Shadows And Sunshine

Shadows And Sunshine

O.S.A

5.0
Comment(s)
24
View
22
Chapters

"Shadows and Sunshine" follows troubled newcomer Annie Thompson as she navigates a new school and a turbulent home life. Tasked with tutoring her, quiet senior Joey Reynolds sees past Annie's tough exterior to the vulnerable girl beneath. As their friendship deepens into love, they confront shadows from Annie's past while finding solace and hope in each other's presence. This poignant tale explores the transformative power of love amidst adversity.

Chapter 1 Annie

The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as I trudged through the crowded halls of my new school, feeling like a fish out of water. It wasn't easy being the new girl, especially when you came with as much baggage as I did. My name is Annie, Annie Thompson, and if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that trouble seems to follow me like a shadow.

I had been transferred to this new school in the middle of the semester, the result of yet another fight that had gotten out of hand. It wasn't entirely my fault, but try telling that to the principal of my old school. They had given up on me long ago, washing their hands of the troubled teen with the absentee father and the drug-addicted mother.

As I made my way through the throngs of students, I couldn't help but feel a sense of isolation wash over me. These kids didn't know me, didn't know what I had been through or the struggles I faced on a daily basis. And frankly, I didn't want them to know. I was tired of being judged, tired of being labeled as the problem child.

But no matter how hard I tried to keep my head down and blend in, trouble always seemed to find me. Maybe it was the chip on my shoulder or the defiance in my gaze, but I had a way of rubbing people the wrong way. And as much as I wanted to change, to break free from the cycle of violence and dysfunction that had plagued my life for so long, I didn't know where to start.

By the time I reached my first class, my nerves were shot, and my patience was wearing thin. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever challenges lay ahead. But as I stepped into the classroom, I was met with a sea of curious eyes and whispered rumors.

"That's her, the new girl."

"I heard she got kicked out of her last school for fighting."

"She looks like trouble if you ask me."

I clenched my jaw, refusing to let their words get to me. I had heard it all before, and I wasn't about to let a bunch of gossiping teenagers get under my skin. But as I took my seat in the back of the classroom, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of my stomach.

The teacher droned on about the syllabus, but I barely registered a word she said. My mind was elsewhere, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. I missed my old school, despite the trouble I had caused there. At least there, I had friends, people who understood me and didn't judge me based on rumors and hearsay.

But here, I was alone, adrift in a sea of strangers who saw me as nothing more than a problem to be dealt with. I couldn't help but wonder if things would ever get better, if I would ever find a place where I truly belonged.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of class, I gathered my things and prepared to leave. But as I made my way to the door, I was stopped in my tracks by the sound of the teacher's voice calling my name.

"Annie Thompson, could you please stay behind for a moment? I'd like to speak with you."

I hesitated, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. What now? What had I done this time? With a heavy sigh, I made my way to the teacher's desk, steeling myself for whatever punishment awaited me.

But as I approached, I saw a figure standing beside the teacher, a boy with dark hair and a curious expression. He looked at me with a mixture of sympathy and intrigue, as if he could see past the tough exterior I wore like armor.

"Annie, this is Joey Reynolds," the teacher said, gesturing to the boy beside her. "He's one of our top students, and I thought he could help you get acclimated to your new school."

I raised an eyebrow, eyeing Joey warily. What did this guy want with me? Was he another do-gooder trying to save the troubled teen? I had had enough of people trying to fix me, to mold me into something I wasn't.

But as Joey extended his hand, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope stir within me. Maybe, just maybe, this new school wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe, just maybe, Joey could help me find my place in this world.

I took his hand, returning his smile with one of my own. "Nice to meet you, Joey," I said, my voice softer than I had intended.

And in that moment, as our eyes met and our hands clasped together, I knew that my life was about to change in ways I never could have imagined.

