Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedications & Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Epilogue
THANK YOU
Other Books by LaShawn Vasser
The Right Side of My Pillow
By
LaShawn Vasser
THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY PILLOW © 2016 LaShawn Vasser
All Rights Reserved
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
*EXPLICIT ADULT CONTENT*
WARNING
This novel is considered romantic fiction with erotic elements or erotica. This is for mature audiences only. This book contains adult profane language, mild violence, and strong sexual content.
Dedications & Acknowledgments
There are so many individuals who have helped me along the way, and I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience, encouragement, and advice. My beta readers (Lisa, Tiffany, Shebria, and Gene) and editor (Melissa) – how awesome are you? Words cannot express. You guys keep me laughing and inspired on this journey – Thank you. Lastly, I’d like to send a special thanks to my Mr. for loving me so deeply and giving me such great inspiration. You’ve always told me I could fly, and I believed you. You hold me down always, and I can never thank you enough.
Chapter 1
The madness that accompanied Cricket since the day she was born showed no signs of letting up. As she lay in the darkness with her hands clasped behind her head she looked up at the ceiling. Her thoughts wouldn’t leave her alone. Tonight, they were speaking louder than they had in a long time. More than likely it was because too much was happening too fast. Restless, she sighed. Sleep wasn’t going to find her. With everything that had happened tonight, she was wound up pretty tight. While no stranger to tragedy, Cricket couldn’t seem to shake off her dark feelings or catch her breath. Her heart was racing a mile a minute. That’s it. She decided she had to get out of the house, even if it was just for a few mere moments to clear her mind. Thank God she had never undressed. Moving around in the darkness to find her clothes would have roused her roommate. How she could sleep after all the commotion earlier tonight was a mystery.
It was against the rules to leave the house after eight o’clock unless accompanied by an adult, but Cricket didn’t care. It was close to midnight when she decided to sneak out. She threw her legs over the side of the bed, then quickly looked over at the sleeping body across the room from her. Cricket held her breath for a moment to make sure she hadn’t woken her up. Jenny couldn’t keep a secret to save her life. If the light growl of her snores were any indication, Cricket hadn’t disturbed her. That’s what happened when you lived here. You became desensitized.
As quietly as she could, Cricket slowly rose from the bed, reached under her pillow for her wallet, and tip-toed over to the door where she kept her running shoes. In one smooth motion, Cricket bent low to pick them up and reached for the door knob, while looking back over her shoulder to make sure Jenny was still sleeping. Carefully, she unlocked the door until she heard it click. Nervously, she whipped her head around again. Good. Jenny hadn’t moved at all. Cricket was taking a risk, and all she needed was for Ms. Lockwood to catch her sneaking out again. That woman was pure evil and no telling what she might do this time.
Cricket had been told over and over again not to leave the house by herself because it wasn’t safe. The fact was this place had never been very safe either. There was no time to think about consequences in her quest to leave undetected. Cricket stepped through the door and silently closed it behind her. While tip-toeing softly down the hall in the darkness, she felt the walls closing in so tightly that she thought she might suffocate. Finally, Cricket made it to the window she had snuck in and out of for years, unlocked the latch and lifted it up. She threw her shoes out of the window then climbed out herself. Before taking off in a sprint, she turned to close the window leaving it open just a crack. Once she was free and clear of getting caught Cricket didn’t stop running, even to put on her shoes, until she reached the street corner that was out of view of the house—the Marymount House.
The park wasn’t far. It was the heartbeat of the town, and where her snooty neighbors usually allowed their children to run around and play, except they couldn’t play with kids like her. It didn’t matter; this park had always been a place of peace for Cricket. Even at night, there was no mistaking the perfectly manicured lawns and playground equipment that was always in pristine condition. The flowerbeds looked like full-scale gardens and could have easily been on the cover of Home & Gardens magazine. While this park was beautiful, calming and peaceful, so was the Marymount group home - on the outside. It was the picture of perfection. But, the inside was the complete opposite. It was hell.
The park was deserted. There weren’t any nannies, late night joggers, or dog walkers around. Just
