The Lies That Bind (Dark Lies #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Kip Sampson

If there was one thing I hated, it was walking into a new school.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t done it three times already.

I would get comfortable somewhere, make friends, and then have the ground ripped from beneath my feet when my parents told me we were packing up.

Again. And to make it worse? This was yet another small town in the butt crack of nowhere.

A population of six hundred. All the times we’d moved, I’d never lived in a place that had more than eight hundred for God’s sake.

My schools usually had eighty or so people.

I protested, just like I did every time before, but when you’re five, you get a pat on the head and a cookie to shut you up.

They tried the same routine this last time, and thirteen-year-old me took the cookie and shut up.

Fine. I like cookies.

So I said goodbye to my friends. We promised we’d text or call, but I knew better. No one ever followed through after the first few tries. It was fine, though. I’d gotten over losing friends in the past, right? I was getting used to this routine.

I just had to get over it, all over again.

Except this time was different.

I was angry at my parents for taking me away from them. From our home. From the neighbors—Rob and Jeff—who grilled out every weekend, making our place smell amazing. And now?

It was all gone.

Our new house was bigger, and yet it felt so much emptier, even with my brother and sister rattling around in it with me.

I was lonely. The weekend was winding down, and Monday morning I would have to start over at a new school where I knew no one.

I was bound and determined to not make friends this time.

Why bother? All I’d get from it would be the ache in my chest when my parents came out with their inevitable announcement.

‘We’re moving.’ Again. My dad promised we’d be staying this time, but I wasn’t sure I could trust him.

I couldn’t risk getting my hopes up.

The weekend passed quickly. A neighbor lady came over and introduced herself to my parents, but ignored me and my siblings. When she left, she said something to my mom who gave her a bright smile and said thank you. When the door closed, Mom turned to me.

“Mrs. Gibson says there’s a young man who lives down the street. His name is Mason Devlin. He’s your age, and she thought it would be a good idea if the two of you became friends.”

“No,” I said adamantly. “I’m not gonna make friends so you and Dad can take me away again.”

Her eyes softened as she knelt and hugged me tight.

“Oh, Kip. I know this has been the hardest on you because you’re the oldest, but I give you my word we’ll be here from now on.

Your father promised.” She leaned in close so her mouth was near my ear.

“Let me share a secret with you. I hate the moving too. Losing friends it took you a long time to make? Having to say goodbye to everyone? Missing their smiles and jokes? Yeah, I get it.”

And I could tell, she did. I could hear the ache in her voice.

“I don’t want to do this again,” I said quietly, a pain radiating through me I couldn’t begin to describe.

“Me neither, kiddo. But I talked with your dad and he promised we won’t have to move until after you graduate. We should trust him, okay?”

Dad didn’t lie, I knew. He would tell you the truth, no matter how much it hurt. If he was saying we’d be staying, then maybe we would.

“I’ll… try.”

“And that’s all we can ever ask of you.” She swatted my butt. “Other than to take out the garbage.”

“Mom,” I whined, but then I smiled. “Sure, I’ll do it.”

While I tied up the bag I thought of the boy—Mason, I reminded myself—and wondered if maybe getting to know someone new wouldn’t be so bad.

Maybe meeting him would be a change for the better.

Mason Devlin

“Mom, I don’t wanna,” I whined. With how everything had been going, I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

“And I’m telling you that you have to.” Her tone told me she wasn’t going to back down . It also told me I would obey, no matter how much I didn’t want to.

“Fine.” I stuck my lower lip out. “But I won’t like him.” Even his name sounded stupid. Who calls their kid Kip?

“And why not?”

“Because everyone treats me like crap,” I barked. “I’m sure he won’t be any different.”

“Language, mister! And who treats you like crap?”

“Everyone,” I snapped. “Aren’t you listening?”

She crossed her arms and stared at me. She didn’t have to say anything. She’d already made her point.

I tried to push down hard on my irritation and frustration.

