Prologue
Lucy
I was minding myown business, playing with my dolls, when pain ripped through one side of my head. Crying out, I turned to discover the source.
Preston had pulled on one of my braided pigtails. He still held a fistful of my hair in his hand, a taunting look on his face. “Let go!” I tried to pry his hand off, but it only resulted in his grip tightening and pulling again.
“When will you grow up and stop being a baby with pigtails?” Preston teased.
“I’m not a baby! I’m eight!”
“Babies have pigtails and wear frilly pink dresses, Princess.”
I was a princess, but the way he said it made it seem like a bad thing.
How dare he?
Preston was eleven and thought he knew everything. He was my big brother Liam’s friend from school. I hated when he came over to play with Liam. Preston went out of his way to tease me,but today was different. He crossed a line when he pulled my hair.
“Leave her alone, Preston.” Liam approached us and eyed where Preston still held my hair in his hand. Narrowing his eyes, he frowned. “Take your hands off my sister. Now.”
Releasing his grasp, Preston backed away, completely ignoring the incident. “Come on. Let’s go kick the soccer ball around.”
Liam gave me a look to make sure I was all right before running off to play with his friend. He was twelve and always looked out for me. The same couldn’t be said for our much older brother, Leo, who was fifteen. Thankfully, he was away at boarding school. He’d have laughed and helped Preston torture me. I was the youngest of the family and the only girl. That meant I was always the odd one out.
Liam and Preston disappeared around the far corner of the courtyard as I left my dolls behind in the grass and ran to where my mother sat reading on a stone bench beneath a tree. Slowing down as I approached her, I pulled at the ribbons securing my braids, working to undo them.
“What are you doing, sweetheart?” My mother’s voice was warm, and I looked up to find her smiling at me as I furiously used my fingers to loosen my hair.
“Only babies wear pigtails.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” Pausing, I chewed my lip before asking, “Mama, can you make Preston go home?”
Tilting her head, she responded with her own question. “Why would I do that? Are he and Liam not getting along?”
Unable to keep the whine out of my voice, I complained, “He pulled my braids!”
A corner of her lips quirked up. “Oh, I see. Is that why you’re done with pigtails?”
“He’s a mean boy, and you should make him go away.” I stuck my lower lip out in a pout. Usually, that got me whatever I wanted.
Patting the stone bench, Mama invited me to sit beside her. Trudging over with heavy steps, I slumped beside her as she put her arm around my shoulders.
“You know, Lucy, boys usually tease girls because they like them.”
That was the silliest thing I’d ever heard. Who would tease someone they liked? Preston’s relentless teasing only made me angry. It didn’t make me like him back.
“Well, I hate him,” I declared.
Mama laughed. “Someday, you might change your mind.”
Crossing my arms, I shook my head. “No. Never. IhatePreston Scott. Forever.”
Chapter 1
Lucy
