Parker's Island

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CONTENTS

Acknowledg
e
ments

Preface
 

Chapter
O
ne: Making Plans

Chapter Two: Graduation – Countdown to…Misery

Chapter Three: The Big Blow Out

Chapter Four: The History of Parker’s Island

Chapter Five: The Wrath of Molly

Chapter Six: Brian

Chapter Seven: Logan

Chapter Eight: Room to Grow

Chapter Nine: Martina

Chapter Ten: Making Plans

Chapter Eleven: Wesley Barnett

Chapter Twelve: Chad

Chapter Thirteen: Aunt Vickie and Harley

Chapter Fourteen: The Shirt

Chapter Fifteen: A New Life

Epilogue

About the Author

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As always, I’d like to thank my family for their never-ending patience for all my time at the computer; and especially my mother for her faith and encouragement, and for being my biggest fan.

Being a night shift nurse, finding quiet time at home to write is easy…I wait until everyone’s in bed and write through the night…no problem…well, that is until it’s time to get up.  So I must also thank my husband for all the mornings he spends alone.  Although with the few mornings I’ve managed to drag myself out of bed, I’m sure he appreciates those lonely mornings much more than he lets on
…

!

I’d also like to thank Marsha, a wonderful nurse that I work with for her encouragement and her willingness to read and correct my multitude of typos and grammatical errors.  And yes, I’m buttering her up…I have more books for her to edit
…

!
  

And last, but not least, my friends at work...you know who you are…just for your encouragement and for merely putting up with me!!
!

!

PARKER’S
ISLAND

Preface

They were already planning it, this year’s
blow-
out on
Parker’s
I
sland.   It wasn’t even December and all thoughts were on June’s grad party.
  Every year it’s the same thing
; l
oud music, alcohol
,
drugs, and unpredictable
, unsafe
teenage sex.
 
E
ach year
they trashed
the
island
and the damage was worse
than the year before
and the
stories
even more
unbelievable. 
Each party seemed to up the ante for the next years’ party planner.
  This year was no exception…

Chapter
One
:
Making Plans

“This year we’re going to do it right!  Our graduation bash will be the party
of the year…no
,
the CENTURY!”
Chad Davis
almost shouted
from the front of the classroom.   

Where’s a teacher when you need one
?
I thought from the back of the room. 
Mr. Harris was always late!!!

I could see Logan’s hands clench
ing
the table
out of the corner
of my eye as soon as Chad started
talking about the p
arty.  I turned to look at him, but he immediately went back to
reading his book.
 

This is Logan’s first and last year at
Jamison
High.  I fe
lt
sorry for him having to start over in a new school in his senior year.  I had tried a few times to talk to
him
.  H
e was always polite
,
but
never said
m
uch
.  He never talked about
himself
.  I
n fact
,
no one here knew anything about him
. 
Somehow
,
we ended up in
all but two of
the same classes together an
d
invariably we sit in
very
close proximity
in all five of the classes that we share
.  Maybe that was simply because we both always gravitated to
ward
the back of the classroom.  He seemed to always find a seat
next
to mine,
and
at first I thought maybe he actually wanted to sit next to me to get to know me, but I
’ve since realized
he sits next to me because I’m as quiet as he is and I leave him alone. 

“Delaney, you’re coming to the party
,
right
?  O
r are your parent
’
s go
ing to lock you in your room?”
Chad called back to me.  I felt Logan’s eyes on me as if he was waiting for me
to
answer. 

“Um, I really hadn’t thought too much about it.  It’s only December
.  T
here’s plen
ty of time to think about it
,
”
I said, trying not to offend anyone.

“What
’s
to think about? 
It’s traditi
on and it’s finally OUR turn!”
Chad
said, shaking his
head
and then turning
back to his “cool” friends.

