Jump Start (The Grid #2)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

KINSLEY

“You’re joking.”

I wish I was. Desperately.

But as luck would have it, I’m not.

I guess that’s not really considered ‘luck’ in this instance then is it? Can’t say I’m not used to it though. I’ve never really been a ‘lucky’ kind of girl.

Not in this lifetime, at least.

Born to a teenage couple who loved getting high more than the daughter they probably shouldn’t have had.

Barely survived six years in a run down flat in the darkest corner of London where people came and went all hours of the day and night.

Found by the landlord in the closet that was my bedroom after being locked inside for five days. Rent was due, but it wouldn’t be paid. She tried to shield me from it, but to this day I remember the sickeningly pale figures slumped on the sofa as she carried me out.

It was foster care after that since neither of the extended families wanted to claim me. They didn’t want to care for the living reminder of everything they did wrong with their own kids.

I’ve bounced from one home to the next. Eleven in twelve years. The one I’m in now will be the last since I’ve officially aged out of the system.

So yeah, me and luck? We aren’t sitting around making friendship bracelets for each other.

“His exact words were ‘Listen, Kinney?—’”

Lily, my best friend, throws her head back, groaning loudly towards the ceiling. “I absolutely hate when he calls you that.”

“Can’t say it’s my favorite either.”

“Every time he says it, I roll my eyes so hard. I’m scared that one day they’ll be permanently stuck like that.”

“Well, your eyeballs are safe from now on.”

“Didn’t want that at the cost of my best friend’s feelings, but okay. Please. Continue.”

I clear my throat, lowering my voice to mimic his. “Listen, Kinney. I’m leaving for my apprenticeship soon and was thinking that this would be a great opportunity for us. To take a break, that is. From us?—”

“Did he think repeating the ‘us’ part was in case you didn’t know he was referring to you two as a couple when he said to take a break? Who else would he be talking about?”

“Who freaking knows.”

“So he wants to break up?”

“He doesn’t want to break up, he wants to take a break. From us. ” I mock his voice for the last part and she huffs a disbelieving laugh. “He said that there’s just so many things that neither of us have yet to experience and for those few months that he’s gone, we should use it as a free pass?—”

She gasps and I wince. “Oh, just you wait.” I fall back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as embarrassment claws at my throat. “When he gets back, he said that we could put what each of us has learned to good use. Meanwhile, I’m standing there in nothing but one of his T-shirts.”

“The fucking prick,” she screams, her chair clattering to the ground as she shoots to her feet.

The prick she’s referring to is—sorry, was —my boyfriend.

The only one I’ve ever had.

And he dumped this bomb on me mere minutes after taking my virginity. Barely waited for me to use the bathroom afterwards to clean up.

Who said romance was dead?

The bed dips when Lily lays down next to me and I turn my head, taking in her pinched lips. “I always knew he was a twat waffle, but this is some next level shit. I’m so sorry.”

“I should have listened to you one of the first hundred times you told me he was bad news.” I sigh, shaking my head. “But he was just so damn convincing.”

“You know how much I love being right, but I really didn’t want to be this time. I’m sorry your first boyfriend turned out to be a complete knob.” She snuggles into my side, whispering, “He doesn’t deserve you anyway.”

“You can say it.”

“Say what?”

“I told you so.”

She scrunches her nose. “I don’t think you need me to.”

I sigh. “Honestly, that’s not even the worst part. It sucks, yeah, but it didn’t end there.”

“I’m suddenly very scared to ask how much worse this can get.”

“When he went into the bathroom, I was rushing to get my clothes on so that I could leave before he came out. I was reaching for my phone on the side table when his screen lit up. I don’t know why I looked, but I did.”

I swallow, blinking rapidly as my eyes begin to sting. “He doesn’t have a lock on his phone so at the swipe of my finger, there it was. A group chat with his lads. They were all reacting to a text he sent that said ‘that makes six’ followed up with a picture of him holding up my underwear. I was in the background, walking out of the bathroom in his T-shirt.”

Lily stares at me, a mix of disbelief and fury brewing in her crystal blues. She blinks, shooting up into a sitting position and scoots to the edge of the bed. “That’s it, he’s dead.”

I lurch forward, grabbing her wrist.

“Let me go. I need to have more than words with this piece of shit,” she growls, wiggling out of my grasp.

“Lily, stop.”

She spins around, throwing her hands up. “Why are you protecting him after what he did?”

“I’m not protecting him. I’m stopping your crazy arse from getting arrested. I don’t have nearly enough funds to bail you out,” I laugh.

