Chapter Seventeen: Fallen Angel:

His name was Joe. He was so beautiful. Even Mama liked him. Everything about him screamed danger. I met him when I was eleven. Joe was a bit older than me. He wasn’t really a nice kid either. Or least that’s what I heard everyone say. He always looked so lonely. At first, I wasn’t sure if I should go over and talk to him.

“You better stir clear of him,” Addie told me. “He’s bad news.”

“Why?” I asked. Addie shrugged.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Mama just told me to stay away from him. He’s bad news, she said. He was nothing but trouble.” I turned my head and tilted it as I looked at Joe on the playground.

“I don’t think so,” I said. Addie gave me an odd look.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asked. I turned back to her.

“Of course,” I said. “Why wouldn’t I be?” She just shook her head at me. To be honest, I didn’t know what drew me to Joe. Somehow, how to get closer to him. He would be in my life for years to come.

He would be the one to tear me apart from Miranda. I would start to see her true colors because of him.