Reinvented (Damaged Series Book 3) Read online

  Reinvented

  J.L. Benson

  Copyright © 2018 J.L. Benson

  Damaged Series:

  Damaged

  Amazed

  Reinvented

  Copyright © 2018 JL Benson

  Cover art Copyright © 2018 Brittney Musick

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and events are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons (living or dead) events or locals are purely coincidental. All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 172567727x

  ISBN-13: 978-172567727

  Prologue:

  SECOND CHANCES

  Very few people get a second chance at life and I feel very fortunate. The last six months had nearly killed me in many ways but now that the doctors had all but written in stone that I would be okay, I felt content to continue with my life again.

  After being diagnosed with a brain tumor, I had thought my life was over. I knew for a fact that most people with cancer in the brain were only given a few months to a year to live and although I was terrified, the surgery went well and the chemotherapy worked perfectly.

  My mother had never once called or visited, but I assumed my beloved Grandmother kept her in the loop. My mother paid for all my medical bills—it was the very least she could do. Regardless, I had good people around me. My grandmother doted on me, spending as much time with me in the hospital as she could possibly manage, putting me ahead of everything else.

  But the most important person in my life was Taylor. I didn’t doubt for a moment that I wouldn’t have made it through the last six months if it weren’t for Taylor being there for me whenever he could. He continued going to school as usual and visited me in the evenings; no matter how sick from chemo I actually was. He showered me with flowers and constant reminders that he was there, he loved me, and he wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. I had managed to somehow keep my school work caught up. I finished the first semester with honors and managed halfway through the second semester until I was medically cleared to go back to school.

  Taylor had spent all of his free time with me. And though I thought that I being sick would push us further apart, the fact that he was willing to be with me and hold my hand even as I was throwing up everywhere made me love him more. I was on the road to recovery, and even though I didn’t feel quite myself, I felt well enough to start over.

  And so, pale as a ghost and skinny as a rake, I prepared myself to venture back into the real world, feeling like I had dodged a bullet with Taylor there to hold my hand.

  Chapter One:

  ALMOST COMPLETELY RECOVERED

  I sighed. I was standing I front of the full length mirror in my bedroom wearing a dark blue dress which my grandmother had made for me.

  I had spent weeks trying to get ready for my first day back at school, but I was having a great deal of trouble finding something to wear on my first day. I had lost so much weight during the chemo that none of my old clothes fit.

  Although I loved this dress; I loved the style and the color and the fact that my grandmother had made it for me, I wasn’t sure about wearing it to school.

  It was unseasonably warm for March, and that made me think I wouldn’t look completely out of place. The dress was quite modern; it was sleeveless, with a V-neck and hung just below my knees.

  I chewed my lips and reached behind me to tie the bow at the back, but I couldn’t quite reach. I couldn’t reach the zipper either, and it was bothering me. I was trying so hard to do things for myself and now I was going to have to run downstairs to ask my grandmother to do help me dress.

  “Emma? Are you okay?”

  I turned suddenly at the unexpected voice, to see Taylor standing in the open door way. He smiled at me, and rapped his knuckles against the door frame. “Knock, knock. Can I come in?” “Of course!” I smiled broadly, rushing over to him and taking his hand in both of mine. “You are always very welcome.” “Glad to hear that.” He grinned, leaning down and kissing my forehead.

  “You’re here to pick me up for school already? I thought I still had twenty minutes…” I began.

  “You do. I’m very early.” He replied. “I wanted to see if you needed my help. Looks like you do.” He pointed over my shoulder. I turned and saw that he was pointing at the reflection of my back in the mirror. My dress was gaping open at the back.

  “Oh.” I said softly, “Could you…”

  “Of course, turn around.” He smiled softly.

  I turned and lifted my braid out of the way. My hair was much longer than I normally wore it, hanging down to the bottom of my shoulder blades instead of sitting just at my shoulders as I had worn it for years. I hadn’t had time for a haircut and grandma had lovingly braided it for me.

  He carefully inched up the zipper of my dress and reached for the long pieces of fabric at my sides to tie the bow.

  “If I had known you were dressing up for today, I would have dressed to match.” He said, carefully looping the two sashes together.

  I sighed. “I didn’t mean to dress up… it’s just that I’ve lost so much weight… nothing really fits me. Everything I own falls off me. I’m so lucky that grandma made me this.” I supplied, smoothing the front of the dress down.

  He hesitated behind me, standing to look over my shoulder at my reflection in the mirror. I knew how much he hated to hear me when I was so down on myself. “You look lovely.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled.

  He picked up my white cardigan from the back of the desk chair. I smoothed the front of my dress down. “Does this really look okay? Does the blue make me look washed out?”

  “What do you mean?” He asked in confusion, squinting at my reflection in the mirror. He was trying hard to see what I saw. “It’s just that I’m so pale… I don’t want to look sick.” I stuck out a stark white arm; palm up. The veins in my arm were thick blue bands under my nearly translucent skin.

  “You’re not sick.” Taylor quickly clarified. “You’re completely healthy. The doctors gave you a clean bill of health.”

