Pushing The Limits: Take Me On Part 40

"Good Feeling," by Flo Rida

When Haley sneaks West into her room:

"Secrets," by OneRepublic

The fight in the cage:

"Eye of the Tiger," by Survivor

Songs that Represent Haley and West's future:

"Price Tag," by Jessie J (feat. B.o.B.) "Heaven," by Warrant Read on for a bonus PUs.h.i.+NG THE LIMITS novella, CROSSING THE LINE!

Crossing the Line Katie McGarry Contents

Introduction.

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.

Epilogue.

Dear Lincoln, I saw this card today and thought of you. I know that I wasn't who you came to meet, but I'm glad we had a chance to talk. Even though I was just his little sister's best friend, Aires still felt like a brother to me.

Between you and me, I keep smiling when I think of the look on your face when we decided to sneak out of the wake without being caught. That was a strange, messed-up night, and I'm grateful you were there to help me through it.

I know how I miss Aires, so I can only imagine how you miss Josh. Just remember that I'm thinking of you.

Can I write you again? Will you write back? I hope you do. I sort of feel like we were meant to meet.

~ Lila Dear Lila, Thank you for the card. I'm going to admit, I'm not much of a kitten guy, but I appreciate the thought. Mostly, I appreciate your note.

Yeah, I agree, the night of Aires's funeral was messed up, but messed up in a good way. Mom and Dad thought if we met Aires's family that it would help us with losing Josh. I thought Mom and Dad had it all jacked up, and in a way, they did. It wasn't meeting Aires's family that helped, it was talking to you-so thanks.

And no, I don't mind if you want to write me again. Even if you do it in one of those kitten-hanging-from-a-tree cards.

~ Lincoln Lincoln Is it weird that I feel close to you even though you're hundreds of miles away and we've only met once? I hope not. I'm glad that you're in my life.

~ Lila On the computer screen, the question "Why?" glares at me like the correct accusation it is. This dialogue between Lila and me, it breaks every unsaid rule about our relations.h.i.+p. We never plug in like this. Never. Not that part of me hasn't wanted a faster connection to her. A link beyond the letters, but there was something about the written word that made our relations.h.i.+p safe.

And now we're crossing lines. The one relations.h.i.+p I need, the one relations.h.i.+p I depend on...I've jacked it up. Fitting since I have a natural inclination toward destroying anything good. It's genetic, my sister tells me. Anyone sharing our bloodline is inherently doomed.

"You should have talked to me before buying it," my father shouts at my mother in the kitchen. "I made a budget."

My home is a volcano, a constant gurgle of hot lava on the verge of explosion. I try to ignore my parents, but it's difficult. We have one computer in the house, and it sits wide open in the family room. From the corner of my eye, I have a clear shot of how Dad's hands shake with anger and how Mom's frustration paints her cheeks a frightening scarlet.

"Why should I have to ask your permission for anything?" A chair slams into the wooden kitchen table and Mom's high heels stomp against the tile floor. "It's my money, too. And as for the budget-you never asked me what I wanted."

I asked you why. Lila's words appear on our direct message conversation.

I rub at the lines on my forehead, and a tense uneasiness paralyzes my fingers over the keyboard. I don't know why I did it. That's a lie, I do know, but I don't know how to tell her. I don't know how to salvage this.

I'm sorry, I reply.

I didn't ask for an apology, she rapid-fires back, I asked WHY!

Because I love you. It's as if someone places two hands around my heart and chokes it. I love her. I've fallen for a girl I met only once, a girl I've exchanged letters with for two years. There's no way she can feel the same about me. Those words would push her over the edge.