Vengeance

Vengeance

Published by Dreamscape Publishing

Copyright © 2011

This book
is a work of fiction. Though some actual towns, cities, and locations
may be mentioned
, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Any similarities of characters or names used within to any person past, present, or future is coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Brief quotations
may be embodied
in critical articles or reviews.

DEDICATION

To
Tiffany, who has been so helpful with getting the Transcend Time
Saga into the hands of
readers.
You went
above and beyond
, and it means so much to me.
Thank you for your hard
work,
a
nd for your constant enthusiasm in my writing!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you for picking up this
story
and reading it—I hope you love it as much as I loved writing it!

Thank you to my awesome agent, Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency, for
her hard work
and for
encouraging me to continue with this series. Taryn Browning, my amazing
critique
partner,
it’
s been great going through the process of publishing with you! My mom, for reading this story
over and over
to make sure it was ready for publication.
My dad and brother Steven, for believing in my stories, and in me as a writer.
My cousin, Jackie L, for loving
Remembrance
and encouraging me to speak to her middle school about the book.
Jackie B, for helping me edit this story, and for not being afraid to be
honest in
her
edits.
T
o everyone in my Voice in Modern Fiction class, for helping me
make
this story the best it can be.
And
to Giselle, Melina, Emma, and Tiffany,
for
their
participation in the
Vengeance
cover reveal.

Lastly, and most importantly, to everyone who purchased a copy of
Remembrance
, recommended it to a friend, or blogged/Tweeted/YouTubed about the book—THANK YOU a million times! Your support means the world to me.
I am so lucky to have you in my life. I hope you enjoy
Vengeance
!

CHAPTER 1

“I’ll see you in school on Monday.”

I hated the casual way Lizzie said those words. She was acting
like
she hadn’t stolen my boyfriend, come over to apologize, and expected us to be best friends as if nothing had changed. It made me want to throw the stapler on my desk at her face. Instead, I glanced at my planner and shuffled a few papers around as if they needed to
be rearranged
. They
didn’t
.

“Right,” I said, refusing to look at her. I wanted Lizzie to leave. Every second I saw her made me angrier than the last.

She watched me
like
she expected me to say more—like she expected me to tell her I couldn’t wait to see her at school. When I
didn’t
, she turned around and left. I could tell she was disappointed, but what did she expect? She knew I was interested in Drew from the first time I saw him walk into our History classroom.
I’d
been honest with her about my feelings for him from the beginning. 

When Drew and I started dating, everything was great, like a fairy tale. Whenever we spent time together, whether we went out for ice cream, dinner, or watched a movie at my house, we had fun. At least I thought we did.

But apparently he enjoyed Lizzie’s company more
than mine.

I pushed the red mask I wore to the Halloween Dance off the desk and watched it fall to the floor. Then I kicked it into the wall for added effect.
Stupid mask.
The night of the dance was supposed to be incredible. Then Drew cancelled so he could see his family in New York for the weekend, and when he came
back
he was distant. His mind was somewhere else—somewhere I
couldn’t
reach. No matter how hard I tried to get him to lighten up, it was impossible.

He broke up with me two weeks later. I saw it coming, but that
didn’t
make it less devastating. I
didn’t
understand what I’d done to make him so uninterested in me. When I asked, he gave me the “it’s not you, it’s me” excuse, as if that would make it okay. It was so lame, so cliché—he could have given me a decent reason.
A
real
reason.
One minute he was happy with our relationship, and the next he was done with me, tossing me aside
like
I never mattered to him in the first place.

Shannon pulled me aside a week later and told me she saw Drew and Lizzie together in a boat on the lake behind their houses. I
didn’t
want to believe her at first.
But
both of them were acting strange and secretive—it was the only explanation that made sense. I
couldn’t
help but wonder how long they planned on keeping their relationship from everyone.

Then there was the biggest, most hurtful question of them all: How long had they been seeing each other behind my back before Drew broke up with me?

I hated thinking about it.

I tried talking with him about it at Shannon’s party, but as soon as I started getting somewhere, Lizzie barged in and ruined everything. Drew ran after her, leaving me alone and forgotten. It was humiliating.

I walked up to the mirror in my room and glared at my reflection. What was so wrong with me that I
wasn’t
good enough for Drew? That he left me for my best friend—correction: my ex-best friend—without looking back?

I ran a hand through my long, dark hair, trying to figure it out. My nose had a perfect ski-slope shape that people went to plastic surgeons for, my skin was smooth and free of any blemishes, and my green eyes tilted upwards at the ends in a way that guys found alluring. I
didn’t
doubt that I was prettier than Lizzie. Her curly hair was constantly out of control, her skin was too pale, and she looked like she should be a freshman instead of a junior.

Despite all of that, Drew chose her.
And
Lizzie went along with it. She knew about my feelings for Drew—how I
loved
Drew—and she still took him away from me. Then she had the nerve to come into my house and tell me she thought Drew was her soul mate and she hoped I understood where she was coming from.

The last thing I wanted was to be friends with her. To top things off, it
wasn’t
the first time something like this had happened. At least it was forgivable all those years ago with Jeremy, since I never told Lizzie about my feelings for him in the first place. Jeremy was different from other guys—he was one of my close friends. I was afraid if I let him know I thought there could be more between us, it would mess up our friendship.
So
I kept it to myself. 

In eighth
grade
he told me he wanted to ask Lizzie to the Valentine’s Day dance. Not knowing how to respond, I froze and told him I thought it would be a great idea. They went to the dance together, and in less than a
month
they were an official couple. He never knew about my feelings for him, and I always thought it was best that way. He and Lizzie were good together. It was my fault for not taking action sooner, and I
wasn’t
about to get between them. I got over him a few months later.

But with Drew … this
was a different situation. Lizzie knew about my feelings for him, but she went for him anyway. Everyone might think Lizzie’s an angel, but I knew better. She was selfish, and she was going to pay.

Still staring in the mirror, I made myself a promise.

I was going to get revenge.

CHAPTER 2

My cell phone buzzed on my nightstand, waking me up the next morning. I turned over to check the clock, groaning when I saw it was 11:00 AM. I
couldn’t
fall asleep last night because I kept thinking about everything that had happened with Drew and Lizzie at the party on Friday, and how my chances of getting him back looked like they were slim to none. I just wanted to lie in bed all day, watch sad romance movies, and maybe get some homework done.
Anything to keep my mind off Drew and Lizzie.
 

I glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Shannon. She
wasn’t
the type of person who liked to be ignored, so I picked up the phone and answered it.

“What’s up?” I
asked,
my voice hoarse from just waking up.

“Hey, Chelsea. We’re going to the mall today,” she said. If she noticed how she woke me up, she
didn’t
let on.

“When?” I rubbed my eyes and flopped over in bed. My white pillowcase was covered with black smudge marks since
I’d
forgotten to take off my makeup the night before.
Hopefully
it wouldn’t stain.

“Whenever you’re ready,” she
said,
her voice chirpy and bright.

“You never struck me as a morning person,” I grumbled.

She ignored my comment. “So, I’ll pick you up in thirty
minutes?
”

Apparently
I was going to the mall today, whether I liked it or not.

I had to give Shannon some credit though—I was happy someone was reaching out to me. She was the one who stayed with me at her party when I cried in the bathroom for an hour after Drew chased after Lizzie. I
didn’t
understand the motives behind her sudden kindness, but I appreciated it. Lizzie was usually the one who helped me through tough times, but since she couldn’t help when she was the one making me upset, I was glad Shannon could.
Plus,
I loved the mall. Maybe a trip there
would
help me feel better about this mess.