I LIKE THE WAY YOU HURT: A Dark Interracial High School Bully Romance Read online

  I LIKE THE WAY YOU HURT

  A Dark Interracial High School Bully Romance

  LORRAIN ALLEN

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  Synopsis

  Soundtrack

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Epilogue

  Thank You for Reading

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Books

  Stay Connected

  Copyright © 2019 by Lorrain Allen

  Published by Lorrain Allen

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  The author acknowledges all song titles, song lyrics, film titles, film characters, trademarked statuses, brands, mentioned in this book are the property of, and belong to, their respective owners. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized/associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Lorrain Allen is in no way affiliated with any of the brands, songs, musicians or artists mentioned in this book.

  Editing services provided by: Roisin Turner

  https://roisinturnerfreelanceproofreader.co.uk/

  Proofreading services provided by: Rosa Sharon

  www.iscreamproofreading.com/

  Proofreading services provided by: Amanda Williams

  facebook.com/darkravenedits

  Formatting Services by: Brenda Wright

  [email protected]

  Cover design by: Cassy Roop

  www.pinkinkdesigns.com

  Dedication

  To my sister, Sherice Allen A.K.A Reese, thank you for being my biggest fan and number one supporter. I love you!

  Author’s Note

  This book is a dark bully romance that focuses on a very real issue in the world today—-racism. I believe that love can conquer prejudice and racism. The subject matter, words used, and some scenes can cause triggers and will be offensive to some, but racism isn’t pretty. In addition, this book contains mature content, graphic sexual scenes, and profanity. Maverick is not a comfortable hero to read about. While the setting of the book is in a high school environment, its recommended reading age is eighteen+. Please take my warning seriously before reading this book. I hope you enjoy Maverick and Cocoa’s story.

  Synopsis

  After the tragic death of her father several years ago, Cocoa’s mother has finally found love again. Cocoa is uprooted from Los Angeles, California to a small town in West Virginia before the start of her senior year. Though she’s not enthusiastic about the move, she’s very excited that her mother has found the will to love again. Cocoa meets Maverick prior to the first day of school. Cocoa is biracial and is everything Maverick has been taught to hate. Though Maverick hates her on sight, a fire burns between them that could destroy both of their worlds, leaving them in ashes. Cocoa can sense the hurt and anger in Maverick wanting to burst free and consume everything in its path. Will Cocoa be the one person that can soothe Maverick’s soul before he self-destructs?

  Maverick’s mother committed suicide to escape her abusive husband, leaving six-year-old Maverick to face the fists of his father alone. The only things Maverick can relate to are power, control, pain, and anger. He doesn’t know how to love. He’s afraid of the feelings that Cocoa stirs in him because he’s not supposed to want her with a fever that burns so bright that it leaves him aching. The only way he knows how to control his feelings is to destroy Cocoa and make her hurt.

  Soundtrack

  Wicked Games – The Weekend

  Time of Our Lives – Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo

  Freakum Dress – Beyoncé

  Needed Me – Rihanna

  Love on the Brain – Rihanna

  Love the Way You Lie – Eminem ft. Rihanna

  Heart Attack – Trey Songz

  We Found Love – Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris

  That’s the Way Love Goes – Janet Jackson

  The bright light being switched on in my room causes me to open my eyes as I’m listening to “Wicked Games” by The Weekend. When the mattress dips I pull out my earphones, rolling over to see my mother sitting on the edge of my bed. I can’t fall asleep without listening to music. She must’ve just gotten home from her date with Michael. My mom and I live in a one-level two-bedroom, two-bathroom house. She looks radiant tonight, with her turquoise wrap-around dress and matching high heels; the outfit I helped her choose. The color goes well with the bright blonde curls around her face and blue eyes. My mom is thirty-eight but doesn’t look a day over thirty. She’s 5’9 with the figure of a model, with her tall, lean body, flawless golden skin, and pink lips. She has aged very gracefully.

  My mom and Michael have been dating for a little over two years. My mom and dad had an epic love story, very similar to Romeo and Juliet. My future spouse and I must have the same kind of love, or we’re not meant to be together. Unfortunately, a love like that comes with dire consequences. My mom is white, and my dad was black. My mom’s parents hated my dad on sight and did everything in their power to separate them. How could their only daughter be interested in a black man?

  My mom and dad met while attending college in Maryland, where my dad is originally from, so he showed her around the DMV. My parents were the perfect couple and the envy of all their friends. My dad was a tall man at 6’5 with dark chocolate skin and brown eyes. My mom was in her third year of college while my dad was in his last. Mom was majoring in history while Dad’s choice of study was criminal justice. According to my mom, it was love at first sight. When my grandparents found out about my dad, all hell broke loose. My grandparents threatened to cut my mom off financially and disown her, so they had to continue their romance in secret. My mom became pregnant during her fourth year of college. Even though my father was attending the LAPD police academy, they still saw each other every chance they got.

