The Ripple Effect: Torn Apart: Sophomore Year

By Phillip Yow

Hotshot detectives, Wallis and Ray are ferociously on their suspect's trail. With each lead, they are getting closer to catching their suspect. Just when they believe their suspect is within reach, they discover an unexpected twist to the saga after a bachelor party went wrong.
The Killerman twins are beginning to thrive in South Oak Cliff when Sebastian falls for the head cheerleader, in a blur he is crushed by her deceit. Trying to fit in, he gets involved with the wrong crowd. With little hope, his path in life is suddenly filled with destruction, accompanied by drugs and violence. Meanwhile, Samantha struggles with a crush of her own.
Donovan's demons are still plaguing him as he is learning to adjust. Then he meets Nicky, a beautiful woman battling her own losses. As their relationship heats up Donovan can't help but wonder if she is the one.
But, when Samantha's body is stricken with a life-threatening disease, she is crushed and the Killerman's lives are Torn Apart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350914993

Book preview

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Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dedication

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter One

Chapter Two

AUTHOR’S BIO

NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold or destroyed to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this particular book.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, organizations, and events are solely a product of the author’s imagination; any similarities are a coincidence. Incidents are used factiously; any similarities are coincidental.

Published and printed in the United States

THE RIPPLE EFFECT: TORN APART, SOPHOMORE YEAR

Copyright 2023 by Phillip L. Yow

All rights reserved, including but not limited to the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, unless permission is given solely from the author.

Edited by: Clifton Thomas Tommy Holliday

Print ISBN: 979-8-35091-498-6

eBook ISBN: 979-8-35091-499-3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I must thank God, my creator, and sustainer in life. Without God in my life, my journey would be an aimless wander in a hopeless wasteland. Thank you, God, for loving me as I am and for forgiving me of my sins.

Next, I must turn to Jennifer; my beautiful angel. You have guided and protected me throughout this new venture in life. When I was headstrong, and chomping at the bit during this project, you took the time to remind me to trust God. You have lost sleep. You have been stressed, and angered by my stubbornness, but in the end, we prayed and did as you so wisely instructed-- trusted God. Now here we are publishing the second book. Thank you, Eve.

Charles and Katherine, my life has been turned upside down since meeting you two. Now that both of you are teenagers I am sure that I will be bald soon. Thank you for accepting me and making me feel special. Continue to trust God in your lives, keeping Him first. And hey, I still got vibe.

My Brother Chris is the most energetic person I know. You have continued to be a huge inspiration in my life. Seeing you bloom into the man God created you to be is an awesome experience. Thank you for always encouraging me and standing beside me even when I mess up.

Tammy, my loving Sister. Thank you for being the strong one. Your strength and Love have not gone unnoticed. Keep your head up. I know it has been a long hard road the last couple of years, but it will get easier. I love you, Sis.

Becky, you can plant your feet and be mad at me, but I have to thank you because you helped me see the potential in myself. No matter what, know that I’m always here for you. Thank you for your friendship and love throughout all these years.

Last, but by far not least, a true friend, former atheist, but now a strong man of God, an artist, guitar player, singer, a wonderful father, and now an editor, Tommy Holliday, thank you for your friendship and for helping me in my troubled times. I am indebted for your painstaking editorial work; you have given this project new life. Thank you.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to William Leon Yow Jr., aka Poppy. Dad, not a day goes by that you are not thought about. I miss you so much. I know you are not here physically, but you are here every day in my heart. I hope you’re up there raising hell Dad, and until we meet again, know that you may be gone, but you’ll never be forgotten.

Also available is the first Book of this series, The Ripple Effect: Shattered Lives: Freshman Year. Find it at your local retailer or online.

ATTENTION!!!!!

If you have purchased this book, thank you. In purchasing this book, you contributed to higher education for a less fortunate child.

The author is dedicating 50% of all proceeds of The Ripple Effect series, after the publishing cost is recovered, to a scholarship fund for kids in single-parent homes.

Thank you for helping make a difference in a young person’s life.

