Free From the Tracks E-Book

K T Bowes

• Herausgeber: K T Bowes
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

A girl with secrets. A bad boy in trouble. A community out to get them.

Sophia’s lifelong mission is to avoid trouble. It’s safer that way. If you don’t get noticed, trouble leaves you alone.

A few short months ago she had the perfect family, but not anymore. As she nurses a painful secret, home and school implode around her and trouble comes knocking. Trouble has a name and a face. And trouble’s going to get her killed.

Driven out of her friendship group, Sophia finds comfort in all the wrong places. The secret she keeps will tear her world apart and it’s easier to become involved in someone else’s problems than face her own. Stepping out of her seemingly perfect life and model home, she finds a whole other world on her doorstep.

Is it possible to sit in class with someone for four years without seeing their hunger, the holes in their shoes or the bruises on their body? And once you know, what can you do?

Awarded a 5* review from Readers' Favorite. "Talented K T Bowes once again demonstrates her versatility as a writer with Free From the Tracks. She captures their trials as she develops their characters."

If you like teen books with a dose of reality, you’ll love Free From the Tracks. Download at your own risk and stay awake tonight reading.
 

Leseprobe

Free From the Tracks

Teenagers in Trouble

Book 1

Troubled Series

K T Bowes

Copyright K T Bowes © 2013

Published by Hakarimata Press

Contents

Free From the Tracks

Contents

From the Author

Join our In Crowd

Acknowledgement

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Please can you help me?

From Sophia’s Dilemma

From the Author

About the Author

Other Books by this Author

Copyright Notice

From the Author

Some of these characters have a sense of being real because I grew up with them, but they are fictional. Repeated a million times over in life, they would never recognise themselves, anyway; nobody believes themselves to be that wicked. There is no specific person who could say ‘that’s me’, because I’ve merged all the worst character traits of the most awful people I came across in my torturous journey through school. You know these people. I imagine you already naming them in your head. You may sit in a classroom with someone whose circumstances are just like Dane’s without even realising it.

The scars are not always on the outside.

I write about the places I know and so they exist, but perhaps with different names and geographical features. But it’s worth remembering that this is a work of fiction and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Additional note from the author

When I wrote this novel almost a decade ago, there were no schools on that side of the river further north than Hukanui Road. Since then, the education ministry have built numerous primary schools and a high school. The high school is in the exact location where I imagined the school in this series to exist.

Sometimes fiction becomes the reality.

Join our In Crowd

If you want to hear more from K T Bowes about special deals, freebies or sneak peeks of her newest works,

SIGN UP HERE

Grab four FREE novels from the same author, usually $10 but not to you. Get them delivered straight to your inbox.

Acknowledgement

This book is dedicated to my Sophia, who inspires me.

Chapter One

Desperate Measures

“I do understand, Sophia, but I can’t help you. It’s against the rules to discuss another patient’s medical records. Unless there’s something else I can do for you, our consultation is over.”

The girl continued to sit in the red plastic chair, a look of determination etched into her dark features. Shaped as though crafted by someone with a love of fine china, her eyes were dark brown and rimmed with long lashes. The flared irises looked as black as coal, flashing with a mixture of anger and despair. The dull, middle aged man opposite her shifted in his chair with discomfort, sweat beading on his forehead. He eyed the girl with concern as her rigid hands plucked at the tartan fabric of her school skirt. “What about your health, Sophia? Is there something I can help you with?”

She shook her head and brushed away threatening tears with the back of her hand. She uncrossed her legs and the doctor spied a ladder in her navy school tights. It ran from a nick near the ankle. He pulled his gaze away, wary of showing too much interest in case she misinterpreted his intentions.

“Goodbye, Sophia. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.” The doctor shook her hand and closed the door behind her, relieved at having despatched her without hysterics. He turned to his computer, intending to log his concerns on Sophia Armitage’s medical notes, but the telephone trilled from the desk and drove the young girl’s plight clean from his mind.