She scoffs, flailing her body around with a groan before stomping her foot and pointing at me. “Fine, but next time I see him—oh, he’s going to wish he never even looked in your direction.”

I pinch my lips to stifle a laugh when she karate chops the air and moves into a series of aggressive punches. When she swings her leg up, I cringe for any hypothetical man on the receiving end of it.

Halting mid swing, she turns to me and smiles. “I have the best idea.”

“You will still go to jail if you get someone else to do it for you.”

“No, not about that.” Bouncing over, she jumps onto the bed next to me and bumps my shoulder with hers. “Let’s go out.”

“I’d rather help you find the hitman.”

She rolls her eyes. “Come on.”

“I don’t know, Lils. I’m not really in the mood.”

Spoiler alert. I’m never in the mood.

Being social? Not my strong suit.

Big crowds? Anxiety inducing.

I’m too awkward, never knowing what to say or do. It’s inevitable that I’d eventually make a complete fool of myself or even worse, someone else.

I’ve gone my entire life sticking to the sidelines, going unnoticed. It’s where I’m comfortable. A wallflower just trying to make it through each day unscathed.

So of course I had to go and get myself a best friend that’s one of the most outgoing, vibrant girls in our class. Ever since the day we met last year she’s been strong arming me out of that very comfortable zone I try to burrow myself in.

But I’m still thankful every day that I have her.

Even if she makes me do things any normal girl our age would do.

Like, apparently, going out to a club on a Saturday night. YAY!

“Oh, come on. There’s nothing like a night of dancing, drinks, and hot strangers to chase your worries away.”

“I don’t want anything to do with hot strangers. The last one utterly sucked.”

She smirks. “Making jokes about it already? That’s a good sign.”

“If I don’t laugh, I’ll cry, so humor it is.”

“You know what? That’s fair.”

“But I still don’t think I want to go out.”

“I’m not above begging.” She slips to her knees in front of me, binding her hands under her chin. “Please. Please. Please. Pl?—”

“You’re not going to give up on this are you?”

“I just want to get your mind off of everything, even if it’s just for a night.”

Sighing, I drop my head back. “Fine.”

Her squeal pierces the air and I look over, catching her fist pumping the air in victory. “I have just the thing for you to wear tonight too.”

She sprints over and tears through the corner of her room crowded with countless rolls of fabric, sketches, and mannequins draped in half-finished projects.

My fingers itch to capture the beautiful chaos of tulle, sequence, and leather flying in every direction with her kneeling in the center of it, her face scrunched in concentration.

“Aha!” She shoots to her feet and thrusts two fistfuls of fabric into the air. “This is going to look amazing on you.”

I roll my lips as I take the top and bottoms from her and she nudges me towards the bathroom. “Come. Come. Go change while I figure out what I’m going to wear.”

I slip into the bathroom, switching out my leggings and oversized graphic T-shirt for the outfit she chose. Walking over to the floor length mirror, I twist and take in the leather shorts that cut off just above my mid thigh and the fitted cropped long sleeve.

My jaw drops when I turn to get a look at the back. I don’t know what kind of magic Lily’s working, but this is the best my arse has ever looked and while the top completely covers my chest, the built-in bra lends a helping hand to what I’m usually lacking there.

It’s perfect.

I feel sexy yet comfortable and confident.

Maybe she’s right.

Maybe what I need is a night where I put on a cute outfit, go out with my best friend, and dance away the pain, the humiliation, the echoing doubts of my worth.

A night to turn off my brain and live in the moment.

I step out of the bathroom and smirk at her scowl when I slip on my favorite trainers.

“You have an unhealthy obsession with those,” she grumbles, buckling the strap of her heels and walking over to my side.

I finish tying the last knot and stand up, smacking a kiss on her cheek. “You love me and my beat up Converse.”

“It’s because I love you that I put up with them.”

I laugh, grabbing my phone to text out a quick text to my foster parents that I’m staying over at Lily’s before we walk into the hallway. “Whatever you say.”

“Hey.” She grabs my hand at the top of the stairs. “Thank you for giving this a go even though I know you’d rather lock yourself away in your dark room. I have a really good feeling about tonight.”

“Let me know if that changes. We’ll leave immediately.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’d love that,” she laughs.

“We can even come up with a signal. Like, I’ll rub my nose with my thumb or flip my hair over my shoulder or?—”

“We don’t need a signal. We’re going to go, have a couple drinks, dance, maybe even flirt with some cute lads. Then we can come back here and raid the cupboards for some late night snacking.”

While I’d love nothing more than to skip to the second half of the evening, I’ll concede to the first. It’s time to step out of my comfort zone. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even have a good time.

What’s the worst that could happen?