I had no intention of going to that party.  My parents would
definitely not approve
.  I come from a very strict religious
background
…
a preacher’s daughter. 
A lot of the students seem to think that being a preacher’s daughter makes me more likely to
be a “bad” girl
. 
That is definitely not my case.  I’m afraid of my own shadow.  I’ve never done anything even remotely wrong, wild
,
or out of character.  I’m 17 years old and haven’t even been on a single date.  I
’v
e been asked out a few times, but most
guys my age
just irritate me, so I’ve always made up some excuse
to say no
.  After a while
, they
just
finally
stopped asking. 
However, there
is
one
guy
in t
his school I wouldn’t turn down
if he’d ask me out
.   B
ut since he
barely even speak
s to me,
I guess
I’m doomed to be alone.  Logan is
gorgeous, for lack of a better word. 
He’s
beautiful
in every way. 
I’ve always wondered if he was
shy
or just really unhappy here. 
Most
of the girls here have tried to win
him over
, but like me, he
’s
turned
down
everyone
who asked him out
.
  “Well, at least we have that in common
,”
I said under my breath, which made him look up at me for a split second.
             

Mr
.
Harris walked in then, cell phone still attached to his ear
,
as usual.
He pointed to the board, covered the mouthpiece of his phone and mumbled, “Get started
.  A
ssignment
’
s on the board.”  I looked over at Logan’s desk and saw that he’d already been working on the assignment and was probably
just
about done.  “
How can someone look that good and have brains too?
”
I thought to myself, while opening my calculus book to begin
the
assignment. 

Molly met me after school to offer me a ride home, which I gladly accepted.  We talked about nothing in particular until she mentioned Logan. 
I’ve never told anyone how I felt about him, not even my best friend.
  I kept my opinions about him to myself and unless anyone noticed
how I looked at him, I felt very safe with my secret. 

“I don’t know how you sit by Logan Barnett day in and day out without hyperventilating.
Just once
,
I wish he’d sit by me,
”
s
he smiled at the thought. 

“I never really paid much attention to him
,
” I lied.

“Are you blind?  He’s perfect!  Maybe you should ask him out.  He always makes it a point to sit by you, so maybe he’s got a thing for you.”

“You think so?
” Actually believing what she said for a
split
second, until reality set in once again
.  “
No, he’s not interested in me
.  B
esides, if
he turned down Haley Williams,
I’m certainly out.
  I don’t care
,
anyway
. 
I’m not
interested in som
eone so…
self
-
absorbed
,
” I lied again.  I didn’t really believe
that about him
.  I
just thought
he
was
looking for something deeper than
most guys his age.

“
You should ask him out
,
Delaney. 
It’s worth a shot
,
y
ou
know
.  Y
ou are the prettiest girl in school
,
whether you believe it or not.” 

“
You know me better than that
!”
I said, a little stronger than I should have. 
I couldn’t imagine asking anyone, especially Logan
,
out on a date. 
I changed my tone, “Who cares anyway
?
  I don’t think he likes anyone!”
 

Molly looked at me kind of funny
and
said, “
Do you know anything about him?
 
Where did he come from
,
anyway
?”

“He doesn’t talk to anyone, so who knows. 
Can we talk about something else now
,
please
?
”

“Like what?  Oh, I know, did you hear that Chad was planning our Graduation pa
rty?  It’s going to be GREAT!”
Molly smiled and clapped her hands
, taking them off the steering wheel.

“Yeah, I heard
, and keep your hands on the wheel
.
”

“Please don’t
tell me you’re not going to go..
.YOU HAVE TO GO!”
  Molly
whines as
reality start
ed
to set in.

“You know I can’t go.  My parents would never allow it.  Besides, it’s not really my kind of thing.”

“Delaney
Marie Miller
, jus
t what is your kind of thing?” s
he asked
me
sarcastically.

I wanted to scream
‘
Logan,
’
but as usual
,
I kept silen
t
regarding my unrequited love and shrugged my shoulders.

“Someday you’ll have to learn to let go and have some fun.  We’ve been friends since Kindergarten and I have never once known you to do anyt
hing but what you’re told to do
.
  Don’t you ever just want to let your hair down and have some fun?”

She knew the answer without my having to answer it. 
“I do have fun.”

“No you don’t.  You don’t know how!  My
God
,
Delaney
, y
ou’re almost 18 years old
.  Y
ou’ve never dated anyone, you don’t drive or even want to get your license,
the only books you
read
are
textbooks, you always have your homework done and turned in on time, and you have never once done anything that your parents wouldn’t approve o
f.  H
ell, you’ve never even kissed anyone.  Please, just once, do something without over-thinking it.  Throw caution to the wind.  You’ll be 18 by then, an adult.  Your parents can
’t
run your life forever.”