PROLOGUE

A wife, mother, and a woman of status in the community, had been brutally murdered in her own home on a stormy night. Now her widowed husband Donovan, and teenage twins Sebastian and Samantha, have all been struggling to accept the challenges that came with the loss of the woman who was the pillar of strength in their lives. Many obstacles had presented themselves in the eighteen months since Sandra Killerman’s death. With each passing day, it brought with it another challenge to overcome.

First, the move for the Killerman family. The move was necessary because Donovan could not manage the farm by himself. In doing so it uprooted the normalcy in their everyday life. Not only did they leave behind their family and the small-town country life, but they also abandoned their friends. In the first year, they found out how hard it was to make friends in South Oak Cliff.

Samantha started the school year at an unfamiliar school, and in the end, she experienced bullying from the ones that she thought to be friends. Being misled by the descriptive character of her new freshman high school classmates, she went against her judgment and snuck out to attend a party where she was nearly assaulted, by so-called friends. As with many young ladies, her weight was a target for the bullies at school. This bullying lead to her starving herself, but when she did eat she rushed to the nearest toilet to expel it. In the end, it nearly killed her as she concerned herself with what others thought of her and how she looked.

Just as Sebastian was thinking the move was not a bad one he was struck with the realization that being the new kid came with unmerited attention. The school’s star quarterback was his main adversary as Sebastian focused on overcoming his mother’s death. In his freshman year Sebastian learned that he was more alone than he could ever imagine, and being in a new school was only the start. Learning how to stand up for himself brought relief and a sense of pride.

Donovan was plagued with a demon that he had not seen since college, alcohol. Drowning his sorrow in a bottle started out as an occasional occurrence. However, as with most habits, his drinking became worse over time. Now that his job was on the line and the relationship between him and the kids is thinning he was confronted with the reality that he had a big problem. Finding a positive pregnancy test in Samantha’s room did little to ease him of the troubles that were already plaguing him. His year had just taken a turn for the worse.

In Des Moines, homicide detectives Wallis and Ray, who had been assigned to the murder file of Sandra Killerman, were feverously working to ensure that the murderer was apprehended. With no hard leads, they were finding the task difficult. With everything torn apart in the lives of the many who had been affected by Sandra’s murder, everyone was on edge and anticipating an end to the gruesome investigation.

Would this year end it all? Or would it lead to further problems in all their lives? Only time will tell.

Chapter One

Donovan stood in front of the full-length mirror in his makeshift gym room. Trimming down his stomach had proven to be harder than he ever had imagined. With sweat dripping down his body, he was not pleased with what he saw. He grabbed a hold of his belly fat in both hands and mumbled to himself, What am I doing wrong? They say that fat is hard to burn the older you get, but I’m not even forty! Grabbing a towel from the weight bench, he wiped his face and headed toward the kitchen.

Holding the refrigerator door open, he reached in and grabbed a piece of the leftover pizza from the previous evening. He added some cheese dip and a Coca-Cola. Kicking the door closed, he remembered that he was trying to lose weight and reluctantly returned the items to the refrigerator after stealing a small bite of the cold pizza. Sitting at the dining room table, he reached for the bag of caramel rice cakes that he had grown to hate after the very first one. Dieting is for the birds, he said to himself. After one bite, he sent the Styrofoam textured treat flying toward the wastebasket.

Donovan made his way through the house and took the stairs two at a time to reach his bedroom. He grabbed his shower essentials and headed into the bathroom. A sudden moaning sound from the direction of the kid’s room stopped him in his tracks. Dropping his things and darting down the landing, he grabbed Sebastian’s doorknob and swung his door open. There in the bed lay Sebastian fast asleep. He was growing into a spitting image of Donovan. Seeing his son was kind of eerie, like looking into a mirror at himself. Pulling the door closed, he rushed the few steps to his baby girl’s room. Not wanting to wake her up, he quietly eased the door open. The light from the landing illuminated the floor and half of the bed. Donovan made out the body under the comforter and was happy to see the halo of hair splayed across her pillow.

He heard the soft whimper again. This time there was no guessing where the sound was coming from. Samantha kicked her feet and her arm jerked violently as she rolled from side to side. After a couple of seconds, she settled down. Donovan was relieved that his daughter seemed only to be having a nightmare. She shrieked as he was closing the door and he stopped to make sure she was okay. When she rolled onto her back he saw it. Where her innocent flat belly had once been, Samantha lay there with the belly of a woman who was nine months pregnant.

