TLS Special SNEAK PEEK Feature

The Lemonade Stand has spent years bringing you the best the fandom has to offer and we are very excited to have the chance to offer you MORE. We've watched stories grow and develop from first post through COMPLETE in The Nursery and now we're sharing previews of  the stories that will soon be your new addiction. 

This month, the exciting new talent allihavetodoisdream, author of the stand-out story Hollywood, shares a little detail on her upcoming story Dark Paradise with us.

I didn’t like the way he looked at me.

I never did.

Bella has a dreamer’s mind, an artist’s soul, a heart of gold. She lives in a make-believe world of open roads and endless freedom to escape an addiction-riddled mother and whispered words of hate in school. To escape a grabby older man with sick intentions.

He always found excuses to touch me, to run his hand down my arm or brush his fingers on my cheek. I would hold still and be quiet, staring up at him with my empty eyes until he stopped.  He’d laugh, say something cruel.

Mom was always too high to notice.

Finally, adrift in a world of uncaring hearts, Bella makes her escape. She finds a ratty old motel, late night smokes, a new life, and a boy with a past as dark as her own. A boy with a dark gentleness too beautiful to ignore.

“Where do you work?” I ask, noticing all the oil on his work shirt.

“Car garage. Down the road.” He tilts his head vaguely in the right direction, but he never looks away from the sky. There’s longing in his gaze, longing that’s achingly familiar to me and different at the same time.

He’s got old, sad eyes.

“Every man I’ve ever known who works at a car garage has a golden heart,” I murmur.

This makes him turn his gaze back to me. I see now that his big eyes are hazel and absolutely fascinating. He stares for a moment, and then he smirks. It makes his dimples appear again, and it makes one eye squint, almost like he’s winking. He flicks his cigarette out and stands up, shrugging.

"Well, maybe you’ve just met an exception.” He winks good-naturedly and starts for his room. “Night, mystery girl.”

“Goodnight,” I call back softly.

His words were light, but the meaning was heartfelt.

He hates himself.

It’s a feeling I can relate to.

Dark Paradise is inspired by Lana Del Rey’s music video Ride. I just thought the character Lana portrayed in that video was so unique and captivating, and I wondered more about her, about her past and what had brought her to that certain point in her life. So I imagined a life for her and thus came this fanfic! I hope whoever decides to read it will enjoy!  (:

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Don't forget to pop Lila on alert so you don't miss out!

♥ Kim