The Girl That Didn't Explode (Bliss Book 1), page 1
The Girl That Didn’t Explode
Veronica Soliman
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Veronica Soliman All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: I’m Not Complaining
Chapter 2: Not my Name
Chapter 3: Wishing
Chapter 4: Miracles Happen
Chapter 5: Bully Magnet
Chapter 6: To Bark is to Bite
Chapter 7: Rainy Day
Chapter 8: Drenched
Chapter 9: Games
Chapter 10: Florida Zoos
Chapter 11: Eleanor and Her Threats
Chapter 12: Pucker Up
Chapter 13: Dreamland
Chapter 14: Christian
Chapter 15: Party Invite
Chapter 16: Friendly Matters
Chapter 17: CATastrophe
Chapter 18: Six Feet Under
Chapter 19: Amy Barnes
Chapter 20: Smile
Chapter 21: The New Girl
Chapter 22: Jennifer Glass
Chapter 23: Prom Night
Chapter 24: Stanford
Chapter 25: To Mars and Back
Chapter 26: Heroes Don’t Always wear Masks
Chapter 27: One Step at a Time
Chapter 28: Half of a Whole
Chapter 29: Board Games and Vows
Chapter 30: Cat Fights
Chapter 31: The Nurse
Chapter 32: Sunday
Chapter 33: Bad Blood
Chapter 34: Confrontation
Chapter 35: The Ride Home
Chapter 36: Reconciliation
Chapter 37: Project Presents
Chapter 38: Bleachers
Chapter 39: The Queen’s Broken Crown
Chapter 40: Family Matters
Chapter 41: Forever True
Chapter 42: The Weak
Chapter 43: Graduation
Epilogue
Chapter 1: I’m Not Complaining
The sun was bright above me as I lay on the sandy beach, listening to the waves crashing softly on the shore.
A calmness and tranquility filled every inch of me as I rested my head on the sand. I smiled at the sun, yet a shadow took over, darkening everything and blocking my view.
"Hey babe," he grinned lying down beside me, his fingers trailed across my bare leg, trailing my body until they landed on my chin. My heart beat loudly inside my chest as he lifted himself on top of me.
"What're you doing?" I asked, my voice shaky, tears stinging in fear.
"Shh… It'll be over in a minute." An evil smirk made its way onto his sharp features. His brown heartless eyes staring holes into me. His hands began searching for a way to remove my bikini top.
"Stop! Please," I shouted, struggling to get out of his strong grasp.
"Shush baby, it'll be over soon." Both his hands went around my neck, tightening as it became difficult to breath.
"Stop, p… please," I struggled to say, frozen in place. His evil grin turned into a snarl as he pressed me down against the sand, I felt like dough.
Everything around me disappeared as an annoying ringing went off in my ears.
I gasped, returning to consciousness and shutting off my alarm. I sat up in my bed and glared at the blue-eyed girl in the mirror. Her messy brown hair speaking unspoken words.
Silent tears fell out of my tortured eyes, as my nightmare came rushing back. It seemed so real, I wiped the sweat off my forehead, returning to reality.
"Hey Pure, are you single? I bet you are, because nobody would want to take your virginity," a boy that I had crushed on once said to me, the insult returned to my mind like a fly to honey.
"I don't want Pure around. She's not Blissful enough." They teased me as I silently sat in the cafeteria. I never understood why they wanted to tear me apart. I was silent the majority of the time, I didn’t smell bad, I couldn’t figure out why my name was such a big problem for them.
"The bitch is so poor, I bet she works as a prostitute, not so pure are you Pure Bliss?" I tried to disregard those comments, but I know they'll always remain a scar on my mind, a blade to my heart, the single most important definition of who I am.
♡♡♡
"Good morning Pure," I mumbled to myself, deciding to get ready for school. I made my way downstairs, propping my sky blue backpack onto my shoulder.
My parents were in in the kitchen, my father clutching my mother's breast as they lay half naked on the kitchen table. I certainly want to say I was shocked, but I wasn't shocked; especially not after seventeen years of witnessing my parents doing things to each other, but each time comes with newer and more disturbing sights.
I shuddered in disgust, repulsed at the two forty year olds in front of me, my father reached for the hem of her shirt, beginning to pull it off. Both of my parents have always been oblivious to my existence.
"Good morning." I gave a forced smiled, knowing they could care less, as I took a seat on our kitchen stool. At least they still love each other, that's the least I could wish for. They didn't even bother to look up, as I'd expected, I made myself a plate of cereal.
I quietly ate my cereal, my appetite completely nonexistent as I covered my eyes, being extra careful to avoid looking at the two as they began stripping for each other. Leaving my half-full cereal bowl in the sink, I decided it was time to leave before I witnessed anything else.
I stepped out of the house and onto the driveway, approaching my old, red 97' bug. It barely worked and took me three summers to earn the money for it. I started the car, it's weak engine spouting and sputtering to life. I slowly backed out of the driveway in my rickety car, heading toward the school.
