Breaking Boundaries Read online

  BREAKING BOUNDARIES

  __________________________

  M.A. LEE

  BREAKING BOUNDARIES

  Copyright © 2016 by M.A. LEE

  All rights reserved.

  Second edition.

  Cover design by Fifth Ink Designs

  Fifth Ink Publishing, LLC.

  Iowa

  www.fifthinkpublishing.com

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, scanning, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Please do not partake in or encourage piracy of copyrighted works in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting this author’s hard work.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to locales, events, or actual persons—living or dead—is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Playlist

  Prologue

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Playlist

  Satellite by Silhouette

  Gorilla by Bruno Mars

  Element by Matthew Mayfield

  Take Your Time by Sam Hunt

  Sirens by Pearl Jam

  No Ordinary Love by Deftones

  I Know Places by Taylor Swift

  Roll the Dice by Finley Quaye

  Hush by Angie Aparo

  Never Never by Korn

  Sour Girl by Stone Temple Pilots

  Break on Me by Keith Urban

  Amazed by Lonestar

  Dead Inside by Muse

  It’s Been Awhile by Staind

  Moonshine by Bruno Mars

  Prologue

  I could hear the pounding rain beating against the side of the car as I struggled to open my eyes. Colorful images blurred past me as I stared at the black pavement from the road I had just been traveling down. The raging wind howled just outside the car where I lay trapped inside the overturned vehicle. Lightning flashed through the eerie gray sky and my heart raced wildly as panic began to take over all of my senses. Unable to breathe, I couldn’t find a voice to scream out for help. All around me people were shouting at me, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. A sharp ringing noise drowned out their voices, filling my head with an excruciating pain.

  Suddenly, I felt a pair of arms grab hold of my shoulders and begin pulling me through the broken widow. Sharp objects were slicing my skin, as I was drug out of my now totaled car. The pain from the wounds that I was enduring was nothing compared to the pain I felt in my heart. Opening my mouth, I began to scream wildly as the realization that it was all coming to an end hit me like a lightning bolt.

  Lunging forward, I awoke from yet another horrifying dream. This time, the sights and sounds seemed more real than they had the night before. Covered in sweat, I attempted to pull my caramel colored hair back and away from my oval face. My t-shirt and shorts clung to my damp body as I attempted to remove the sheets from where I lay. I wondered this time if I had actually been screaming aloud or if it were only part of the dream.

  “Did you have another nightmare, Mel?” My best friend Lauren asked as she stumbled into my bedroom. My real name is Melanie but Lauren had called me Mel since we were in kindergarten when she told me one day on the playground that I was going to be her best friend. Her room, was directly across the hall from mine in our shared apartment. Unfortunately, she couldn’t help but hear everything that went on in my bedroom.

  “It’s not a nightmare if it really happened,” I stated in a rough voice. My mouth was dry, and I desperately needed a drink of water.

  Shaking her head, Lauren only offered a sympathetic smile. “Mel, you need to talk to someone about these dreams. What happened to the therapist your parents sent you to last year?” she asked in a concerned tone. Lauren was my best friend and the only one whom I had shared my fears with. Now, even she was getting tired of dealing with me.

  “I stopped going. The therapist, Ms. Michael was nice, but talking about that night only made the nightmare’s more vivid and real.” I stated as I reached for a bottle of water sitting on my bedside stand.

  “You need to go back to therapy, Mel. Find another one who you like and will help you.” She stated again. Lauren was relentless and I knew she wouldn’t give up trying to save me from the demons that haunted me.

  “Maybe one day I will,” I lied.

  “No you won’t,” she said. Lauren knew me better than anyone else and even she could read me. “Look. I am getting you out of this apartment tonight. We are going to get out and have some fun.”

  Opening my mouth to protest, Lauren only shook her head no. “I don’t want to hear any complaints or excuses as to why you can’t get out of this apartment and live life like a normal college student does. It is Saturday night and like it or not, we are going out.” She walked away before I could even attempt to respond. Oh well, I guess I had several hours to wallow in my own self-pity. Throwing the covers back over my head, I closed my eyes and prayed for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep where I would not be reminded of an event that killed me two years ago.

  1

  The sounds of painful screams echoed through my ears as I stumbled through the door. I found all eyes in the room were directed at me, causing my stomach to fill with nausea. Sighing, I wanted to turn around and run, but I knew Lauren wouldn’t let me get away that easy. A girl playfully screamed again in the back room as the sound of a buzzing needle touched her bare arm.

