Excerpt The Tangle of Awful

EXCERPT

THE TANGLE OF AWFUL

Aubrey

There’s only one person in the entire world I hate.

Spencer Park.

He’s vile. A monster. Awful.

I vowed two years ago I’d never look at or speak to him again. It was a promise I’d been able to keep until recently.

And, because of my mother, I’m once again going to be subjected to the misery he creates. This time, not because I’m being forced to, but by choice.

I’m choosing this for myself.

Not because I suddenly like Spencer. Far from it. It’s because something is going on with Mom and I will get to the bottom of it.

“Here?” the Uber driver asks as he slows to a stop in front of the massive structure I once called home.

“This is it,” I say with a shaky sigh. “Thanks.”

I climb out, pull on my backpack, and grab my overstuffed suitcase before slamming the car door shut. The home looms over me, cold and mocking. Every single detail of this house screams money. From the perfectly trimmed hedges and yard to the shiny black luxury vehicle in the driveway.

And then there’s me.

The leech.

At least, that’s what he always loved to call me. According to Spencer, me and my mother were leeches, bleeding his father of his family fortune.

Old memories of Spencer’s cruelty simmers to the surface of my mind, but I don’t let it consume me. I’m no longer the sixteen-year-old girl I once was. I’ve changed. I’m stronger, smarter, and a freaking adult now. Spencer Park holds no power over me.

I’m here for answers and nothing more.

Slowly, I wheel my dented suitcase up the front walk toward the pristine charcoal gray door that will welcome me into a cold hell. My hands slightly shake as I reach the door. Since Spencer used to always steal my house key, I kept one hidden outside. Leaving my suitcase, I walk over to the gutter spout at the corner of the house. I crouch in front of it and lift the biggest of the smooth stones on the ground in front of it.

The key is there.

My stomach twists.

It’s all wrong. The metal teeth no longer sharp and jagged. It’s as if it’s been melted smooth. Words have been carved into the metal.

Not welcome, leech.

I curl the useless key into my palm and rise to my feet. He may have intimidated me two years ago, but I’m no longer that girl. I’ve been living in Los Angeles with Dad ever since I left, going to school with a whole bunch of assholes rather than just one. I’ve learned how to survive.