Free Sample
Preview from chapter one
I always thought our town was just like any other. I'm Rob, 19, and living with my mom Marissa in a small house downtown. Mom's a cop, been one since before I was born. She's tough as nails, always has been. Dad left when I was ten, couldn't handle mom's work schedule, he said. But I think it was more than that.
Our town looks normal on the surface. Nice houses, clean streets, friendly neighbors. But there's stuff going on beneath that perfect exterior. Stuff I never knew about until recently.
Mom's always working. She's a detective in the narcotics unit, dealing with the worst criminals in town. When she's not working, she's either sleeping or watching TV with me. That's our life. Simple, ordinary.
At least that's what I thought.
I'm in college now, local community college. Been studying business for a year, but honestly, it bores me to death. Numbers, charts, projections - none of it clicks with me. So when Professor Jenkins pulled me aside after class and said I had "natural counseling abilities," it got me thinking.
"You ever consider psychology?" he asked. "The way you listen to people, how you understand what they're not saying - that's rare."
That night, I decided to tell mom about maybe switching majors. We were in the kitchen making dinner - roast chicken and salad, our Thursday tradition.
"I want to switch majors," I said, tossing the salad while she checked on the chicken.
Mom didn't answer right away. She pulled the chicken from the oven, the smell filling our small kitchen. Her brown hair was tied back in that messy ponytail she always wore at home, so different from her tight, professional bun at work.
As we sat down to eat, she finally spoke up. "Alright, what are you thinking? Do you have a backup plan?"
"Yeah, I do," I answered, pushing salad around my plate. "I might want to become a therapist or psychologist. One of my professors said I have the right attributes for it."
Mom raised an eyebrow, and I saw something flash across her face - amusement? "And what do you know about psychology?"
"Only the two courses that I'm taking," I admitted.
"Have you looked into the job at all?" she asked, cutting her chicken into perfect pieces.
"I've done research," I told her. "Why? You seem... I don't know... like the idea is crazy or something."