  My mom was so afraid of what her parents would do when they found out. My parents traveled to Portland, Oregon together, where my mom is from, to tell them about the
pregnancy in person. My grandmother demanded an abortion. The discussion became heated and my grandfather aimed a shotgun to my father’s chest. My father held his hand out to my mother for her to come with him. My grandmother told my mom that if she left she would be dead to her.

  After my grandparents disowned my mother, she was left in financial strain. She didn’t have health insurance. My father was still attending the LAPD police academy, so it was difficult for him to support her financially. My mom had to drop out of college and move into a bedroom my father was renting in a boarding house. They were married by the Justice of the Peace a few months later, just before my father graduated from the academy.

  Once he graduated from the academy, he was able to obtain health insurance for my mother. After I was born, my mother enrolled me in daycare to finish her degree, being financially supported by my father. When my mother graduated from college, she became a middle school history teacher. It saddened my mother that my grandparents didn’t want to be a part of our lives. Her every attempt to reach out to them was ignored. It never bothered me, because I received the love and recognition from my dad’s side of the family. I never felt unloved. Though my father’s parents live in Maryland, I saw them on holidays, spring, and summer breaks. They spoiled me and treated me like a princess every time I visited – they still do.

  I was in a loving home, my life like a fairy tale, when suddenly tragedy struck, destroying me and my mom’s world. I will never forget that night. It haunts me to this day. I was ten years old. I was in the kitchen helping my mom cook dinner when we heard the doorbell.

  “Honey, keep stirring the pasta or it will stick to the pot,” my mom said as she left the kitchen to answer the door.

  “Okay, Mommy.”

  As I stirred the pasta, I heard a blood-curdling scream from the living room. I jumped, causing some of the hot water to splash onto my skin, scorching it. I dropped the spoon and raced to the living room. My mom was on the floor, crying like her life as she knew it was over. Rob, my dad’s partner, was kneeling beside her, trying unsuccessfully to console her while the other police officer walked towards me. Though Uncle Rob and my father weren’t brothers, they had a strong bond and had known each other since their academy days.

  “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

  She didn’t answer me. I don’t even think she heard me.

  “Uncle Rob, what’s wrong with Mommy?”

  I was so afraid because I didn’t understand what was going on.

  “Pam,” Uncle Rob said to the other police officer. “Take Cocoa upstairs, I’ll be up soon.”

  “No, what’s wrong with Mommy? I don’t want to go upstairs.”

  “Come on sweetheart, I’d like to see your room.”

  That night, I was in my room for a long while before Uncle Rob came to tell me the words that destroyed the little girl I was. My father had been killed in the line of duty by an armed thief. After that, things were never the same again. My grandparents attempted to come around after the untimely death of my father under false pretenses. They completely ignored me. Their true motives were eventually revealed. They wanted my mother to leave me with my father’s mother and come back to Portland, Oregon with them. My father hadn’t been dead two months before my grandparents attempted to parade my mother in front of white suitors.

  My mom told them to leave and to never return. That was seven years ago, the last time I ever saw my grandparents. After my father died happiness and laughter no longer existed in our household. A part of my mother died with my father. My mom had no one after my father died. She became a shell of her former self. On countless nights, I would hear my mom crying in her room. Therapy didn’t help. The only thing that could help my mom was time. As the years passed, the light flickered on in her eyes, happiness and laughter returned to our lives, but we both still miss my father very much.

  My mom and Michael met at a week-long Teacher’s Convention two summers ago. My mom arrived home happy and excited that day.

  I was sitting at the kitchen table, completing my homework and eating a snack, when my mom bustled through the door with a wide smile on her face.

  She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw me.

  “You seem very happy today,” I said.

  She looked away, nervous and ashamed. “I met a man today.”

  “At the convention?”

  My mom nodded as she watched me. She had a petrified look on her face. She thought I was going to judge her because of my father, but I’ve always wanted my mom to go out and date. She deserved to be happy.

  “That’s wonderful, Mom.”

  “Really? You’re not mad?”

  “Mom, I’ve always wanted you to find someone who would make you happy. The only person stopping you was yourself. You are not betraying Dad by moving on with your life. He would want you to be happy.”

  My mom sat in the chair beside me to lean over to give me a tight hug, and a kiss on the cheek.

  “Sometimes it feels like you’re the adult and I’m the child,” she said.

  “So that means no curfew tonight?”

