them all in a group hug. Okay, but before we start, go get some snacks. This is going to be a long day.

All five of them bounced up and bolted for kitchen. I threw my pajamas back on and skipped after them. I made popcorn, grabbed the Cheetos Puffs from their hiding spot in the pantry, and barely caught the Dr Pepper before it fell to the ground.

When I returned to my room, Kelsey was already there, dressed in her volleyball T-shirt and Spandex shorts. She was the best behaved child. Being the middle child, she kind of had to be to keep the family from falling apart, and she did it perfectly.

As if on cue, Stephanie, Lauren, Ali, and Kameron filed in, all carrying snacks. They plopped on the beanbags and positioned themselves comfortably: Kameron lying upside down, Lauren sitting cross-legged, Kelsey hugging her knees, Ali sitting in pike position, and last, little Stephanie lying on her tummy.

Ready?

Chapter One

B eep! Beep! Beep!

Ugh, another Monday. I sat up and banged my alarm clock until it stopped beeping. It was 7:00 a.m. Only fifty minutes to get ready and get to school. My room was a mess: clothes were everywhere, and scuffs were ruining my perfect baby-pink walls. Of course, the clothes were always on the floor, but the scuffs were from the shoes I had thrown against the wall on Friday when my ex–best friend, Sydney, called me a bitch to my face.

I slowly, creakily got out of bed and—

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I was thrust back into the present.

Why was she your ex–best friend and not your best friend? Kameron asked.

Because she just quit the relationship, I answered, flustered. "Can we hold all questions until the end?

Yeah, Kameron. Let her go on, Ali chirped.

Thank you. Now, where was I? Ah, yes—

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I stretched my arms and legs, trudged to my walk-in closet, and opened the door. With my eyes half closed, I picked out my outfit for the day: hot-pink Doc Martens, leggings, and an oversized, knitted, cream-colored sweater. I stripped off my pajamas and put on my lavender bra.

Afterward, I walked to the bathroom, washed my face, and brushed my teeth—the same routine as every morning and night. I always thought that a teenager shouldn’t have to go through such a hassle. I absolutely hated getting ready for school (which I called Hell House) because I absolutely hated going. I used to like it, but ever since middle school started, my life had been a living hell—I had to dress nicely, act cool, flirt with boys, wear makeup, blah, blah, blah.

Outside, my driver, Max, a happily married fifty-three-year-old, was getting the SUV ready to escort me to Hell House. I walked to the kitchen and my personal chef, Catherine, gave me my breakfast and lunch. Catherine was a good cook. That I knew … and that was pretty much it. We had a lot of workers; I just kept to myself.

Okay, yes, I was rich. I had everything I could possibly have ever wanted. Except a family. My parents were never really around because they worked so much, so they relied on our help to raise me. I had a younger sister, but we barely even talked, and I didn’t have many friends, either, although I was nice to everyone. Not your typical fifteen-year-old.

I got in the car and pulled out my iPad Mini. Max drove in silence for a couple of minutes.

What’s the matter, Kennedy? Max finally ventured.

I looked up and answered, I’m losing my game.

You know what I mean.

I put my iPad away and decided to tell him, Sydney called me a bitch.

Sydney did? That doesn’t seem like her.

Everyone at my house knew Sydney Satug. Before she quit me, she had