Where We Found Our Passion
Where We Found Our Passion
Copyright © 2022 by Natasha Bishop
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
Author’s Note
Playlist
Prologue
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Part Two
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
Epilogue
Epilogue Two
Also by Natasha Bishop
About the Author
To all the GEBs and custom earmuffs out there, this is for you.
Thanks Torri!
I started writing this book before the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was made.
It’s not lost on me that this book addresses abortion and is set in Texas.
I hope Kai and Olivia’s story can be a safe place for women everywhere to sit in their feelings and know we are not alone.
Women are the most powerful creatures on the planet, which is why someone is always trying to take our control away. But just remember, ladies…
…this our pussy we can do what we want.
As Fast As You Can —The Foreign Exchange, Carmen Rodgers
It Will Rain—Bruno Mars
Stitches—Shawn Mendes
Fool For You—CeeLo Green and Melanie Fiona
Right My Wrongs—Bryson Tiller
Halfcrazy—Musiq Soulchild
Happy Without Me—Chloe x Halle & Joey Bada$$
Adorn—Miguel
The Sweetest Thing—The Refugees and Lauryn Hill
The Boy is Mine—Brandy & Monica
Sure Thing—Miguel
Cinderella’s Dead—EMELINE
Shea Butter Baby—Ari Lennox & J. Cole
Watch n’ Learn—Rihanna
Leave the Door Open—Silk Sonic
Oh My God—Adele
Boss Bitch—Doja Cat
Dusk Till Dawn—ZAYN & Sia
Through the Fire—Chaka Khan
Confidently Lost—Sabrina Claudio
Ordinary People—John Legend
Comfortable—H.E.R.
Rocket—Beyoncé
Hrs & Hrs—Muni Long
Kai
“Hello?”
“Hi, Kai.” That voice. It’s cold and distant, a tone I’ve never heard directed toward me, but fuck if it doesn’t still light a fire inside of me.
I’ve been waiting by the phone for hours to see if she’d call me or if she’d once again push me to the side.
I can help her.
She just needs to let me.
“Are you okay? I saw.” There’s no point in pretending that I didn’t witness her tear her ACL on national television tonight.
She sighs. “No.” Good. I’m glad we’re not starting this conversation off with a lie.
“How can I help?”
She laughs but there’s no humor in it. She’s barely holding it together. “Got any room in your schedule?”
I don’t, really. My schedule shouldn’t allow for another client right now, but I know I’ll make it work. I’d rather cut off my own arm than reject her. A part of me always knew it, but this moment just confirmed that I would still, to this day, do absolutely anything for this woman.
Olivia
Twelve Years Old
“Stupid Austin,” I mumble to myself as I kick the soccer ball I’m practicing with in our front yard. It bounces off the white brick of the house wildly before I stop it from going into the street. Why did we have to move here?
“Stupid Mom,” I grumble as I line the ball up with the exact brick I want to hit.
“Stupid Dad.” My next shot is sloppy, and I cringe as the ball doesn’t hit anywhere near my mark. I trap the ball beneath my cleat upon its return.
I can’t focus. There’s too much rage and annoyance flowing through my body. I do a few toe taps and then line up one final shot. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, then I let go. It crashes against the brick and then whips past my face.
“Ow.” My body spins around at the voice I just heard. A tall boy stands across the street rubbing the back of his head. My soccer ball sits at his feet. He turns around to face me and I’m taken aback. He’s sort of…beautiful. His brown skin is highlighted by the sun setting behind him, and I’ve never seen a more glorious mess of curls on a boy before. He tilts his head as if he doesn’t know what to make of me, probably because I’m just standing here like an idiot instead of apologizing and going to get my ball. He bends to pick it up, and I think he’s going to throw it back to me, but instead he looks both ways and crosses the street over to my yard. “This yours?” he asks, holding the ball out to me.
“Umm, yes. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kicked it that hard.” I wince as I grab it out of his hands. So lame.
