Fractured Promises by Lauren Ruiz (ap literature book list txt) 📕

ground and slowly walked to the bench. Once there, she sat down and cradled her head in her hands.
She breathed softly, and calmed herself.
Arianna looked up, and with a weak smile, she pictured Clark sitting there next to her.
"Wow, did you see the shooting star Clark?" Arianna had asked Clark while they sat on the bench in the middle of the clearing of Clear Creek Lake.
Nothing but trees and dirt were surrounding them, and they could hear the nature perfectly. The sounds of the crickets and the animals was peaceful.
He smiled at her, and nodded his head. She was wearing a pretty white dress that was two inches above her knees, and her long black hair was down.
Her tanned faced beamed up at him, and he couldn't help but smiled a little wider.
"Did you wish for anything?" he asked her, still smiling.
"Yes, but I can't tell you what I wished for because then it wouldn't come true."
"Fair enough." he had said with a laugh.
They were staring out at the sky, and Arianna reached out her hands and pretended as though she were carrying a star in her hands.
"I wish I could reach out and actually get you a star." Clark whispered.
"I wish I could get you one too." Arianna said with a grin.
They looked back up at the stars again, and when another shooting star crossed the sky, Arianna gasped and asked, "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"
"Yes."
Arianna looked up at him, and found him staring at her with a goofy smile on his face.
She blushed and said, "What was it?"
He reached his arms out and drew her into his arms.
"You."
He held her at arm's length after he hugged her and said, "You're the most amazing thing in my life Arianna. I seriously doubt my life would be this good if you weren't in it."
He cocked his head at her, and smiled his beautiful smile.
"You're blushing sweetheart," he said with a laugh.
"I am not." she said, pulling away. She knew that she was blushing, and now knowing that he saw it, made her face brighten even more.
She loved Clark Queen more than he thought, but he didn't need to know that.
"Arianna?"
Arianna wiped away her tears and looked up.
It was Peyton.
"Hey Peyton," she said lowly.
Peyton ran her fingers through her black hair and sighed.
She had been able to forget about Clark during school, but as she stood there and faced the tear streaked face of Arianna, it all came back to her.
"I wish he would have just stayed." Peyton said with a groan. Her older brother was causing such heartbreak in her family that she was beginning to hate him.
“I know what you mean. Your brother has been my best friend before you were even born. Doesn’t he understand how much he is hurting us?”
“Knowing him, I seriously doubt it. I’m sure he’s thinking of us, but not as much as he’s thinking of himself. Look, we all know that he’s hurting because of Zoe, but that doesn’t mean he could just keep running off like this whenever he feels like it. To be honest, I’m starting to despise your best friend.” Peyton said honestly. She had wanted to let that out for the longest time. She knew that if she had told her parents, that they would go psycho on her, so why not tell his best friend?
She would understand.
“Peyton, that’s not a good thing to feel towards your brother.” Arianna said, defending Clark.
“I can’t help Aria; it’s just the way I feel now.” Peyton stood up, and looked down at Arianna.
Even when she had runny make up, and her eyes were blood shot, Arianna was still beautiful. Barely any girls could pull a look like that off.
“Come on, let’s go home. I promise not to tell my parents that you left school before it even ended.”
As soon as both girls got back to the Queen Farm, they ran in to find the Queens.
Once they found them, Arianna asked, “Have you found him?”
“It’s nice to see you too.” Terrance Queen said with a soft chuckle.
Despite the circumstances, Arianna smirked.
“But no, we haven’t had word about him yet darlings. I’m sure he will come back when he’s ready. He always does.”
“But what if he doesn’t come back this time mom? What if he never shows his face around here again?” Peyton asked, livid.
“He will return Peyton. He will graduate.” Terrance said matter of factly.
“What makes you so sure?” Peyton asked as she sat down in the chair across from her father.
Her mother was already cooking supper. She was cutting tomatoes and carrots, and was coming in and out of the kitchen to speak to the others in her home.