  I smiled. “I’m sorry. I know you hate it when I do this.” He nodded absently and held open my cardigan for me to slip my arms into. I turned.

  “No one at school knows you were sick.” Taylor continued. “I told everyone that you went back to New York to be with your mom… just like you asked me to.” I smiled softly. “Thank you.”

  “I don’t completely understand why you don’t want anyone to know… its nothing to be ashamed of.” He crossed the room and plopped down on my bed.

  “I know,” I replied. “It’s just that people treat you differently when they find out you were sick. When you say the word cancer around someone, they get weird… I want to be normal—I don’t want people to be weird around me…”

  Taylor nodded slowly. “Okay… I think I understand… I think.” I walked to the mirror and stood to examine my face more clearly. I ran my fingers lightly under my left eye, trying to push away the slight purple tinge there.

  “You look tired.” Taylor mused behind me. “Maybe it isn’t a good idea… you should rest and do this another day.”

  I smiled and turned to him, approaching him quickly. “I feel absolutely fine. Try not to worry so much about me.” I sat carefully next to him on the bed.

  “That’s easier said than done.” He replied, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

  Absently, I reached up and toyed with the heart-shaped locket around my neck.

  This brought a massive grin to Taylor’s face. “You’re still wearing it…” “Of course I am.” I smiled. “You gave it to me. I’ll never take it off.”

  He grinned and
reached out, turning it around the right way.

  “Kids!” My grandmother called up the stairs. “You’re going to be late for school.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked, studying my face carefully.

  I smiled. “Yes. Very sure.”

  “Okay… I can’t argue with that.” He shrugged, standing. He lightly pulled me to my feet and followed me carefully down the stairs. My grandmother met us at the bottom. “Oh good. You’ve got a sweater on. I was just going to insist you bring one. You know how you get cold some times.”

  “I know grandma.” I smiled up at Taylor briefly, as he studied me carefully. “I’ll be fine.” I assured them both. “One day of school won’t kill me.”

  I heard Taylor sigh at my shoulder.

  My grandmother smiled, and I thought I detected a bit of extra moisture in her blue eyes—eyes that we both shared. “That dress really does look lovely on you… Everything does.”

  I smiled and hugged her tightly. “I’ll be fine, Grandma. I promise.” I assured her softly. I released her and slipped my feet into my shoes. Taylor was already offering to help, but I waved him away with a smile.

  “Emma, if you need me, I’ll be home all day. I’m not going to my bridge game, so if you need a ride home and if Taylor can’t take you, I’ll be able to pick you up. No questions asked.” She vowed. “I think you should go to your bridge game. You haven’t gone in weeks. They must be worrying about you.”

  “I’ve got more important things to worry about.” She insisted. I crossed the foyer and kissed her lightly on the cheek, “Go and have fun. Taylor will take care of me.”

  “I will.” Taylor vowed, picking up my messenger bag, “If she gets tired at all, I’ll bring her right back.”

  My grandmother smiled at Taylor. I knew she trusted him completely. “Okay. Thank you, Taylor. For being so good to her… so good to us.”

  “No problem.” He smiled at me. “It’s a small price to pay to have such a pretty girl on my arm.”

  I laughed. “Come on, we’re going to be very late.” I pulled open the front door, which seemed heavier than I remembered and led the way out onto the front porch.

  “Have a good day.” My grandmother wished us, closing the door behind us.

  Taylor took my arm instantly to help me down the steps, even though I didn’t need it.

  As I walked past my beloved Oldsmobile parked permanently in the driveway, I sighed. “I miss my car.”

  “I know,” He sympathized, opening my door for me. “We could always take it for a drive. See if the old girl still runs.”

  “But they pulled my license.” I replied in confusion. “Customary for patients with brain tumors…”

  He smiled, and bent, kissing my forehead. “So I’ll drive you out of town to some old dirt road and you can drive around out there a bit.”

  I smiled broadly. “I love you.”

  “I love you back.” He smirked and shut my door.

  As we backed out of the driveway, I closed my window, feeling chilled already from just the tiny bit of cool air that flooded into the car. Taylor caught this immediately and closed his own window. “Want me to put the heat on?”

  “No, no. I’m not that cold, honest.” I took his hand and pulled it into my lap.

  “Okay. Let me know.” He smiled crookedly.

  We arrived at the school, and the parking lot was already filling fast. We had to drive around for a bit to find a space close to the door.

  He stopped the car and turned off the engine. He dropped his hands into his lap with a sigh.

  “What is it?” I asked carefully.

  He turned in his seat to face me. “Emma, are you sure about this? We can still turn around…”

  “No! No! I am definitely sure I want to do this.” I said matter-offactly. “But what if you get tired?” He asked.

  “If I get tired you can bring me home…” I seriously doubted that I would get tired.

  He sighed. “I really don’t like this. I’m not entirely sure that you’re

  ready…”

  “Please, Taylor? I just… I really want to be somewhere where it doesn’t involve looking at the inside of a hospital room or my grandma’s house…” It was a low blow, but I knew it would work.