  Suddenly, the idea of a tattoo seemed ridiculous. When I had agreed to go out with Lauren tonight, I had no idea what she had planned. Of course she would select something stupid to do. It was so unlike me to be in a place like this. The girl behind the counter with hot pink hair and piercings in her nose stared at me as I stood still as a statue, and I was painfully aware of what an idiot I appeared to look like. Shoving past me, Lauren walked over to the girl with pink hair and began flipping through a book full of tattoos. The air around her seemed to glow with confidence as she brushed her long, strawberry red hair behind her shoulder as she scanned the images. Her tight jeans and even tighter hot pink tank top accentuated her curves perfectly. In contrast, I was the complete opposite of Lauren in every way imaginable. My long caramel colored hair flowed down to the center of my back and my five-foot-five frame was thin, not voluptuous and screaming of sex appeal like Lauren’s. My hazel green eyes were plain, not sparkling like Lauren’s. I was suddenly aware that all eyes were locked on Lauren and not me. In that moment, I never felt so happy to be invisible.

  Now, standing in an unfamiliar place, I felt that same tug deep inside me that told me I didn’t belong. Everything about this place, and the people inside, screamed for me to get out. Glancing around, the black walls glowed from the neon signs and electric paintings that scattered the space. I inhaled sharply, preparing myself to slowly backup, when I felt a push from behind as my friend Lauren shoved me through the doorway and into the small tattoo parlor seating area. The sounds of a heavy metal band blasted thr
ough the speakers, which hung above us, drowning out the conversations taking place. Thankfully the loud thumping base from a Metallica song hid the growing beating of my heart, which I felt would jump out of my chest at any moment.

  “I want to get a tattoo.” Lauren announced as the girl with hot pink hair looked uninterested and bored.

  “Pick a design and then I will give you a price.” She stated as she blew a large bubble of gum she had been chewing.

  Turning her attention to me now, the girl looked me up and down and rolled her eyes. I guess my yellow sundress screamed outsider in this Gothic looking world. “What about you?” she asked, pointing at me, almost mocking me as she did this.

  “Um...” I began unable to speak before being rudely interrupted.

  Cutting me off before I could finish speaking, Lauren jumped in. “No, she is not getting a tattoo. Just me.” She stated pointing to herself. My friend Melanie is too afraid to get a tattoo, wouldn’t want to upset mommy and daddy,” she joked as she continued to flip for the perfect design.

  I wasn’t sure why I had agreed to come with Lauren tonight. I normally spent my nights at home in the apartment we shared near campus. I was a twenty-two-year-old college student and as straight laced as they come. I was once the good kid, the girl who never disobeyed, never skipped a curfew in high school or drank alcohol or smoke or tried drugs. I was the opposite of Lauren, who in our younger years had pushed every boundary placed in front of her. The only reason we remained friends was because she saw me, something most people didn’t. I had hidden myself behind my books and the crowds of girls at the private prep school Lauren and I had attended. I was always afraid to push myself to be the center of the stage. Somehow, Lauren saw in me something she liked and our friendship had only flourished over the years. Even after high school, we had stayed true to our friendship and decided to go to college together. But, after one horrible night two years ago, my life had changed. I was no longer trusted or viewed as the same sweet and innocent girl. My parents had asked me to stay close to home so they could keep an eye on me and make sure I didn’t explode again. Their fake argument was it would be cheaper and safer, something I had agreed to immediately. Lauren’s parents, fearful she would get herself into trouble if she were away from me, had advised her to follow my lead and apply to the University of Kentucky in our hometown of Lexington, Kentucky.

  “Mel,” Lauren snapped, “Please just try to have a good time. This is for me. I have spent the last two years by your side. Staying in on Friday and Saturday nights instead of going out and partying like we should be doing. I know you are still dealing with a lot, but at some point you have to wake up and start living your life.” She trailed off as her smile slowly faded. Lauren knew she had almost crossed a line, even if I did need to hear what she was saying.

  “Fine,” I muttered as I crossed my arms. “I will do this for you. But as soon as you are done, I want to leave.”

  “Thanks,” Lauren exclaimed as she pulled me in for a hug.

  Ever since that one night, I had kept a secret from Lauren and my parents, and I had no plans on sharing it with any of them. My dream, something I planned to do without warning, was to leave and go to California. I didn’t want to die in the same town I was born in. I didn’t want to be remembered as that girl who killed her friend. I wanted to change my views on life. I wanted to experience a new world with new people who didn’t know me as the once good girl.

  As two twenty-two-year-old girls, we were facing real decisions in our life. I was trying to finish my English degree as fast as I could. My dream before the accident was to move somewhere warm and sunny and work as a literary agent, looking for the next J. K. Rowling or S. E. Hinton. Now, I just wanted to get through school without another traumatizing event. Lauren, however, was just trying to decide on what she wanted to do on Saturday night. Her major was in business management and her goal was to work at a job where she could purchase designer clothes with an awesome discount. I guess our priorities were as different as we are.

  “Whatever,” the girl yawned as she began looking at her phone. “Just let me know when you pick the one you want tattooed. I think Smalls is almost done with his last client.” Suddenly, she turned her head toward the back of the parlor and began shouting.

  “Hey, Smalls, are you almost done? I got a chick up here that wants a tattoo.” She called, adding in a few profanities as she finished.