Sophia blundered into the corridor and hurried towards the green exit sign. She kept her head down and her fringe cloaking her face like so many teenagers in hiding. She prayed nobody in the busy waiting room noticed her sparkling, tear-filled eyes as she struggled to suppress the agony building in her chest. Her stomach ached as fear chased her appetite away and she rubbed a hand over her ribs. A girl from her school read a magazine near the nurse’s room and glanced up as Sophia passed. Glancing with interest at the way Sophia’s hand pressed over her stomach, a smirk lit her lips. Sophia withdrew her fingers and lifted her school bag like a shield of protection. The last thing she needed was a rumour of pregnancy to rip through the school.

Focussing on the green exit sign, Sophia picked up her pace. She’d used her dwindling cash to pay for the doctor’s visit and would need to wait for the cheaper bus due in ten minutes. Or walk home.

“Watch out!” Strong fingers caught her upper arms as Sophia barrelled straight into someone. Her nose bumped a solid chest and the wind exited her lungs in a gasp of pain. The scent of cigarettes and chewing gum rose in a haze around her face. The heavy school bag swung from her shoulder and pitched them both sideways.

“Sorry,” she gasped from beneath the safe harbour of her fringe.

“Can’t you see?” Olive fingers brushed her hair back from her forehead and exposed her to a scrutiny she didn’t want. The other hand remained clutching her arm.

“I can see just fine!” Sophia shook her head and the dark curls tumbled behind her shoulder, but not before she recognised the scuffed shoes of her rescuer. “Oh, no!” she hissed beneath her breath. A shiver of fear ran up her spine and stole her next sentence. She stared at the familiar, ragged, leather shoes, the ripped laces tied in a haze of frayed material. The company the shoes kept could prove lethal.

“Are you okay?” His voice held an element of command and Sophia writhed inside her skin. She translated the panic into action and tugged at her arm. “Did I hurt you?” He sounded concerned and didn’t release her. The school bag rested against her shin.

“I’m fine. Can you let go now?” Sophia raised her gaze to acknowledge a boy who struck terror into her male classmates and adoration in the deluded females. As her dark eyes locked onto his brilliant blue irises, the door to their left whipped open and a disembodied hand proceeded out. A piece of paper flapped between them like a truce flag. Sophia stared as the white, fluffy head and stooped shoulders of a man followed it.

“Ah, good, you didn’t get far. You forgot your prescription, Dane. I kept you talking.” Dane released Sophia’s arm to accept the proffered paper. He muttered quiet thanks, folded the prescription into a small square and fitted it into his front pocket. The doctor cocked his head and frowned. Sophia cringed beneath his scrutiny. “Are you here to see me, Soph?” he asked. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine, Uncle Paul.” Sophia bit her lip and scrunched her body against Dane’s, attempting to shield herself against the hurt in the eyes of her mother’s friend.

“Oh, okay.” The doctor looked back at Dane and raised his eyebrows with interest. “Oh, right.” He nodded, reaching the wrong conclusion. With a smile, he retreated and pushed his door closed behind him.

“No!” Sophia raised her palm against the inference, but the door clicked shut in her face. She closed her eyes in defeat and tried not to release her misery as anger. The alternative was crying and if she got started, she doubted she could stop. Everything caught up with her; the nervous wait for her appointment, paying money she couldn’t afford, the doctor’s easy dismissal of her concerns and the wasted hour of her life she’d never get back. And the problem still existed. A massive, insurmountable, overwhelming problem she didn’t have the resources to fix.

An escaped tear made a dash for freedom, taking a trail of cheap foundation and mascara with it. Sophia sensed herself being swept along on a never-ending tide of humiliation. The strong, olive fingers linked around her left wrist and rose with her arm as she swiped at the tears which followed the first in its betrayal.

“What’s up?” Dane demanded.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” Sophia hissed.

“Yeah, you look it.” Dane McArdle released his grip and used the sleeve of his school pullover to wipe Sophia’s cheek. The scratchy material matched hers but smelled of deodorant and boy. The frayed cuff and strands of wool tickled her cheeks and nose, making her want to sneeze. He lifted her chin with his index finger and Sophia felt powerless. He didn’t dab with caution but swiped the tears away like she was a stricken five-year-old.