He chuckles and it’s a cute sound. I decide at that moment I’d like to hear what his full laugh sounds like. He’s tall and his deep-brown eyes are a little harsh, but his cheeks have a roundness to them that don’t match the rest of his body, so I can’t tell if he’s my age, younger, or older. “That’s okay. You must’ve been really mad about something.”
“Something like that.”
He considers me for a moment but doesn’t ask about what made me mad. I’m grateful. “You’ve got some power in that foot of yours.”
“Thanks. I’m practicing for team tryouts.”
“With that kick, I’m sure you’ll make the team.” I don’t know why but his compliment makes my neck feel hot.
“You like soccer?”
“I like all sports, yeah. But I think soccer might just be my favorite now.”
“All sports, huh?”
“Yep. You don’t believe me?”
I shrug. “I mean all sports is a bold statement. Do you know how many sports there are?”
Another chuckle. I’ll get that full belly laugh soon enough. “Okay, try me.”
I drop the ball to the ground, crack my knuckles, and narrow my eyes at him. “Okay, well I guess I can assume you like the obvious ones—soccer, basketball, football, baseball.”
“Yep, yep, yep, and yep.”
“Hockey?”
“Yep.”
“Swimming?”
“I mostly pay attention to it during the Olympics but yeah.”
“Archery?”
“Archery is badass.” He lifts his eyebrow, testing to see if I’ll challenge him. I won’t. I have no way to verify if he’s telling the truth right now, but I just want to keep him talking a little longer.
“Tennis?”
“Serena Williams is my favorite player.”
“Serena Williams is everyone’s favorite player.” I rest my hands on my hips.
“Yeah but she’s really mine. I saw her play for the first time when I was seven with my dad. We watch her play together all the time now.”
“Golf?”
His eyes crinkle in the corners, and he flattens his lips into a thin line before he responds, “Yep.”
I point my index finger in his face. “Liar!”
And right there, I get the belly laugh I’ve been craving. “You got me. The one sport I don’t like.”
“Mm-hmm, I’m sure there are others, but it’s okay; my point’s been proven.”
His curls bounce as he shakes his head in disbelief, eyes still shining with laughter. “You just move in?” He glances behind me to my house.
“Yeah, last week. From Houston.”
“Makes sense. We stayed at my Po Po’s house last week so I missed you.”
“Your Po Po?”
“My grandmom.” My eyes light up at his response. He calls his grandmom Po Po. That’s so cute.
“Ahh. That’s a cute nickname.”
“It’s Chinese.”
My brows furrow. “Are you Chinese?”
“Half. I’m half Black, half Chinese.”
“Cool.” He seems to like my response.
“Well, welcome to the neighborhood. I’m Kai.” He holds his hand out, and I internally laugh at the manners on this kid before grabbing his hand and shaking it.
“I’m Olivia.”
The smile he rewards me with after I share my name blinds me. Wow, his teeth are unbelievably white.
“So what made you guys move?”
I roll my eyes then rub them to cover it up so he doesn’t think my irritation is aimed at him. “If you ask my dad, he’ll tell you it’s because there’s a coach at the high school in this area he wants me to work with. But since high school is two years away for me, I say it’s because he was tired of living in the house where my mom abandoned us.”
That might be too much information too soon, but I’m just too tired to care.
“Your mom left you?” His eyes widen after he asks and he starts waving his hands in apology, but I stop him.
“It’s okay. Yeah, she did. Last year. She gave up her Broadway dance dreams to follow my dad to Houston for his NBA career. But then he fractured his pelvis and that ended that. That was a year before I was born, and I guess my mom stuck around because she thought eventually I could carry out her legacy for her.” Too bad I can’t find a beat to save my soul, but I can drive a soccer ball down a field with precision.