Donovan suddenly sat up in his bed covered in sweat. In a labored breath, he whispered, Only a dream. Smiling to himself he thought, No! That was more like a nightmare. After a quick shower, he went to his son’s room, Hey buddy, it’s time to get up. You don’t want to be late for the first day of school.

Stretching his full length, Sebastian spoke through a yawn, Alright Dad, I’m up.

Outside of Samantha’s door, he knocked lightly. She wasn’t a baby anymore and he wanted to show her respect for the young lady who she had become; although, she would always be his ‘baby girl.’ Failing to get a response, he cracked the door open and said, Samantha, baby, it’s time to get up.

She rolled over on her back and asked, What time is it?

Time to get up and get ready, that’s what time it is. Now get up or you’ll be late, he told her.

Alright, I’m up. Now close the door please, she said as she shielded her eyes from the light invading her room from the hall.

Seeing her flat belly, he smiled. His daughter’s friend Holly was the one who had gotten pregnant. Sandra would be so proud, he thought. He had gotten the kids through their first year of high school in the big city practically all by himself and in one piece. He was unaware of the unprecedented challenges that awaited all of them this year as he made his way downstairs

Chapter Two

Sebastian nestled back down for a few minutes after his father had shut the door. He had fought the urge to lie and tell his Dad that he wasn’t feeling good so that he could stay home and sleep in one more day. His nagging conscience won over in the end and he decided be it tomorrow or today, he would have to get used to waking up early again. Might as well be today he grumbled.

Swinging his feet from the bed, the cold hardwood floor almost made him rethink his previous decision. Grudgingly, he stood to his full height, stretched, then dropped to the floor and did a quick two-hundred push-ups to get his day started. Over the course of the summer he had grown an inch and a half, and he had put on ten pounds of muscle. Personally, he didn’t see much of a change, nor did he notice the stares he got from Samantha’s friends or the neighborhood girls. Looking in the mirror, he flexed, but he still saw very little change in himself. Knowing Samantha would be the first to shower he headed downstairs to grab some fruit.

***

Lying in the comfort of her bed with the ceiling fan sending currents of cool air over her, Samantha grabbed her stomach as a cramp overtook her. Rolling onto her side, she grabbed an aspirin, knowing she was in for a long week. This wasn’t how she envisioned the school year starting. She immediately snatched up her cell phone and checked for any missed calls. There was only one. The number on the display screen caused her to scrunch up her eyebrows and make a sour face. In your dreams, creep. She muttered.

She dialed a number and listened to it ring on the other end. She sat impatiently on the edge of her bed and waited for her friend to answer. She couldn’t suppress a smile as the phone on the other end was picked-up. Passing up pleasantries, Samantha asked, So, what’s up? Anything happen last night? Is it time?

Sam? Do you realize what time it is? Holly asked. I’d hate to see how you’d be acting if you were the one pregnant. Sighing into the phone, she continued, No, nothing has happened and besides, the doctor says I’m not due for another week, so relax, and go back to bed.

Duh, I can’t go back to bed. Today is the first day of school, or did you forget? Samantha questioned her friend.

Holly was saddened at the fact that she was going to have to miss a couple of months of school. Reaching down, she rubbed her bare belly and as if on cue she felt the baby kick; making her smile. Yeah, I guess I did forget. I mean with doctor’s appointments and all, I guess time slipped by me.

Samantha was silent for a second continuing, So, what are you going to name the baby? Have you thought about it?

Sam, we talked about this and you know I can’t name the baby. Her adopted parents will do that.

Hearing the sadness in her friend’s voice, Samantha said, I’m sorry, I just thought maybe….

Holly laughed as she interrupted her, Sam, you’re my best friend, and I love you. So I’ll be honest, I have thought of a name. I mean, if I was in the position to provide for her and keep her…

So, what is it? Samantha asked.

Alexia, Holly replied.

They said their goodbyes and Samantha headed for the shower so she could get ready for school.

***

Donovan sat in the truck and waited on the kids