Trapped (Bullied Book 4) (Bullied Series) Vera Hollins (best large ereader txt) 📖

as it could have been. So, I’d been asking my dad to buy me a new guitar ever since I realized I wanted to be a singer and started imagining myself on a stage, just me and my guitar, performing my songs for my audience.

Now I was one detention closer to not getting it, as if years of being an exemplary student could be easily annulled with one freaking detention. It was downright ridiculous.

I dropped face down on my bed and grabbed my iPhone.

I told my parents about the detention, I texted Kev.

And what did they say?

That I should apologize to Blake.

You’re kidding, right?

And that I should pay for his phone screen.

Are your parents on drugs?

It gets better. My dad says he won’t buy me a new guitar if I get one more detention.

It’s confirmed. They’re on drugs.

Tell me about it. I hate it. I’ve been stressing myself out over the pop quizzes last week, but it’s all for nothing because good grades aren’t enough for them.

But this wasn’t your fault.

Technically, it was my fault, and it doesn’t matter that Blake is a jerk. Plus, now I have to ‘apologize’ to him.

But this is Blake we’re talking about. Apologizing to him is useless.

I rolled to my back and looked at the posters of my favorite indie pop singers on the walls. I thought about the lyrics of “Running with the Wolves” by Aurora, wishing I could break free from the chains of fears that held me back and be free, starting with Blake. He was everywhere. He owned my mind and hurt me on different levels, and it sickened me that I’d given him so much power over me.

The chains of fears… Now that could be my new song.

I know. So you can just kill me and put me out of my misery, I messaged Kev back.

I have a better plan. Let’s go out and eat something.

I smiled widely. Food was always the solution.

You’re a genius, Kev :) I’m totally down!

After we decided when and where to meet, I went to my makeshift recording studio. It was actually a walk-in closet, which was so big it served perfectly as a studio. When we’d moved into this house, I had picked this room only because of it. I’d turned it into a studio, soundproofed it with foam, and equipped it with an audio interface, studio microphone, and studio headphones. I’d spent all the money I’d received from my family and relatives over the years on it, and I didn’t regret a single cent.

I took my guitar and sat on the chair. I was dying for my daily dose of playing and singing. I strummed a chord and allowed the music to envelop me in its empowering arms. Closing my eyes, I started singing, letting all my worries and stress out and forgetting about everything but the melody that carried me over to a place far more magical and peaceful than any other.

“Mmm, this is heaven,” I said with my mouth full as I looked at my delicious cheeseburger. It was a real treat.

Kevin grinned at me from across the booth, and I spotted a piece of lettuce stuck between his teeth. “It’s d-d-delicious.”

I chuckled. “Eww, Kev! You have lettuce stuck between your teeth!”

He went beet red and covered his mouth with his hand. “Really? Give me your compact.”

I chortled. He was adorable like this.

“Here you go.” I fished the pink mirror out of my bag.

He grabbed it and faced the window so I wouldn’t see him while he removed the piece. I took a sip of my Coke and looked through the window at the people passing by. A large layer of snow lay thickly on the ground, promising children snowy adventures. The dark, cloudy sky indicated there was more to come as the howling wind propelled snow particles around.

“Your p-p-parents are really s-strict.” He handed me back my compact. “One detention isn’t the end of the world.”

I took another bite of my cheeseburger and swallowed it quickly. I always scarfed my food down and ate it rather sloppily, but I had to slow down if I didn’t want to disgust other diners. The place was full of people from our school and college kids. I looked at my food sadly. It almost begged me to stuff it into my mouth with its deliciousness.

“It sure is for them. All my life I’ve been told how great my dad is. I’m always reminded of his achievements. The best in his class, graduated summa cum laude, owns his own law firm. And if that isn’t enough, they keep reminding me not to be like my cousins, who are either too lazy to study or mingling with the wrong crowd.”

“They’re p-putting too much pressure on you.”

I reached for my cup and took another sip of my Coke. “Yep. They always wanted me to be their perfect child. I have to be responsible and think about my future, blah blah blah. Sometimes, I feel it’s never enough. I feel tired of proving myself to them.”

“You still haven’t told them you want to be a singer?”

I took a bite. “Nope. Seeing the way they are when it comes to something as minor as detention, I’m scared to imagine their reaction when I tell them about this. They think singing is just my hobby.” I grinned at him. “If you don’t hear from me, it means they’ve killed me.”

He chuckled. “I’ll make sure you’re remembered.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “I think you should tell them you want to be a s-s-singer. Singing makes you happy, so they should understand it.”

“I hope so. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”

Then again, even if they accepted it, that would solve only one part of my problem. The other part was much bigger, and I didn’t know how to deal with it.

I had stage fright. I’d had it ever since I was twelve and that incident happened. I couldn’t sing in front of others. Sar and