Read The Ending Beginnings: Clara (An Ending Series Novella) (The Ending Series) for Free Online

time.”
    “Did
someone pick on you when you were in elementary school?”
    “Of
course! Kids are horrible. Especially the rich, pretty ones. But there are
things you can do to make things right, to turn them around. Nothing’s set in
stone, Beth. Everything changes, the hierarchy in high school, your sheets, the
government, a giant piece of glass can be broken into tiny shards…can you think
of anything that never changes at all?”
    Beth
frowned and shook her head.
    “Exactly.
So popularity and social status…all of that can change, too. Buy a nicer car,
and people will automatically see you differently. It’s easy to make things
better for yourself.”
    “What
did you do to make things better for you ?”
    Clara
let out a harsh laugh. “Everything I could. I stole my mom’s clothes so I
didn’t have to wear my old, ratty ones…and I watched countless videos of how to
put on makeup and what to say to boys. I read books, studied movies, and memorized
lines from my favorite romances…” Clara let out a deep breath.
    “Sounds
like a lot of work.” Beth started coughing again.
    “Yeah,
well if you don’t put in the work, you stay at the bottom and continue to get
pushed around. People are lazy, and they simply accept their lot in life,
something I refuse to do.”
    “Well,
I think I’d like to try that when I get a little better.”
    “Yeah?”
Clara nudged Beth with her elbow. “I’ll help you, and then we’ll show them all
that you’re not the pushover they all think you are.”
    Beth
smiled. “Maybe Alicia will start being nice to me.”
    Clara
smirked. “Oh, she will.” Clara leaned over to set the book on the coffee table.
Strangely, her time with Beth had helped her shake the growing sickness, and
she felt invigorated.
    “What’s
number three?” Beth asked, nestling down further under the blanket.
    “What?”
    “You
said there were three rules.”
    Clara’s
eyes narrowed. “Yeah, there’s a third one…but it’s not as easily attained as
the rest.”
    “Why?
What is it?”
    Clara
glared at Beth. “Something about the princess always getting the prince.” Her voice
was cold.
     “Why
doesn’t it work?”
    “It
doesn’t matter,” Clara spat. “It’s not like you have a prince you’re trying to
catch.” Pushing the blanket off her legs, Clara stood up and walked over to the
window beside the wall-mounted TV. She gazed down at the snow-covered grounds, enjoying
how pristine and icy everything appeared. The tops of the hedges lining the
drive were barely visible, and the birds were restricted to leafless branches
as they played in the sunny afternoon.
    Nearly
blinded by the glare coming off the snow, Clara closed her eyes. As much as she
wanted to never think about him again, she couldn’t contain the whirlwind of
memories.
     
    Clara had been
on her seventh lap around the track, unwinding from a tedious day of classes
and keeping up appearances. As she came around the final bend, approaching the
water bottle she was using as a mile marker, she knew that once she passed it,
she would be done and could shower, put on clean clothes, and head back to her
dorm to freshen up before going out for a night on the town.
    She loved
being in Boulder; it was so different from Bristow. There were possibilities
here. She was finally away from all the drama and could be comfortable in her
own skin and focus on her future. Boulder was her fresh start, and college was…promising.
There were tons of cute boys and potential Prince Charmings. She loved it.
    But while Clara
was lost in frivolous thoughts, she misstepped and tripped, landing on the turf
with a shooting pain in her ankle. “Shit.” A sprained ankle would ruin her
plans for the night.
    Clara pulled
up the spandex of her jogging pants as a shadow was cast over her. She peered
up and squinted into the sun, trying to see who was approaching.
    “That looked
like a bad one,” a young man said, his voice low and playful. “Are