I arrived at school with a mere two minutes until classes started. My life is bad, but I'm not going to complain, it's pointless. Complaining is the worst thing I could possibly do to myself. I rushed to class, the empty halls telling me I was going to be late. I ran into class as soon as the second the bell rang, a sigh of relief escaping between each heavy breath.
The start of the day zoomed past me, up until lunch time. I took my school lunch and headed straight for the library, like usual. I normally met up with Mike here. Mike was president of many clubs, he was one of the few people who showed me kindness, sadly he wasn't here today and I wondered what reason he had for skipping school.
I quietly sat alone, a book laid out on the table as I ate my somewhat bland tuna sandwich. Being a senior in high school definitely meant you needed a social life, which I never bothered to acquire.
Then she walked in, Amy Barnes. The school's Miss Athlete of every year. I remained seated in the silent library, wondering how she got her blonde hair so curly and bouncy. She was on many sports team and had joined many clubs, not to mention her participation in cheerleading. She walked toward me with her clones following after her, seeming to savor every one of her steps as though they were made of pure gold. I wondered why she was in the library to begin with; popular people like her usually ate lunch in the cafeteria.
"My, my look Pure Bliss is eating alone. Aw, shouldn't you be a little happier Bliss?" She looked at me with a look of disbelief. I was lower than scum to her. I never understood why she hated me, I guess she's just a mean person, a bully. And she needed to take her anger and insecurities out on me.
"Hi Amy." I simply said, staring at the table.
"Hi Amy? Pure here knows my name everyone. Bravo. Now tell me something else Bliss, or should I say blissy, what were you planning on doing with my boyfriend?" She flared her nostrils as anger filled her eyes.
"Your boyfriend?" I stuttered, completely confused, I didn't talk to anyone, much less boys. And I would never subject myself to that sort of humiliation if I knew someone was dating Amy.
"Yeah. Mike." She hissed sharply slamming her hand on the table, shaking the ground, and causing some books to fall.
"I'm s. . .sorry, I didn't know you guys were dating. I'll leave him alone i. . .if you want." I stuttered, barely above a whisper but she heard, I know she did.
"You'd better be sorry. And yes, stay away from him." She hissed. She snapped, her mean personality winning. I didn’t know what to say, she was surrounded by her friends which basically gave her the right to be mean and be supported for it. I groaned, no love at home, in school or anywhere. I ran out of the library, leaving my beloved tuna sandwich alone with Amy.
"Yeah, you better run." I heard her yell, wishing the librarian would shush her instead of watch videos all day. It was as though I could picture the evil glint in her eye, the devilish smile on her face. Blinded by my tears, I stupidly ran into the boy's bathroom. It was a total mistake that I never would have done intentionally. I wasn’t one to bite back, I wasn’t one to get angry. I kept to myself and world seemed to hate me for it.
Sitting in a stall crying my eyes out, I hadn' t realized I was in the boys bathroom until I heard the door open and a guy walked in.
"Am I going deaf or do you cry like a girl, dude. Why the hell are you crying anyway?" His voice spoke. I quickly quieted myself, biting the inside of my cheek to hold back sounds of sobbing.
"Hello?" He said again, now pushing every stall. My eyes shot up to the lock of the door. Fear filled inside me as I reached over to lock it, swiftly.
"I know you're a girl, what are you doing in here?" I felt him lean against the door as I bit the inside of my cheek harder to stop myself from crying.
"I lost my tuna sandwich," I joked rather bitterly, giving in, he already knew I was there so there wasn't a point in hiding.
"Open the door," He ordered, an edge to his voice, "Or I'll open it for you."
“You’ll owe the school serious money,” I laughed dryly but when he hit the door I winced, tasting blood in my cheek, feeling as though I'd just got stabbed in my face as tears began to flow again. Why can't he just leave me alone?
My parents don't give me the time of day. I have no friends, and now this. I'm so, so stupid. I should just die and stop this torture. No, you can't do that because then you wouldn't live. I stupidly argued with myself with no claims on either side of my argument as the door began to open, slowly, slowly I anticipated what he would look like.
"Pure Bliss?" he asked looking at my form. I looked up to be met with an intense pair of eyes. I knew who this was. Zach Newcomb, the school's star baseball player, also known as the heartbreaker. He was a major player. He stared down at me like I was a piece of gum on the bottom of his expensive shoes, his eyes danced with humor.
I nodded as the humor in his eyes escaped through his mouth, he started to laugh, "In all my years at this stupid school, I never guessed you'd stoop so low as to desperately throw yourself at any guy. Why the hell are you in the boys bathroom? You desperate little..."
I curled myself up on top of the toilet biting back tears, I want to be left alone. People were not kind, good looking people with such a high social status were total jerks and there was no way around them when they’d known me my whole life.
"I'm joking, but why are you here?" He stepped inside he small stall, fake concern in his eyes. An evil spark marched in his eyes and disappeared and my idiotic, optimistic self believed in his false kindness.
"Because I can be." I said, teasingly.
"No, you're not, you're not a guy, this is the guy's bathroom."