“Thanks.” She pulled her head away, scrubbing at her face with her own fingers. Black mascara streaked her hands.

“You’re welcome.” Dane quirked his lips up on one side in a half-smile and regarded Sophia with interest. His brow furrowed and released as he waited for her to return his gaze. But he didn’t move, forcing her to look up at him if she wanted to escape.

Sophia collected herself and gave her shoulders a shake. She forced a smile onto her lips and squared her shoulders. Her gaze darted to the girl waiting to see the nurse. Relief coursed through her as she saw the empty seat and her shoulders slumped.

“Never worry about what other people think.” Dane lowered his voice. “They’re like cows.” His strong fingers rested on her shoulders and he squeezed the soft flesh in a comforting motion.

“Cows?” Sophia looked up in confusion and he laughed.

“They stare a bit, chew a bit and moo a bit,” he replied. “Come on.” He stuffed one hand into the pocket of his long grey pants and hoisted Sophia’s heavy bag with the other. “Just keep walking and don’t get eye contact.” He nudged her towards the waiting room before she could object. Sophia focussed on his flapping laces as they hurried through, her heart pounding in her chest. Dane steered her along the long corridor and onto the street. The automatic doors swished open in front of them and sunlight bathed the pavement. Shoppers wandered in and out of the supermarket next door and Sophia heaved in the fresh summer air. She held her hand out for her bag.

“Thank you.” Nerves made her swallow halfway through the words and a faint blush lit her cheeks. The sound of air brakes by the bus stop grabbed her attention and she snatched at the bag again. “My bus!” she squeaked. Fate cursed her for the second time that afternoon as the bus pulled away from the stop and lumbered onto the main road. “Damn!”

Dane’s eyes narrowed as Sophia glanced at her feet. Plasters covered the toes nestled inside her school shoes. Missing the bus promised a walk of a few short kilometres from the Rototuna suburb to her house in Flagstaff, but her new shoes would make her suffer for every footstep.

Dane nudged her shoulder, watching traffic merge at the exit to the car park. “Let’s go next door for coffee and then I’ll drive you home.”

Sophia panicked, shaking her head and dragging her bag from his muscular shoulder. “I’m fine. Thanks.” She hefted her bag and dug her hand into her pocket, hoping she’d misjudged her cash flow problem and could take the other bus. The dollar coin and twenty cent pieces weren’t enough and they both knew it. The ball of blue-blazer fluff attached to them made it even more pathetic.

Dane cocked his head to one side like a bird and narrowed his eyes. “You don’t want me to know where you live.”

It was a statement not a question. Sophia gulped and the overwhelming sadness returned, threatening to engulf her as her problems mounted. She lowered her head with a sigh and her neck arched until it hurt. “It’s not that.”

“Then don’t be stupid.” Dane took her arm and hauled her into the café next door, leaving her in front of the chiller to choose a cold drink. The bottles stood in neat rows like a battalion of gaudy, coloured soldiers. Sophia stared at them, too afraid to pick one. Dane glanced back at her, moving towards a cabinet full of pies and poking around inside with a pair of tongs. “I already know where your house is,” he muttered to himself.

When he returned with savouries and cake, he found Sophia still facing the chiller. Her mind wandered elsewhere, sifting through her conversation with the doctor. She berated herself with the other questions she should have asked and didn’t. “Don’t you like cold drinks?” Dane loaded the question with hidden meaning and Sophia winced. It made her unsure how to answer without rejecting him.

“Come on. We’ll get coffee instead.” Resting his arm across her shoulders, Dane pushed the loaded tray towards the till one-handed. “Two trim lattes, please,” he said to the barista. He paid, ignoring the fluffy coins Sophia held out to him.

As they turned away from the till, Sophia heard the barista whisper to the cafe owner, “Cute.” She cringed, terror mixing with dread at knowing they’d been branded a couple. She darted frightened glances at the other customers, fearful of seeing someone she knew from school. It would only take one person to tell on her and she’d be in more trouble than she could handle.

Sophia stole a quick look at Dane and he smirked, crushing her delicate ego further underfoot. His grin told her he’d heard the comment. “Hey, don’t read into things,” he soothed, jabbing her with his elbow as he carried the tray.

