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

The Scars Behind My Golden Dress

The Scars Behind My Golden Dress

Catherine
5.0

I spent four hours preparing a five-course meal for our fifth anniversary. When Jackson finally walked into the penthouse an hour late, he didn't even look at the table. He just dropped a thick Manila envelope in front of me and told me he was done. He said his stepsister, Davida, was getting worse and needed "stability." I wasn't his wife; I was a placeholder, a temporary fix he used until the woman he actually loved was ready to take my place. Jackson didn't just want a divorce; he wanted to erase me. He called me a "proprietary asset," claiming that every design I had created to save his empire belonged to him. He froze my bank accounts, cut off my phone, and told me I’d be nothing without his name. Davida even called me from her hospital bed to flaunt the family heirloom ring Jackson claimed was lost, mocking me for being "baggage" that was finally being cleared out. I stood in our empty home, realizing I had spent five years being a martyr for a man who saw me as a transaction. I couldn't understand how he could be so blind to the monster he was protecting, or how he could discard me so coldly after I had given him everything. I grabbed my hidden sketchbook, shredded our wedding portrait, and walked out into the rain. I dialed a number I hadn't touched in years—a dangerous man known as The Surgeon who dealt in debts and shadows. I told him I was ready to pay his price. Jackson and Davida wanted to steal my identity, but I was about to show the world the literal scars they had left behind.

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Madel Cerda
4.5

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch—a titan of industry and my best friend’s father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

SHANA GRAY
4.5

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

The Surgeon's Vow: Healing My Billionaire Husband

The Surgeon's Vow: Healing My Billionaire Husband

Qing Shui
4.3

I sat in the gray, airless room of the New York State Department of Corrections, my knuckles white as the Warden delivered the news. "Parole denied." My father, Howard Sterling, had forged new evidence of financial crimes to keep me behind bars. He walked into the room, smelling of expensive cologne, and tossed a black folder onto the steel table. It was a marriage contract for Lucas Kensington, a billionaire currently lying in a vegetative state in the ICU. "Sign it. You walk out today." I laughed at the idea of being sold to a "corpse" until Howard slid a grainy photo toward me. It showed a toddler with a crescent-moon birthmark—the son Howard told me had died in an incubator five years ago. He smiled and told me the boy's safety depended entirely on my cooperation. I was thrust into the Kensington estate, where the family treated me like a "drowned rat." They dressed me in mothball-scented rags and mocked my status, unaware that I was monitoring their every move. I watched the cousin, Julian, openly waiting for Lucas to die to inherit the empire, while the doctors prepared to sign the death certificate. I didn't understand why my father would lie about my son’s death for years, or what kind of monsters would use a child as a bargaining chip. The injustice of it burned in my chest as I realized I was just a pawn in a game of old money and blood. As the monitors began to flatline and the family started to celebrate their inheritance, I locked the door and reached into the hem of my dress. I pulled out the sharpened silver wires I’d fashioned in the prison workshop. They thought they bought a submissive convict, but they actually invited "The Saint"—the world’s most dangerous underground surgeon—into their home. "Wake up, Lucas. You owe me a life." I wasn't there to be a bride; I was there to wake the dead and burn their empire to the ground.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book