"You wouldn't know that.” A small smile appeared on my face as I declared him to be a girl. I was bitten back by my insult instantly and completely regretted anything I had said to him.
"Interesting point Pure, You know, for such a pretty girl I never understood why nobody likes you."
"Way to make things better." I mumbled, pushing him out of the stall.
"Your welcome. Poor Pure, dang that's a tongue twister. Say it really fast ten times." What this guy was up to I knew not, but what I really wasn't expecting was the little surprise I got when I got home that day.
♡♡♡
"WE'RE MOVING!" My parents announced as I walked in.
"To where?" I asked, I was kind of happy. A new chance to be a different person, someone less like me.
"Florida, we're going to have sex by the beach and eat their oranges all day babe." my dad said looking directly to my mom. This is just not something I'd appreciate to hear. Especially from my own parents.
"When are we moving?" I asked, disregarding their last comment.
"Once we find a new house in Florida, we'll move." Mom said as she raked her eyes over dad's body and then looked him hungrily in the eyes.
"That's great, mom and dad. I've got to go do homework," I smiled at them and slightly nodded as I made my way up the stairs to my room.
I hope we can move soon.
Maybe life could take a change for the better.
♡♡♡
"Good morning Jenny. " My mom walked into my room, "You're not going to school today be-CAUSE we found a house so pack your bags! We’re heading to Florida!"
"Mom, I wasn't planning on going to school today. It's a Saturday. " I said, tearing up on the inside at the fact that my own mother got my name wrong. I should be used to it by now, she always forgot my name. Sometimes I thought she was an alcoholic, but I never saw her drink and she was too young to have alzheimer's- unless she did but she’d never been to a doctor as far as I knew.
"Well, great then! Start packing Holly!" She yelled as she walked out of my room.
I frowned at myself in the mirror for what seemed like ten minutes, but was probably just a few seconds. Then I went downstairs and grabbed an empty suitcase and several boxes and began putting my life into those boxes. My memories of when my parents had actually loved me… had actually talked to me without forcing each other to do so. Maybe a few days after I was born was all and those pictures were all I had.
I looked at my baby pictures, my mother holding me tightly and another with my father holding me up in the air like I was Simba.
"Ready to go? Pack what you can carry, That's all we're taking." Mom said as she patted my head and left. “I’m not wasting our money on a moving truck so if your shit doesn’t fit in the car, we’re not taking it.”
Diary Entry 245 Date: Saturday March 30, 2015
Today has been such an awful day. Packing took me a couple of hours and I'm still not done. My hollow parents expect us to be done by tomorrow but moving from California to Florida will take over three days since we’re driving there. I'm actually really scared. What if the people at my new school hate me there too? And dad said the reason for the move was because he got promoted and he wants to have sex with mom on the beach. That's actually really, really gross, if they wanted to do that why not on the beaches here in California?? What kind of parents tell their kid that? I mustn't complain, they give me food, water, shelter, and allow me an education. Anyway, it was great talking to you, I have to go finish my boxes of sentimental stuff which isn't much. Talk to you later.
Love,
Pure Bliss ♡
Tomorrow would be a long day. That was for sure, possibly the next week would be but, I'm not complaining.
Chapter 2: Not my Name
It was very crowded in our small van. My parents thought it was necessary to pack a lot of condoms because they didn't want to make another mistake, so before we left, they went to our local supermarket and spent about fifty dollars on a bunch of condom packs.
I sat quietly as dad drove our van. He usually never let us inside because it was strictly for work only. Mom fell asleep moments after we started driving. They were wearing their night clothes which meant undergarments only.
I looked at my book the entire time, having trouble reading it. I didn't want to accidentally catch a glance of their old bare bodies. I shut my eyes tightly, these would be two very long days, maybe I could sleep through them. I shut my eyes, knocked out. Hopefully Florida will be a chance for a better opportunity.
"Emma, we're here, " My mother said, again messing up on my name, she nudged my side as she pulled out her suitcase of bathroom supplies.
"Mom, you named me Pure." I tried to fight back, but my feeble attempt did nothing.
"Yes, of course Candice." She smiled, rolling her eyes and hopping out of the car, she looked like a stripper.
"Are we in Florida?" I asked, yawning. No longer making an attempt to fix it for her; it was a hopeless case.
"No Wood, we're at a motel 6. We're staying the night and tomorrow we're going to finish, but good news, we're in Texas now!!"A broad smile was on her face as dad walked out of the van and grabbed her almost-bare butt. I looked away, she was wearing a thong in public. This was way too disturbingly gross. They started sucking face, making a lot of disgusting sounds.
"Dad, mom, can we go inside now?" I asked, stepping away gradually, it was extremely embarrassing being around these two and not in the typical embarrassing parents way.
"Just a minute," Mom said, pulling away from dad for a slight second. A minute to her would probably last an hour, so I took the liberty of grabbing my wallet and walking inside.
"Hi, do you need a room for one?" The receptionist asked, her eyes scanning me in repulsion as she gave me a dirty look.
"No, I need two rooms, please make them separate."
