Willow by Angelina Brown (romance book recommendations TXT) 📖

I try to remember which picture was in the frame. I look and the wall and remember is was a picture of my mom, me and my dad. It was taken during our first and last family vacation. Where could it have gone? I start to panic when I hear a door shut from down the hall.

I run downstairs and pick up the phone. I have this feeling that someone is watching me. Call Shane Willow, call Shane.

The phone rings. “Willow, What’s wrong?” Shane answers.

“I think there is someone in the house.” I whisper trying to stay quiet. I hear footsteps from above the kitchen. Mom’s room.

“Willow, get outside. I’m on my way.”

I meet Shane out in my front yard. His dad is with him. “What happened?” Shane and his dad ask in unison.

   “There is someone inside. In my mom’s room, upstairs.”

   “You two stay out here. Shane call the police, ok. I’m going to have a look around.” Shane’s dad walks into the house.

Shane calls the police. “Hello, there is someone in my girlfriend’s house… 28 Oxford Lane… Shane…”

   Shane is still on the phone when we hear gunshots from inside the house. Shane drops the phone “Stay here!” He yells at me.

   “Shane don’t” I try to stop him but he is already inside.

   I hear the operator from the phone and pick it up “Yes” my voice is shaking. “I don’t know... Willow… ok… please hurry…” I hear sirens from down the street. “Yes, I’m still here...”

   Two police cars pull up and I hang up the phone. “Willow?” The cop walks up to me.

   “Yes”

   “We need you to stay here ok. Where is Shane?”

   “Inside somewhere. His father went in to check things out and when we heard the shots Shane ran in. I tried to stop him.”

   “It alright an ambulance is on its way you wait out here ok. We are going to go in and find Shane and his father alright.”

   “Alright.”

   I watch as the four officers walk into the house. After a few minutes one of the officers comes out. “Are they ok?” I ask. So many thoughts have been running through my head I need to know.

   “Shane is ok, but his dad was shot.”

   “What about the person who shot him?”

   “He got away.”

   The ambulance pulls up. My mom hops out of the back and everyone else runs in to help Shane’s dad. “Mom!” I run and hug her. “What are you doing here?”

   “I heard what everything over the scanner. Are you ok?”

   “Yeah, but Shane’s dad was shot.”

   “And Shane?”

   “He is ok.”

   We stand and wait. It felt like forever when they finally came out. I watched for Shane. I ran as fast as I could to him.

“Shane” I looked at him worried. He looks like he is about to break down. I can’t help but embrace him.

   “Willow, my dad.”

   “I know. They are going to help him.”

   “What if he...”

   “Don’t go there Shane.” I end the hug and look at Shane. “You can’t think like that.”

   “I know but I can’t help it.”

   One of the police officers walk up behind us. “We need you both to give us a run through of what happened before we got here to put in the report.”

   “Shane?” I look at Shane and he nods. “Alright.”

   “Why don’t we go sit on the sidewalk.”

   We both sit down. I give my statement first. I tell everything about the picture, the door, and the footsteps. I even tell them about that weird call I got earlier. Maybe it had something to do with this. When I’m finished they have Shane give his statement.

   After finishing with the police my mom drives us to the hospital. Shane doesn’t say a word the entire way there. He just stared out the window.

   When we enter the E.R. my mom walked over to the desk to find out where they took Shane’s dad. I look over at Shane and he is just staring at the floor. I reach over and take his hand. He pulls away without saying a word.

   Does he blame me? I understand why. I am the reason his father was in the house. The reason he got shot. I am the reason he may die. I blame me. This is all my fault…  

 

 

Chapter 3

 

Dear Diary,

   Today is Tuesday, February the 1lth.

   The police still haven’t been able to figure out who the person was or why they broke in yesterday. The only thing that he took was the photo from the hallway. I’m still freaked out over the whole ordeal.

   Good news, Shane’s dad is going to be ok. The bullet didn’t hit anything major. The doctor said he was lucky. If the bullet had hit even an inch higher he would have died.

   Bad news, Shane hasn’t answered any of my text or calls. I wish he would just talk to me. My mom and I are going to the hospital before I have to go to school to see him. He wouldn’t leave his dad last night so my mom is taking him some clothes and stuff. Maybe he will talk to me. I can’t stand him not talking to me.

                                                                 -W

   “Willow, come on! We need to go!” My mom yells from downstairs.

   “Coming!” I run out of my room to the stairs. I stop next to the spot where the picture once hung.  That picture was the last photo I took with my dad before he died.

   “Willow” I jump when my mom said my name. “Are you ok?”