Julie Anne darted her gaze at Arianna and frowned. Her long black hair was tangled from the wind, and her face was smeared from fresh tears.
Julie Anne knew how Arianna felt towards her son, and it broke her heart that Clark kept departing from her the way he was.
“Because, why would he want to throw away his life? It’s unnecessary. He even swore on his own life that he would graduate and head off to college after high school. I know that he will keep his word.” Terrance said proudly.
“He has already defied you once dad. Why would you trust him again?” Peyton questioned, still furious. She didn’t empathize how her father could believe him again. Last time he had made a promise to him, he broke it by running away a second time.
“I know my son Peyton. I know that he will come back and graduate if it’s the last thing he will ever do.” Terrance said in a voice that made it clear that he was through with their discussion.
“Fine, whatever you say.” Peyton left the table in a dreadful mood and ran up the stairs as quickly as she could. She couldn’t stand seeing their poignant expressions any longer.
“He’ll come back.” Terrance muttered under his breath, as though he were trying to make himself believe it.
“I hope you’re right…” Arianna whispered as she walked out of the dining room. As she walked out into the barn, and found herself in Clark’s loft, her hope was beginning to run out.
Terrible Things

“Let me guess, you left them all behind without saying bye right? Seriously, you need to quit doing that before they end up hating you.” River Sotari said when she saw Clark approaching her from across the warehouse.
When he reached her, he swept past her and sat at the desk where all the money was stacked. He just sat there and stared at it.
The money always piled up more whenever Clark got there to do his share of dealing. That’s why River had chosen to hire him in the first place.
He had come to her so committed that she couldn’t have said no. Besides, right when she saw him, she knew that she wanted to keep him around for as long as she could.
“Now that you’re here,” she said, since he had completely ignored what she said last, “we can get back to business.”
Clark grinned at her and looked at the money again.
Just looking at it, he could tell that it wasn’t money that you just saved up in your piggy bank since you were a young child.
The money that was stacked in front of him was from selling drugs, stealing and trading cars from and to clients and random individuals, and or dealers, and robbing banks and ATM’s.
The last time Clark was in Michigan with River and the guys, they had robbed Chemical Bank. They had been scouting the inside and outside of the building for weeks, and when it finally came to the perfect timing to rob them, it had turned out to be successful.
Clark had walked out of the building with the most cash, and because of this, he was highly respected in their “business”.
The police had never been able to track them down, and they were all glad for that.
Most of the men, including Clark at the beginning, were all rookies when it came to robbery. But to them, Clark was a pro after his first few tasks.
His first job ever with them was a few days after Zoe had broken up with him. He had tried to take his mind off of her by doing kick and fist boxing, but the last opponent he had, he had hurt the boy so bad that he had ended up in the hospital.
And when he had heard about a group of criminals that were now known as The Strikes, he went to find them.
And when he did, he knew it was the perfect thing for him.
What he was doing wasn't worthy, but he had to do something.
His first task was to steal the ATM from a corner store that River used to always go to as a kid.
Since the town was busy with festivals and since the street where the ATM was deserted, Clark and Pauli, another new recruit, were able to steal the ATM with graceful ease.
“What’s our next job?” Clark asked, trying not to sound interested.
This job was the only thing that could keep his mind off of Zoe. He knew that he was already letting Arianna and his family down, and if they were to ever find out what he was doing in Michigan, they would certainly be outrageously disappointed in him.
Clark knew that he had to get back home to finish school, but he didn’t want to just yet. Whatever the job was, it would come first. He would finish what was needed to be done, and he would leave to go back home to Ohio.
But for now, he belonged to The Strikes.
The police had called the gang The Strikes, because the gang would always strike banks, homes, car dealerships, and stores out of the blue.
“Boys gather around,” River yelled out to all the men that were in the warehouse.
The warehouse was a building that had been discarded when the authorities had found out that the last business owners and their coworkers had been slaughtered in the building by a near by mob. So River had bought the warehouse,