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    Earning the Cut
    Earning the Cut
    Earning the Cut
    Ebook98 pages1 hour

    Earning the Cut

    By Jayna Vixen

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    About this ebook

    Dax Jamison has had a rough start. His childhood is riddled with neglect and abuse, and at first, he fares no better in foster care. Then, he's placed with a family that he can tolerate, but Dax isn't exactly flourishing...until he meets Trisha Wagner. The two high school students fall in love. Just when he thinks his life is going to change, Dax finds that he just can't escape his troubled past as he is pulled into the world of motorcycle gangs and outlaws.

    This work can be categorized as young adult, romantic suspense, suspense, coming of age, and contemporary romance.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJayna Vixen
    Release dateApr 6, 2013
    ISBN9781301081912
    Earning the Cut
    Author

    Jayna Vixen

    Jayna Vixen is a popular indie author who writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and young adult fiction. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, young son (Jax, of course!) and a geriatric chihuahua. Follow Jayna on Facebook and Twitter for frequent updates regarding new releases.Let yourself be lured in...

    Read more from Jayna Vixen

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      Book preview

      Earning the Cut - Jayna Vixen

      titlepage

      Earning the Cut

      Copyright 2013 Jayna Vixen

      License Notes: 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 to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, or events used in this book are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, alive or deceased, events or locales is completely coincidental.

      Ebook formatting by Maureen Cutajar

      www.gopublished.com

      CONTENTS

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Author’s Note

      About the Author

      Other Works by Jayna Vixen

      CHAPTER ONE

      Hungry. That was the first sensation he could recall feeling. He was always hungry. Even when his stomach was full of whatever crap happened to be lying around after they were through, he was still hungry. As if he were a dog, they only threw him the scraps. He was a half-starved afterthought. Just something to be tolerated. Even though he was young, he was old enough to understand that he was meaningless to them. Opening the fridge revealed a half-eaten pizza. He gnawed at it. It was cold and it tasted funny. His tummy gurgled a familiar warning so he stopped eating. Sometimes the stomachache that followed eating the funny food was worse than the hunger pains. Tired, he slumped down on the couch to wait for Mommy.

      ***

      Laughter met his ears but it wasn’t funny. The room spun around and around. It wasn’t like when you twirled in circles. It was worse than that time on the merry-go-round. But, the dizziness passed once they got off the ride. This was much worse. The bad feeling wouldn’t go away. He felt sick, oh so sick. He threw up on the old brown couch. Mommy was there. He thought she would be mad at him, but to his surprise, she was mad at the man instead. She yelled and he covered his ears. It was hard to tell if she was mad at him, too. She was always mad.

      You gave him beer? He’s only six!

      The man laughed again.

      That’s the last time I leave you alone with him, Trey!

      ***

      They moved a lot, so the schoolyard was always different, but the way he was treated never changed. The other kids made fun of him. They pushed him around. They said his clothes were ugly. They called him Skunk ’cause they said he stunk like one. He knew they were right. The other kids had new shoes with no holes in them. No dirt under their nails. They had shiny new lunchboxes filled with food. Sometimes, he had half a burger or some cold chicken nuggets from the night before. The red apples looked so good. He was so hungry. He tried to take one from Tommy Gill, who had two, and Tommy pushed him. He fell in the dirt. A hole opened up in his patched, too-big jeans. His knee bled. The other kids laughed. They called him Loser and Reject. He wanted to fight back, but he was so tired. And weak.

      The classroom was warm, even though it was cold outside. There were desks to sit at. He had his very own desk! With a nametag and everything. D-A-X-T-E-R. It was his own desk. He loved it. Inside, there were books and pencils and paints and everything. He wanted to stay there, in the classroom with his own desk forever, but when the bell rang he had to go home. He dreaded the bell every day, even though the other kids seemed excited when it rang. He was confused. Why would anyone ever want to go home?

      His teacher was pretty. She wore floaty dresses and she never yelled. But even though Mrs. Thomas had a kind smile, he was still wary of her. Sometimes when Mommy smiled, she was not happy, she was mad. Mrs. Thomas smiled at him a lot. She ruffled his hair, even though he flinched when she touched him. He had to stay inside today, she said. No recess. He was in trouble and he was scared. No recess meant he broke a rule, but he didn’t know what it was. Breaking the rules meant a punishment. He had gotten really good at figuring out the rules. But this time, he had no idea what he had done wrong. He looked down at his sneakers, his big toe poking out the front. He was too big, Mommy said. He outgrew his shoes too fast.

      Is everything okay at home, Dax?

      He jerked his head up to look at Mrs. Thomas. Her belly stuck out ‘cause she had a baby in it. He knew that, ’cause Mommy’s friend had a baby in her tummy, too. Her name was Sheila. Sheila was nice, sometimes, but the last time he saw her she cried. She was upset ’cause her belly was getting too big and she couldn’t ride the ’cycle with Trey’s friend. Trey’s friend had a new Sheila, said Mommy. Dax liked the ’cycles. They made a loud, rumbly noise that made him sleepy inside. You could just get on one and ride away. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to be big and ride one himself.

      Dax? Are you okay? Mrs. Thomas’s voice sounded funny, like she was going to cry or something. He nodded, like Mommy said to do.

      Well, honey, we are going to have to call your parents. We need to talk about some things. I want you to know that you have done nothing wrong. Dax?

      He started to shake, his thin shoulders rubbing against the frayed material of his borrowed coat. He had done something wrong. He glared at Mrs. Thomas. She wasn’t nice at all! She was going to get him in big trouble. Mommy wouldn’t like coming to talk to the teacher. Mommy didn’t wake up until after he got off the bus. She didn’t like getting up early. It gave her a headache. She would be mad. Trey would be mad. He hung his head quietly, imagining the beating that would surely follow Mrs. Thomas’ phone call.

      ***

      They wouldn’t let him get on the bus so he waited in the office. Mommy came and she was really angry. She put on her smiley face, but he knew she was mad because her eyes were mad. Even though she was angry, Mommy looked pretty. She had brushed her blond hair and she was wearing her good jacket and clean boots. He shuffled his feet and the nice lady showed him a place to sit and wait. He waited. His tummy grumbled. He could hear muffled voices coming from behind the closed door. He was afraid to listen.

      The nice lady in the office appeared. She looked worried, he thought. Or mad. He wasn’t sure; it was hard to tell. Loud, angry voices came from the

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