“That’s okay for you to say,” she bit back. “You won’t get your head kicked in.”

At the table, Dane pushed Sophia into a seat and set a steak and cheese pie in front of her. It oozed grease, disgorging its cheesy contents onto the plate. Sophia looked up in surprise and Dane laughed. “Is it still your favourite?”

She nodded. “How did you know?”

“We’ve been in the same classes for over three years, Soph. In Year 9, your English speech topic was about varieties of pie. I remember you preferred steak and cheese.” He waved a fork at his own plate. “I’m a chicken kinda guy.”

Sophia stared at her plate and considered the irony. No one at school would dare call Dane McArdle a chicken. She reached for a knife and fork from the tray and contemplated eating. Stress had not only robbed her appetite but also most of her body fat. Last year’s school skirt hung from her hips and threatened to fall down every time she moved at a faster pace than a walk. The pie looked appetising, but Sophia prodded at the runny cheese with the end of her knife.

Dane watched her through narrowed eyes. “For your exam piece in Year 11, you drew a picture of your house in pen and ink. You passed art with distinction.” When her lips parted in surprise, he gave her a rueful smile. “It’s easy to work out who people are if you bother to listen.” His cheeks flushed a healthy pink and he silenced, pushing a chunk of pie into his mouth.

Sophia looked at her pie and made a pattern in the gravy with her knife. “I don’t know much about you,” she admitted and he laughed as though reading her mind. The sound of it struck a chord in her soul and gave her an odd feeling of solidarity. Sophia bit her lip and squirmed in her seat, pushing away the unwelcome emotion. She strangled it, not wanting to let down her guard and allow herself to feel companionship. It made it harder afterwards.

Dane leaned forward and his blue irises sparkled. “My Year 9 speech talked about the influence of gangs in Hamilton and my art submission depicted a derelict house used by drug addicts in Fairview. The topic I chose was, ‘The other side of the tracks.’”

“I remember.” Sophia nodded with relief. “You won the speech competition. What exam result did you get for your art?”

Dane smiled, showing straight, white teeth. A tiny chip decorated his top front tooth, ruining the illusion of perfection but robbing little from his good looks. Sophia realised she’d never seen him smile and it send a flutter of excitement darting through her stomach. Still battling his way through puberty, Dane McArdle would be a heart breaker once finished. Sophia’s rational mind calmed her silly heart, reminding her he already was a heartbreaker. He came with a hazard warning.

Avoiding the greasy meat and cheese, Sophia pushed small pieces of pastry into her mouth and focussed on his reply. “I aimed for endorsed with excellence but got a merit instead. Aim for the moon and maybe hit the stars. Although, that’s a stupid expression because the stars are further away than the moon.” He sounded philosophical as he swallowed another mouthful. Sophia nodded, watching him from beneath her fringe.

He seemed gentler away from school, but she worried. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down, afraid of the horror it would rain onto her head. His nasty girlfriend had threatened her once before, describing in glorious detail what she’d do to her if she ever looked at Dane. Sophia had spent the last three years making an art form out of never looking in his direction. She just wanted to get through school unscathed and leave Hamilton and its small-minded inhabitants as fast as possible. The knot in her stomach complained as she dumped pastry onto it and imagined Dane ignoring her the next day. He’d pretend this didn’t happen and force her to do the same. At the thought of school, she laid her cutlery down with care.

Three bitchy girls graced the pivotal centre of Dane’s gang, orbited by a contingent of troubled boys. The girls played the boys off against one another, dating them in turn like an incestuous game of swap. They fuelled the constant fights with other boys, egging them on and then complaining about them. Sophia had seen enough fights to know the drill. The failing school meant that student behaviour went unchecked by the disillusioned adults at the helm. Fights escalated without honour or the boundaries of a moral code. “You won’t mention this, will you?” she ventured, fearing reprisals. “I don’t need any trouble.”

Dane licked his lips. “That’s an odd thing to say. Need. Not want?”

“What?” Sophia leaned forward and focussed on the chip in his tooth.