Continue Reading

Other books by O.S.A

More

You'll also like

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Secret Triplets: The Billionaire's Second Chance

Roderic Penn
5.0

I stood at my mother’s open grave in the freezing rain, my heels sinking into the mud. The space beside me was empty. My husband, Hilliard Holloway, had promised to cherish me in bad times, but apparently, burying my mother didn't fit into his busy schedule. While the priest’s voice droned on, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a livestream of the Metropolitan Charity Gala. There was Hilliard, looking impeccable in a custom tuxedo, with his ex-girlfriend Charla English draped over his arm. The headline read: "Holloway & English: A Power Couple Reunited?" When he finally returned to our penthouse at 2 AM, he didn't come alone—he brought Charla with him. He claimed she’d had a "medical emergency" at the gala and couldn't be left alone. I found a Tiffany diamond necklace on our coffee table meant for her birthday, and a smudge of her signature red lipstick on his collar. When I confronted him, he simply told me to stop being "hysterical" and "acting like a child." He had no idea I was seven months pregnant with his child. He thought so little of my grief that he didn't even bother to craft a convincing lie, laughing with his mistress in our home while I sat in the dark with a shattered heart and a secret life growing inside me. "He doesn't deserve us," I whispered to the darkness. I didn't scream or beg. I simply left a folder on his desk containing signed divorce papers and a forged medical report for a terminated pregnancy. I disappeared into the night, letting him believe he had successfully killed his own legacy through his neglect. Five years later, Hilliard walked into "The Vault," the city's most exclusive underground auction, looking for a broker to manage his estate. He didn't recognize me behind my Venetian mask, but he couldn't ignore the neon pink graffiti on his armored Maybach that read "DEADBEAT." He had no clue that the three brilliant triplets currently hacking his security system were the very children he thought had been erased years ago. This time, I wasn't just a wife in the way; I was the one holding all the cards.

Contract With The Devil: Love In Shackles

Contract With The Devil: Love In Shackles

Dorine Koestler
4.1

I watched my husband sign the papers that would end our marriage while he was busy texting the woman he actually loved. He didn't even glance at the header. He just scribbled the sharp, jagged signature that had signed death warrants for half of New York, tossed the file onto the passenger seat, and tapped his screen again. "Done," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. That was Dante Moretti. The Underboss. A man who could smell a lie from a mile away but couldn't see that his wife had just handed him an annulment decree disguised beneath a stack of mundane logistics reports. For three years, I scrubbed his blood out of his shirts. I saved his family's alliance when his ex, Sofia, ran off with a civilian. In return, he treated me like furniture. He left me in the rain to save Sofia from a broken nail. He left me alone on my birthday to drink champagne on a yacht with her. He even handed me a glass of whiskey—her favorite drink—forgetting that I despised the taste. I was merely a placeholder. A ghost in my own home. So, I stopped waiting. I burned our wedding portrait in the fireplace, left my platinum ring in the ashes, and boarded a one-way flight to San Francisco. I thought I was finally free. I thought I had escaped the cage. But I underestimated Dante. When he finally opened that file weeks later and realized he had signed away his wife without looking, the Reaper didn't accept defeat. He burned down the world to find me, obsessed with reclaiming the woman he had already thrown away.

My Alpha's Heartless Contract Wife

My Alpha's Heartless Contract Wife

Rabbit
5.0

"Anya, a 'wolfless' in a world of powerful werewolves, was invisible, drowning her sorrows and desperately lonely. One drunken text, a desperate cry for attention, accidentally reached the Alpha, pulling her into his terrifying orbit. Now, she's trapped, a pawn in his game, forced to warm his bed while he waits for his true mate, her heart breaking with every stolen moment. As a 'wolfless' in the Blackwood Pack, Anya felt like an outsider, always yearning for a connection. One night, in a drunken haze, a misdirected text meant for her best friend landed in Alpha Declan Blackwood's inbox: ""Send me something hot."" Minutes later, the most powerful, terrifying man in the Pack stood at her door, claiming her with a possessive kiss that ignited a dangerous, unwanted fire. The next morning, his cold indifference shattered her world. Publicly humiliated and instantly fired, Anya became a pariah. Her dying mother's urgent need for a million-dollar heart transplant left her with an impossible choice: accept the Alpha's cold, transactional marriage proposal or watch her mother die. She became his ""placeholder"" wife, a contract, not a partner, all while battling a confusing attraction to the man who treated her as property. Why did he demand her, only to remind her constantly of her worthlessness, especially when everyone knew he waited for his true mate? Her world crumbled when she overheard Declan tell his returning ""true mate,"" Kristin Larsen, that Anya was ""just a substitute."" Despite the crushing betrayal and a strange, unyielding pull, Anya, fueled by her mother's desperate need, vowed to survive this gilded cage and reclaim her life before she lost herself completely."

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book