I knew my mom and dad fought constantly about her lost dreams because they never bothered to keep their voices down, but I never thought she’d leave us. Or maybe I did, but I thought maybe she’d take me with her, or at least say goodbye. She left like a thief in the night, and I haven’t heard from her since. When she left, Dad started putting the pressure on me to practice harder. I think he thinks that if I become a soccer star my mom wouldn’t feel like she wasted her time birthing me and she’d come back. Wishful thinking on both of our parts.
“Sorry,” I blurt out. “That got too heavy. You just met me and I’m telling you my life story. I swear I’m not a weirdo or anything.”
His chestnut-brown eyes bore into me with such intensity that my step falters. I’ve never had a boy look at me like this before, but I don’t think I want him to stop.
“Nah. I don’t think it’s weird at all. I think your mom’s missing out.”
“On what?”
“On you.”
I wipe sweat from my brow that wasn’t there a moment ago.
We continue standing in my front yard just talking. I learn that he’s my age and we’ll be going to the same school this year. He’s got a younger sister, and they live with his mom and dad but visit his grandmom a lot. It feels like a long time goes by in his company and yet not enough.
My eyes start darting from Kai to the street, searching for my dad’s car. He should be home from the store soon, and he’ll lose it if he sees me socializing instead of practicing.
I try to think of a nice way to get Kai to leave, but before I get a chance, a cute little girl with bone-straight hair bounces out of his house and waves her hands at us.
“Kai! Mom said it’s time to come eat!” She darts across the street, and I hear him softly scold her for not looking both ways before crossing. She ignores him and grabs his hand but stops to look at me. “Who are you?”
“I’m your new neighbor, Olivia.”
“Hi Olivia, I’m Kylie. I hope you’ll be my new friend. I’m tired of hanging out with my brother.”
Kai’s eyes bulge, and he wraps his arm around her neck to give her a noogie while she squirms and laughs to get away. I can’t help but laugh at the scene in front of me.
“I’d love to be your friend, Kylie. And you know what? My friends call me Liv or Livvy so you can too.” She flashes a wide gap-toothed smile at me before grabbing Kai’s hand again and dragging him toward their house.
“Okay. Bye, Livvy!” she shouts excitedly.
Kai turns to me, stopping her progress. “See you around, Olivia. Next time, try not to aim your ball for my head though.”
“No promises, but didn’t you hear me when I said my friends call me Liv or Livvy? You don’t have to keep calling me Olivia.” I mean, I hope he wants to be friends or I might just die from embarrassment.
His lips turn up in a sly grin, like he’s the only one in on the joke. I just better not be the punchline. “I heard you. We’re friends now.” He leans in a little so only I can hear him. “But I don’t wanna be like everyone else.” I’m left standing there, mouth wide open before he throws a “Bye Olivia” over his shoulder and heads into his house.
I think I might like this city after all.
Kai
Twelve Years Old
“This is crazy. I can’t have you beating me like this in my own house.” I lightly push her and she falls over on the side of the couch, laughing.
Since that day in her front yard, Olivia and I have spent every day together. When I’m not with her while she’s practicing, she’s over at my house hanging out.
She’s the best friend I’ve ever had.
“Get on my level and maybe you’d win once in a while,” she teases. We’ve been playing Super Smash Bros Melee for the last hour, and she’s beat me almost every time.
“Nah, let’s turn on items. I’m done playing with you.”
She shrieks. “No! We’re not turning on items. That’s so dumb.”
“You scared?”
There goes that eye roll she’s always throwing my way. “No, you’re the one who’s scared since you wanna turn on items.”
“Pick up the sticks, Olivia.”
She blows out a harsh breath and picks up the GameCube controller. I asked my mom to get me a purple one just for her to use since it’s her favorite color.
I make my character selection and wait for her to pick Samus like she always does. “Jigglypuff? Since when do you play with Jigglypuff?” I’ve been playing with Link this whole time, but I’m tired of her talking crap so I’m ready for her.
“Don’t worry about me, just pick your player.”
She mumbles something under her breath about me being a fool before she makes her selection and the game starts.