“Everyone at school bosses me around. The guys make me clean up after them at lunch, the coach makes me put away the equipment after practice when I’m not even on the team, and the teachers are always on me to sit quietly and pay attention. ”

“Well yeah, you should be paying attention,” Mom retorted. “As for the rest of it, do you want me to talk to them?”

“Oh, no way.” The last thing I needed was the guys ragging on me because I ran crying to Mommy.

“Then listen to me. You know why they’re having you do things for them. It shouldn’t upset you, it should let you know you’re part of the community.”

“I wish it was someone else,” I grumbled.

“Everyone has a role to play,” she reminded me. “You’re doing something only you can do. No one else can.”

Oh, joy. Lucky me.

“As for this new boy, he’s a stranger to our community. He doesn’t know how things work, and he needs someone to guide him. That’ll be your responsibility. Show him what the town is like, but also remember to keep the secrets just that—secret.”

“I understand.”

She ruffled my hair. “Good boy. Now, how about we make a cake for dessert?”

“No, thank you.” I was still angry over the fact I had no control in my life.

“Trust me, sweetie. This boy? He’s going to do you a world of good.”

There was always the chance she was right. Maybe meeting Kip could be the best thing that had ever happened to me.

But with my luck, probably not.

Kip

If you asked someone how they met their best friend, they’re usually able to point out one moment that cemented their friendship and made it become something unbreakable. What did that for me and Mason?

A fart. My stomach had been in knots all morning, and it decided then was the perfect time to express itself.

Only, it wasn’t a silent one. It was loud enough that everyone in the room heard it, which was followed by most of the boys giggling like mad and the girls trying to move away. The teacher, a stern woman of about sixty, stood in front of the class, demanding to know who’d done the deed.

Aw crap.

I was new, and something like this would get me labeled a troublemaker right from day one, and would follow me throughout all the years we spent in this town. I prepared to raise my hand, when the kid in the desk next to me stood.

He coughed. “It was me, Mrs. Morgan. I’m sorry. We had burritos for dinner, and it just… squeaked out.”

That was all it took for the class to break up laughing again, and for our teacher to stand, red-faced, in front of the class.

“I understand it’s biological,” she ground out, “but please, try to keep control of yourself in the future. Now, say excuse me and let’s get back to work.”

He turned to face our classmates. “I’m sorry for my slippage.” His bright tone sure didn’t sound sorry, but then again it hadn’t been him who’d done it. The boys laughed, and the girls looked confused.

Me? I was in awe of him.

As soon as he sat back down, I turned to him.

“Why’d you do that?” I demanded, although I was grateful.

He smiled. “You’re the new guy. Didn’t want you to start off on a bad toot… I mean foot.”

I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing. “I’m Kip,” I informed him.

“I know. My name is Mason.”

This was Mason? The guy I said I didn’t want to be friends with?

Man, had I gotten it wrong. All the people I’d been buddies with?

I remembered how they hadn’t kept in touch, but right then I forgot about them.

Mason was a hero in my eyes, and he was gonna be my best friend, whether he knew it or not.

Nothing would dissuade me from that belief.

From that moment on, we were thick as thieves. Mason wasn’t one to back down. He’d give as good as he’d get. When people tried to tell him what to do, he’d look to me, then back to the others who were bullying him, puff up his chest, and say loud enough for everyone to hear, “No.”

If anyone gave him crap, I’d step up and they’d back down very quickly.

The years passed and our friendship deepened.

We got to the point where we could finish each other’s sentences, which was usually something filthy.

He’d remember my birthday, and would buy me a gift that had a great deal of thought put into it, not like some crappy gift card.

My big thing was Legos. And every year without fail, Mason would buy me some large, beautiful set to add to my collection.

Mason got gift cards. Now, this wasn’t because I didn’t know my friend. It was the fact I got to go shopping with him, which allowed us to get money from our parents to hang out at the mall, gorge ourselves on greasy food, and watch a movie at the theater.

It wasn’t the gift, it was the fact we got to spend time together. At least for me. And, I hoped, for him too.