EXCERPT #2
As I picked up the cold, stupid, heavy thing, my mind began
racing for excuses. I came out to
find it shattered, I could say, but then they would promptly ask me where I
was. They wouldn’t quite believe it got broken at Margot’s house, a house
safely tucked inside a gated community.
I accidentally smacked the seat belt into it. Except I wasn’t sure
you could even break a window with a seat belt. Plus, if they found out it was
even remotely my fault, I’d be grounded until they shipped me off to college.
Margot might know someone
who could fix a broken window. The girls at Eastview might, too—they were
resourceful. Street-smart. That’s how I got my fake ID. I just had to hide the
damage for a night. I could say I left my windows rolled down because…well, I’d
have to think of a reason why. How hard could it be?
I stood back from the
car, lifting the cement piece. Drawing in an icy breath, I squeezed my eyes
shut, and then I—
“Whoa, what are you
doing?”
The sound of someone’s
voice so close to me made me yelp in surprise, whirling around, cement still
poised to throw.
“Don’t shoot,” he quickly
got out, and then winced.
Harry stood a few feet
from me, a light-wash jean jacket over his shoulders, wind threading its
fingers through his auburn hair. His eyes were wide, his eyebrows raised. Both
hands were level with his shoulders, and looped around a finger in one hand
hung his car keys.
For a second, I just
stood staring at him, watching as his eyes darted from me to the rock in my
hand to the SUV.
“It’s my car,” I told
him, my voice even.
“That’s good,” he
replied, but I couldn’t tell if he fully believed me. His expression was
unreadable. “Why, exactly, are you about to shatter your window?”
“My keys.” The confusion
didn’t clear from his gaze. “They’re inside.” And then I added, with a gesture
at the car, “It’s locked.”
Good grief, Stella, where’s that flirty attitude from last weekend? Apparently
it’d gotten locked in the car along with my keys.
Harry eyed the cement
piece. “Seems a bit extreme. Why not call someone to bring a spare set?”
“Can’t.” Get a grip, Destelle.
After another second of
silence, the tension left from his mouth. “One sec,” he said after a moment,
taking a backward step. He pointed a finger at the cement in my hand. “You
should put that down.”
“Not through the car window,” I said for clarification, my
voice finally gaining some of its life back.
It caused Harry to smile.
“Definitely not.”
4 comments:
This sounds really good.
Sounds great!
I love the cover. It sets the tone for the book.
Love the cover
Post a Comment