  “Nice try.” My mom gave me a look.

  “So, are you two going out or what?”

  “He invited me out for coffee after the convention tomorrow.”

  “Wow, Mom. You go, girl!”

  I laughed when my mom blushed.

  “What’s his name?”

  “Michael Thompson.”

  “Well, tell me how he looks.”

  “He’s tall and slim, has a nice tan with thick salt and pepper hair with the most beautiful gray eyes I’ve ever seen.”

  “Does he live in this area?”

  “Well, he actually lives in Montgomery, West Virginia. He’s a ninth-grade Geometry teacher at a private school there. He goes back home on Friday to start the school year.”

  That wasn’t good. I didn’t want my mom to get her hopes up, she was too fragile. She was like a baby deer. One wrong move, and she could snap her leg in half.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but your father and I lived in different states at one point, and everything worked out for us. I’m not saying that I’m going to marry Michael since I barely know the man, but I would like the opportunity to get to know him.”

  “I’m really happy for you, Mom. This is your first date since Dad died, you deserve to be loved and cherished by any man. Michael is lucky to have met you.”

  My mom started to cry.

  “Stop it Mom, you’re going to make me cry too,” I said as I gave her a hug.

  Since Michael and my mom are both teachers, it was easy for them to visit each other during breaks from school. From there, the relationship blossomed. Michael is a really nice guy. He doesn’t have any children. He treats me like a daughter. I couldn’t ask for a better man for my mom. They made their long-distance relationship work by keeping in constant communication through phone conversations, texts, and video calls. Sometimes, my mom would travel to West Virginia to visit Michael, other times he came here, like this summer. He found a small apartment to rent for the summer so that he could spend time with my mom. Michael has been in Los Angeles for about two weeks now. He arrived in mid-June. My mom and Michael have been spending time together nonstop since his arrival. I’ve never traveled with my mom to visit Michael in West Virginia. When my mom goes there, I usually stay with friends or visit my family in Maryland. During the school year, they don’t have the opportunity to see each other often, so I don’t want to impede on their quality time.

  “Hi, Mom,” I say, looking up at her as I lie on my bed.

  “Hey sweetheart, did I wake you?”

  “No, I was listening to music. How was your date with Michael?”

  “It was fantastic,” my mom says, barely able to contain her excitement as she lifts her left hand.

  I see a huge, shining diamond ring.

  I jump to my knees on my bed and cover my mouth with my right hand while frantically waving around my left.


  “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

  “Michael asked me to marry him.”

  “Congratulations.” I hug her. “Let me see.” I grab my mom’s hand to get a closer look at the ring. “Mom, it’s so beautiful.”

  The band is white gold with a huge diamond at the center surrounded by smaller ones.

  “Oh baby, I’m so happy. I never thought I would be able to love another man after your father.”

  “You deserve this, Mom,” I say as I sit on the edge of my bed beside her.

  “Thank you for always being supportive. After your father died, I know I wasn’t there for you. I was so selfish, wallowing in my own grief.”

  “Mom, I never resented you when you withdrew into yourself. Dad was the love of your life, it was hard for you to process that he was never coming home.”

  We embrace each other in an emotional hug. My mom pulls back.

  “I need to talk to you, baby,” my mom tells me in a serious voice.

  I have a feeling that I’m not going to like what she’s going to tell me.

  “Michael and I want to start our life together as soon as possible.”

  That’s understandable; my mom has been single for a long time.

  “We don’t want an expensive wedding. We want a small wedding and reception, very intimate with a few close friends.”

  “Okay, when?”

  “In August, but we’re going to plan a honeymoon a little later.”

  “Wow, that’s quick Mom.”

  It’s already June; that doesn’t leave much time for planning.

  “Baby, Michael was able to arrange an interview for me at Montgomery Preparatory. It’s a middle school and sister school to Montgomery Academy. The schools are only ten minutes apart.”

  Wait, we’re moving to Montgomery, West Virginia?

  I want to spend my senior year with my friends. Senior year is the last hooray before adult life; it’s a rite of passage. I’ve made a name for myself at my current high school. I’m popular, a cheerleader and I’m part of the school paper. In senior year, I would’ve been captain of the cheerleader squad, and chief writer and editor. Writing has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. My goal is to become a journalist. I’m positive that I’m going to be voted homecoming and prom queen. I’ll be a new student at the high school in Montgomery, West Virginia. I’ll be at the bottom of the totem pole. I could stay with a friend and finish my senior year here, but this is the last full year I’ll be able to spend quality time with Mom. I’ll be heading off to college soon, and after that I’m not sure where I’ll end up. Every moment I have with my mom is precious.