  Yelling back, Smalls added in a curse word or two before telling her to give him ten more minutes.

  “Smalls?” Lauren asked, as she stopped and pointed at a small flower design she wanted me to confirm.

  Nodding my head in approval, I quickly glanced at the clock overhead. It was already nine thirty and I had told my parents I would be home by midnight. Even though I lived on my own with Lauren in a small apartment near the University of Kentucky, I still felt compelled to let my parents know my schedules. I wasn’t sure how long something like getting a tattoo would take, but with Lauren it could be all night.

  Spitting her gum into a nearby trashcan, the girl wrote something down on a piece of paper then closed the book that Lauren had been looking through. “Yeah, we call him Smalls. Honestly, I don’t know his real name. He loves that old movie, you know, The Sandlot. We just call him Smalls. It’s kind of funny if you think about it because there is nothing small about this guy.”

  Just as she said that, a large man began grunting down the hall with a much skinnier fan following close behind. The man who I assumed was Smalls, was as big as he was round. His arms and neck were covered in various colorful tattoos and his baldhead had a few tattoos trailing up from his neck. His ears and nose were pierced too. The man who followed was holding a bandage on his right shoulder. Smalls threw a bag with ointment cream at the guy before telling him to keep it clean for a week.

  Lauren who had watched this exchange seemed more excited about the prospect of her tattoo. I, on the other hand, was growing increasingly nervous as I thought about the needles and pain that came with tattoos.

  “Who’s next?” Smalls asked, scanning the waiting area. Two other men who looked very similar to Smalls, minus the excessive weight, shook their heads no.

  “I think I am next.” Lauren announced as she bounced out of her seat. Her straight, red hair danced along her shoulders as she walked toward the back of the shop. Smiling, Smalls seemed happy to have someone like Lauren to work on. Lauren was beautiful with soft, porcelain colored skin and a smile that could light up a room. Her turquoise blue eyes attracted the attention of anyone who looked her way. She had always been beautiful, and the center of attention wherever she went. This was just the way things were when Lauren was around. Lauren glowed and I faded into the scenery.

  Finally noticing me, Smalls nodded in my direction. “What about the other girl, Kat?” He asked the girl behind the counter. So that was her name, Kat. This place really was strange.

  Turning up the volume on the overhead speakers, Kat looked me up and down before speaking. “No, miss goodie two shoes don’t want to upset her mommy and daddy. She will not be getting a tattoo today.” She said in a voice that I was sure was mocking me.

  “Listen,” I began, standing and ready to defend myself to this girl who I had only met five minutes ago. But, Lauren stopped me before I could open my mouth any further.

  Turning to me and whispering, she tugged at my arm until I stood close behind her. “Melanie Lee Averman, shut up and just follow me. If you say anything back to that girl, she will kick your ass.”

  Turning her attention back to Smalls, Lauren took my hand and drug me behind her as she smiled and motioned for him to lead the way to his room.

  Once inside his small space, I looked around at the blood red walls that were full of graffiti with various designs and artwork.

  Smalls began searching through a table full of things I didn’t dare to look at. I was suddenly aware of how strange I appeared sitting in this room with Lauren. Squeezing my hand, Lauren
sat on the chair Smalls had pointed to.

  “Alright beautiful, where do you want this flower?” he asked, taking a strange looking needle in his hand. The needle was connected to a long wire, and he began to dip it into a tube of black ink.

  “Right here,” Lauren stated as she pointed to her lower stomach, just below her waistline. She smiled a devilish smile as she knew I would not approve of the placement of her new markings.

  Shaking my head, I didn’t bother to protest. I knew Lauren well enough to know that regardless of what I said, she would do what she wanted. She loved me, but she was independent-minded and not going to let my opinion of her actions, regardless of how stupid it might be, stop her.

  “Perfect,” Smalls said in a creepy tone. He licked his lips as he began, the needle buzzing in his hand. My eyes, which I had tried to focus on the busy walls, instantly followed the needle to Lauren’s stomach. Her hand reached out and grabbed mine, squeezing me hard. As the needle began to graze her skin, a light layer of blood appeared. Smalls paused and used a cloth to wipe away some of the blood that was now seeping through the design he was cutting into her flesh.

  My stomach began to churn, and I could feel my face getting hotter. My breath began to falter and I could sense everything around me changing. In one instant I was standing next to Lauren, holding her hand for support. In the next moment I was seeing stars, as the world around me became a blur. The last thing I heard was Lauren scream my name before my head slammed against the hard, cement floor.

  2

  “Mel? Melanie? Can you hear me?” I was strangely aware that someone was talking to me, even though I couldn’t see anyone in front of me. A sharp pain shot through my body as I could feel the side of my head throbbing.

  Voices began to fade in and out as I felt myself coming to. “Hey, a little help in here?” Smalls yelled as Lauren continued to nudge me.

  I felt hands under me as I was lifted and carried to another part of the shop. Embarrassment and pain were the only two emotions I could fathom.