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When Liz moves to a new high school, she hopes for a fresh start. School is her escape from the violence at home and her only hope for breaking the cycle of
poverty she was born into. Trying to shield her siblings from her stepfather's fury gets harder each day so when she meets Logan, she thinks it will be a
harmless distraction from the fear.
She's Wrong.
Logan has the resources to change her life but at what cost? Her relationship is the best thing that ever happened to her but it could also be the worst. If she's
not careful, she may lose everyone that's important to her. But it's hard to be careful when you're fifteen and in love.
For readers 16+
Excerpt:
When
I walked into the cafeteria to pick up a salad and diet Coke, I found
Allie and Jen already in line. Jumping in with them, we quickly paid
for our food and went in search of Kim…and Austin.
It
didn’t take long for us to find her at the front of the school. She
was sitting on a retaining wall near the flagpole with a group of
older guys around her. Of course. I didn’t recognize Austin but
when I walked up to her, he stepped in front of me to introduce
himself.
“Liz,
right? We have French together. I thought I recognized you.” He
gave me a hug that I wasn’t expecting. My arms instinctively
wrapped around him and brushed against his muscular back. He was tall
and slim but had a country boy style that we didn’t see very often
in the burbs. Kim wasn’t kidding when she said he’d grown up. He
still seemed goofy, with a toothy grin on his face, but he was less
awkward that I remembered. And his hair was now cut very short with
just some wavy curls on the top of his head. It was good look.
“Hey,
Austin. It’s great to see you. I didn’t even realize you were in
my class. I was just trying not to sound like an idiot when I
introduced myself en français.” I laughed awkwardly because he was
still holding me even though we weren’t really hugging anymore.
Allie
and Jen also said hi and that broke the spell that had Austin holding
my biceps like I was about to keel over. Maybe I was. I was
definitely in shock at his overly warm welcome.
While
they talked about their summer and the classes they had that morning,
I glanced around at the other people in the group. There were about
six guys that I didn’t recognize that had obviously been with
Austin before he started talking to us. They were all older, juniors
or seniors, and seemed to be checking us out. Well, they were mostly
checking out Kim but one guy was staring at me.
He
had dark brown hair and deep hunter green eyes that seemed to be
glued to me every time I glanced in his direction. His strong jaw
line was perfectly kissable and made me wonder what it would feel
like under my fingertips. Or my lips. His straight hair hung down
over his eyes a little and matched the super model vibe he was giving
off. And there was something about his intense stare that gave me
chills. I couldn’t tell if they were the good kind or the bad kind
but his cool and confident demeanor made me feel even more insecure
under his gaze.
His
tan skin looked like he’d just stepped off the beach and I wondered
why he was watching me. I couldn’t help rubbing my nose and running
my tongue over my teeth to make sure I didn’t have something green
in either spot. When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I turned my back
to the group and pulled a small mirror out of my purse to check my
face. Nothing seemed wrong.
When
I turned back around, the guy that had been watching me and one of
his friends were standing right beside Austin. Without breaking eye
contact with me, he nudged Austin.
“Hey,
Auz, who are your friends?” Austin looked up and realized he was
staring at me so I was his first introduction.
“This
is Liz. She didn’t go here last year but I knew her in middle
school. You probably remember Kim from last year. She’s a sophomore
now. And these two are Jen and Allie.” He gestured to us then
looked back to his friends. “Ladies, this is Logan Cooper and
that’s Randy Thompson hiding behind him.”
“Liz.
It’s nice to meet you.” Logan took a step closer to me and held
out his hand. “Are you a sophomore too?” His voice was smooth as
honey. It made me want to crawl up his chest to get closer.
“Yeah.
You?” Well, no one ever accused me of being witty.
“Senior.
You know, I feel like I’ve met you before but I know I wouldn’t
forget a face like yours.” He stared, looking over my whole face,
finally letting his eyes stop at my mouth. Then he leaned into Randy
and whispered something in his ear. Randy looked back at me and
nodded his head.
I
could feel my face blush as I braced myself for what was coming next.
This could go very badly so I had to either confront whatever they
had to say or avoid them. As much as I wanted to walk away, curiosity
got the better of me.
“What?”
I asked, feeling more than a bit defensive at the secret they shared
about me.
“You
remind me of someone.” Logan smiled wide and his dimples made me
forget to feel nervous about who I reminded him of. “Randy’s
ex-girlfriend. You kinda look like her…but you’re way hotter.”
“Yeah
right.” I turned around and walked a few feet to where Allie and
Jen were talking. They were pretending not to listen but everyone
within fifteen feet was following our conversation. It was too much
of a spectacle to ignore. One of the most gorgeous guys in school was
talking to a new girl, a sophomore, when her beautiful and busty
friend was nearby. Clearly, it had to be a ploy to get at Kim.
“It’s
true.”
I
was trying to ignore the voice behind me but I couldn’t. My body
turned toward him, desperate to change the subject to something less
focused on my appearance.
“Whatever.
I’m sure she’s just adorable,” I said in a snarky tone.
“I
mean it.” He wasn’t quite whispering but it was obvious he was
trying to speak just to me. “I used to think she was really pretty
but now, compared to you, I can see I was wrong. Your blue eyes are
amazing. And your hair…I love long hair.” He reached forward and
twirled a curl around his finger.
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