   “Yeah, I guess I’m still a little jumpy.”

   “That’s understandable. You ready?”

   “Yeah.”

   We leave the house and head to the hospital. On the way there all I can think about is Shane. Will he talk to me? Will he even look at me? Does he blame me? I think back to yesterday when he pulled away from me. Will he ever forgive me?

   The hospital is quiet when we arrived. We take the elevator to the recovery floor. It felt like the elevator would never reach the floor. I was so anxious I could barely breath. I can’t wait to see Shane.   

   Shane watches me as I enter the room. He fidgets in his seat as I walk up to him. I start to say something but he interrupts me. “Can we talk?” He almost seems nervous.

   “Of course we can talk. What is it?”

   “Not here.” Shane stands up and grabs my hand. “Somewhere private.” He takes me out of the room and down the hall.

   “Shane where are we going?”

   “I told you somewhere private.” He pulls me into the first empty room he sees, and I hear the door shut behind us.

   “Sha….” Before I can even say name he pushes me against the wall and presses his lips on mine. At that moment I knew he still loved me, that he does not blame me.

   Shane starts to pull away but I just pull him closer. I groan as his hand slides down the middle of my back. I wrap my legs around his waist as he picks me up. “Shane” I whisper as his lips gently move down my neck. He sits me on the nightstand by the bed. I don’t want to stop.

   At that moment we hear a crash from the hallway. Shane pulls away and walks over to look out the window. “It’s just one of the nurses.”

   “Thank God, for a second I thought it was my mom.”

   “Well it wasn’t.” He walks back over and wraps his arms around my waist, and kisses my neck again.

   “Shane.”

   “I know.” He looked into my eyes “We should get back. You have to get to school”.

   “Yeah, I do.”

   “You sound so disappointed. It’s cute.”

   “Of course I’m disappointed. I won’t be with you. I’ll be alone all day.”

   “You still have Ashley.”

   “Yeah. But she is not my boyfriend, you are.”

   “Really, so you’re playing that card.”

   “Yeah.”

   Shane leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “Come on.”

   When we get back to the room my mom gives me one of her looks. “What?”

   “Where did you two disappear to?”

   I start to talk but Shane interrupts me “we went for a walk. I wanted to talk to her without waking my dad.”

   “Alright. Willow we should get going.”

   “Alright, bye Shane.”

   As soon as my mom walks out of the room Shane pulls me in for one last kiss before I leave. “Bye.”

I meet my mother in front of the elevator. “What took you so long?”

“Nothing.” I could not help but smile.

“If it was nothing, what’s with the smile?”

“I told you it’s nothing.”

When we enter the elevator there is a guy standing in the corner. I get a feeling of unease. I feel like he is watching me. I can feel his eye watching every move I make. Who is this guy?

   I decide not to tell my mom about the man. It is probably just my mind playing tricks on me. At least I hope that is the case.

   Neither my mom or myself speak the entire way to school. After she parks I look at the clock and see I still have thirty minutes before class. I start to get out of the car when the door locks. “Mom! What are you doing?”

   “I need to ask you something.”

   “What do you need to ask me?”

   “You and Shane…” She hesitates. “You guys are being safe right?”

   “What do you mean being safe?”

   “I mean using protection.”

   “God mom. It’s not like that.”

   “Then what were you two doing after school yesterday when I wasn’t home? And this morning where did you two disappear to?”

   “Yesterday all we did was watch a movie, and earlier we were just talking.”

   “So you two are not.”

   “No mom, we’re not.”

   “Thank God.”

   “Why does it matter anyways?”

   “I just don’t…”

   “Don’t what?”

   “I don’t want you to end up in the same situation I did.”

“You mean you don’t want me to end up pregnant and in high school.”

“Yes, just please promise me that if you do decide to take that next step you’ll be careful.”

   “I promise.”

   “Thank you.”

   I get out of the car and head to class. Ashley isn’t at the lockers, she’s probably in class by now. I really wanted to talk to her. I somehow manage to get seated before first bell.

   By the middle of first period I could no longer pay attention to the teacher. I keep daydreaming about Shane. I flashback to when we were alone. The way he held me, the way his hands caressed my body. I never wanted him to stop.

After a few minutes I start to think about the conversation I had with my mom in the car. I want to take the next step with Shane but what if mom is right. She was my age when she got pregnant. What if that happens to me.  

I made it through lunch. Luckily I got to talk to Ashley during study hall. Talking to her always helps me feel better.

By the time third block begins I feel like my normal self. Although I can’t stop daydreaming about Shane. A