Before You Go (Book 1, the Before series)

Chapter 2 | Moors and Memories

PARKER WRIGHT. PARKER WRIGHT WAS standing in front of me at Randy's.

Oh, this was precious.

He blinked. "Yes, do I know you?"

Wow. He didn't even fucking recognize me. I wish it made the two of us.

He looked so similar to the Parker I knew years and years ago. Only somehow, he had gotten taller and much, much more handsome.

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. For a second I had forgotten how much I hated him.

The last time I had seen him was before he left for Europe for his gap year before college. What was he doing back home?

"Nothing. I thought I recognized you from somewhere," I said when I realised that he still expected an answer, and decided not to let him know who I was. Better then, at least for him.

I walked to the counter and took his money as he paid for his snack—cola gummies and soda—all the while trying not to let him meet my eyes.

If he did, then he would know exactly who I was. The eyes that in our small town only me and my brother had which were the colour of our name. Annabel Grayson, the girl he hated and who hated him right back.

I was proud of my hands for not shaking as I handed him his change and he left after giving me a strange glance, like why was this girl acting so weird.

To be honest, I didn't really have an answer to that question.

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"Isaac!" I screamed when I got home.

Thankfully, my parents were having an important business meeting and would be home late.

"What do you want? Go away!" He yelled from upstairs, and I could hear the noise of his video game.

Rolling my eyes, I climbed the stairs and practically bulldozed his door down. To his credit, Isaac didn't even glance in my direction but continued to keep his eyes glued to the screen, trying to kill someone.

"Isaac. I have news."

He clicked down on the controller, looking unbothered. "I don't care if Donald Trump freaking died if you don't let me finish this—"

"He's back. Parker's back," I said like I wanted these words to be false.

He dropped the controller and turned to look at me. I had always thought that 'pale as a sheet' was an expression used in books, but Isaac's face was ten times worse. His face was pale as snow, and even his eyes were afraid.

Isaac's character on the screen died, but he didn't seem to care. The game ended, but he was still staring at me with shock and disbelief.

Then he burst out laughing so hard that he nearly fell to the floor. In between his laughter, he only managed to get out one sentence. "You—didn't—know?"

I immediately felt embarrassed then realised the bigger picture. "Hold on, how long have you known this?"

He wiped his eyes like he was crying—which he wasn't, Isaac was just very melodramatic.

"Two days."

I stood over him menacingly. "Two days?! And you didn't even think to tell me?"

For the older sibling, he looked visibly afraid, like he knew he was going to be castrated and have his junk hung on the Town Tree for everyone to see. (Also, yes, our town did have its own tree.)