  He nodded. “Okay. But you have to tell me if something is off.

  Even if you’re just feeling a little weak.”

  “I promise.” I smiled. “Can we just go to school now?” He nodded slowly and climbed out of the car.

  I managed to get my seatbelt undone and climb out of the passenger seat before he could even make it around the car. “See? I’m even well enough to open my own door.” I teased.

  “That’s really not funny.” He murmured, retrieving our bags from the back seat.

  We walked through the halls slowly, and I was surprised at how little had changed. There were posters up advertising the selling dates for tickets to Prom, but other than that, everything seemed the same.

  People were looking at us again, which made me uncomfortable. I held onto Taylor’s hand tightly.

  “Emma! Oh my god, is that you?” A voice called from behind us. I turned slowly, dreading who it might be.

  A familiar girl with bright red hair and blonde highlights came bounding up to us and threw her arms around me.

  “Oh!” I cried in alarm. I was completely shocked by the hug; but Taylor misunderstood.

  Taylor was instantly poised to break us apart, but I shook my head slightly. “Lisa. How are you?” I asked, once I caught my breath.

  “I’m good, how are you?” She demanded, releasing me.

  “Fine.” I smiled. She was one of Taylor’s friends, I couldn’t figure out the reason for her odd greeting.

  “So you decided to come back from New York? What made you change your mind?” She inquired.

  “I um… decided that I had more of a reason to be here than any place else in the world.” I smiled at Taylor. He returned my smile knowingly.

  “Well thank God for that, because Taylor has been moping around this place since you left.” She took my arm to march me down the hall. Taylor followed a step behind with pink cheeks. “Has he?” I glanced back at him.

  “Yeah, it was like someone died. I mean, I tried to set him up on a couple of dates, but he refused. The boys couldn’t even get him out of the house.”

  I glanced back at Taylor who looked even more embarrassed.

  “Wow, you know you look really good. Have you lost weight?” She complimented. “You’ll have to tell me your secret. I’m trying to loose ten pounds before prom, but I don’t know if I can do it.” “Um…” I knew I couldn’t tell her the truth. “Diet and exercise, mostly.” I said cautiously.

  “Oh wow, I don’t think I have your discipline… but my God, girl.

  You look fantastic. Your hair looks amazing that length… and that dress… wow!”

  I smiled. “Thank you, my grandmother made it.”

  “Wow, she should totally go into business!” I smiled politely.

  “Well, anyway. I should go. I’m supposed to meet Derek to cram before calculus. We’re dating now, did you know that? Apparently he had some huge crush on me, but I always thought he was a bit of a nerd. Seems like smart guys are very smart in other areas too… if you know what I mean.” She winked at me and released

  my arm. “I’ll catch up to you at lunch, okay?”

  “Okay.” I nodded, happy to be alone with Taylor again.

  “Tay, don’t let this one go again, okay?” Lisa winked at him.

  “Oh, I won’t.” He smirked.

  When Lisa waved, and turned to hurry down the hall I raised my hand to my forehead. “Oh, wow.” I breathed. “That was close.” Taylor’s arm circled around my waist. “Well you handled that interrogation quite well.” He grinned. “Barely,” I sighed.

  “Come on, we’ve got to hurry.” He quickened his step, towing me with him.

  “Wait, Taylor… my locker is that wa
y…” I pointed over his shoulder toward another hall.

  “Actually, I sweet-talked the administrators to move it closer to mine.”

  I gazed at him wide eyed. “You didn’t!”

  He grinned. “Actually, I paid the guy next to me twenty bucks to switch lockers with you.”

  My jaw dropped, “Taylor!” I gasped.

  “Yell at me all you want, but what’s done is done.” He shrugged.

  I sighed. “You spoil me, you know that?”

  “I know.” He grinned.

  We arrived at his locker and the new location of mine, only for me to discover that my lock had been moved too. Remarkably, I remembered my combination and the lock popped open on the first try.

  I opened my locker slowly and gasped. “Oh, Taylor! You didn’t…”

  He had filled my locker with a vase of wild flowers which looked absolutely beautiful; he must have just put them there that morning.

  His arms circled me from behind and he lightly kissed my cheek.

  “Welcome back, Emma.” He whispered.

  I threw my arms around him tightly, standing on my toes. He chuckled, lightly kissing my shoulder. “We’re going to be late…”

  “Oh! Right!” I released him with a smile. I reached into my locker and removed a binder and my text book.

  He reached for my books, stacking them on top of his own. He juggled all of our books and took my hand with his free hand and led the way toward our first class. I had no idea where the class was, but he seemed to know, so I followed silently.

  He led me around the corner and down past three other classrooms before we found what I assumed was our first class.

  We found two desks at the back of the classroom. I sat and he placed my books neatly on the corner of my desk. He sat across from me and turned so he was facing me.

  “Emma, I was thinking…” He began.

  “About what?” I turned in my seat so our knees were touching.

  He smiled softly. “I know you’re running low on clothes…” “Dangerously low.” I sighed. “This dress is about the only thing I have right now that fits me.”