Kim Karr - Mended

Prologue

PassengerLet Her Go

KeaneShe Has No Time

Chapter 1

HAIMThe Wire

Chapter 2

Need to BreatheSomething Beautiful

Chapter 3

The Pretty RecklessUnder the Water

Chapter 4

DawesJust Beneath the Surface

Chapter 5

Five for FightingWhat If

Chapter 6

HinderTalk to Me

Chapter 7

Robin ThickeBlurred Lines

Chapter 8

Imagine DragonsRadioactive

Chapter 9

Michael FrantiIm Alive

Katy PerryI Kissed a Girl

Chapter 10

KodalineAll I Want

Chapter 11

One RepublicFeel Again

Chapter 12

HoobastankDisappear

Chapter 13

Stone SourThrough Glass

Chapter 14

Michelle BranchEverywhere

Chapter 15

Justin TimberlakeMirrors

Chapter 16

ParachuteSomething to Believe In

Katy PerryRoar

Kelly ClarksonWalk Away

The ScriptWalk Away

Chapter 17

Marie MillerYoure Not Alone

Chapter 18

Michael FrantiIm Alive

Chapter 19

IncubusDig

Chapter 20

B. TaylorLets Get This Party Started

Collective SoulYou

Maroon 5Harder to Breathe

No DoubtMarry Me

Xander, 18 Years Old

A black Jetta with heavily tinted windows swerves around the corner and comes to a stop in front of me, blocking my path as I walk through her school parking lot. The window rolls down and the thumping of the stereos bass assaults me. I grin, recognizing the song immediately.

Logan Taylor pokes his head out to meet my stare. Hey, dude, where you been?

Hey, man. Good to see you. Ive been here and there. You?

He hangs his arm out the open window. Same. Its been weird not jamming with you every day.

I know. Talk to your aunt.

Do I look suicidal? he says, then blows the hair out of his eyes.

I just shake my head because theres nothing else I can say. Not wanting to discuss Mrs. Taylor, I check out the curves hes sitting in. New car? I ask as my eyes sweep the sleek, shiny body in front of me.

He shakes his head. I wish. Its my dads, and anyway you know Id never pick a yuppie-mobile if I had my choice. Id much rather have a car like yours any day, but no chance of that.

I laugh. I do love my car. It used to belong to my fatherit was his sixteenth birthday present from my grandparents and he kept it all these years. When I was little I always admired it even if it only sat in my grandparents garage. My dad never drove it anymore. He said it wasnt a family car. So when my dad gave me his shiny red Corvette for my own sixteenth birthday, I couldnt have been more excited.

You here to see my cousin?

You know it, I say with a grin.

Shell be glad to see you, man. Shes been in a funk. Her mother has her going out on auditions almost every day.

I roll my eyes and sigh at the same time. I cant wait to get her out of this town. I take a deep breath before responding. She told me youve been getting her where she needs to go. Thanks for looking out for my girl.

Hey, shes family and I love her. Id do anything for my cousin. . . . You know that. Listen, I have to jet, but call me and lets get together, he says, then speeds off.

I shuffle onward with a slight smile on my face from knowing I finally get to see her. I take the short walk over to our meeting spot and the bell rings just as I arrive. The doors open and she walks my way. Her earrings glitter where they dangle from her earsthe sun reflecting off the star-shaped sapphire stones that are the exact same color as her eyes. Watching the way she moves, I cant help but think shes the total package . . . looks, personality, brains, and a rocking body. Theres a mysterious allure about her that I can never explainshe has an innocence that Id do anything to protect. Shes confident yet shy, strong but not, a rebel and a conformist all in one. And I fucking love her.

A huge smile breaks across her angelic face when she sees me standing near the basketball court and my heart goes crazy. Her small frame whisks in my direction and her long, platinum blond hair blows in the wind. She lifts her hand to her mouth and forms a perfect O as she blows me a kiss. She looks beautiful, and all I can do is grin. My gaze quickly drifts to her chest and then down to her narrow hips. Shes wearing a white button-down thats a tad too tight and a navy skirt thats a little too short. Dont get me wrongmy body reacts to hers with just a single glance. Thats how much I love the way she looks. But I hate the thought of all the other guys seeing whats mine, especially when Im not around to put them in their place.

Pulling off my red Brent Academy polo and tossing it on the bench behind me, I slide my shades on and stand in my khakis and white T-shirt waiting for my girl, Ivy Taylor, to get closer. I keep my eyes fixed on her, ignoring all the other students around me. Sure, some of the guys walking by give me crooked looks, but thats as far as they take it anymore. Theyre used to seeing me by nowIve been waiting for her most days after school since I started driving. At first they didnt like me on their school grounds, but after a few fights they learned to leave me alone or get the shit kicked out of them. Just because I dress like a preppy ass doesnt mean I am one.

Today I skipped out of school earlyleaving my brother at the pristine private school we attend so I could see my girlfriend. Ivy attends a magnet school in the heart of LA. She lives nearby in a rent-controlled apartment building with her mother and three much younger sisters. Their father took off on them long ago and Kelly Taylor, Ivys mother, is nothing if not resentful about it. In fact, her spiteful attitude is sometimes directed at me, and lately shes restricted our time together. She says she got a new job with later hours, so now Ivy has to go home right after school and Im no longer allowed over when shes not there. Coincidental? I doubt it. I can see through hershe views me as a threat to her golden ticket.

Theres no one to blame except myself for not keeping my big mouth shut, but I couldnt help it. Her vendetta against me started when she overheard Ivy and me planning our rehearsal schedule. She made the idiotic statement that her daughter was a born actress and she should be spending her time rehearsing for parts and preparing for auditions, not playing in a band. She even went so far as to ask me, Dont you agree, Xander, that with Ivys looks she should be an actress, not a singer?

Do you even know Ivy? I asked with a dry laugh.

Yes, I know my daughter. And I know that with her beauty, shell be an instant superstar. She just needs a push in the right direction. She needs to put herself out there more is all. Did she tell you an agent contacted me?

I looked at her, dumbfounded, shaking my head. Because no, Ivy hadnt told me.

She grinned. Well, one didlast week. He spotted Ivy when the band was playing at that school in Anaheim and thought shed be perfect for a TV show airing in the fall. She auditions for it next week.

Ivys head dropped as she spoke. Mom, I told you, theres no way Im wearing a bathing suit on camera.

Mrs. Taylor snapped, Ivy, maybe the lifeguard part isnt right for you, but that doesnt mean there isnt another role youd like in the series. You need to go for the exposure, if not for the practice.

Mom, I dont want to act, Ivy reluctantly told her mother.

Weve talked about this. Singing in a band will take you nowhere. The money is in acting.

She doesnt care about where the money is, I retorted, glaring at her mother. I mean, come on, Ivys a modest, shy girl. It took forever for her to feel comfortable around me. Traipsing around a movie set half-dressed isnt exactly her thing, and honestly, I dont think I could handle it anyway. I didnt even bother to address where the money is. That was just a ridiculous statement. Im sorry, Mrs. Taylor, but everything isnt about money. Ivys never even expressed the slightest bit of interest in actingits always been you making her go on auditions that she doesnt want to go on. I think Ivy needs to decide what she wants to do herself.