“I'm Lucy,” she said as she held out her hand for him to shake.
He took it and smiled. “I'm Jesse. It's nice to meet you, Lucy.”
She gave him her brightest smile as I stood frozen.
“And this is Emma,” Lucy introduced me.
He held out his hand to me, and mine rose on its own to meet his. When our hands touched, I felt like I'd been shocked, and I pulled back quickly.
“It's nice to meet both of you,” he said politely.
“Uh, yeah. You, too,” I said lamely. I knew Lucy was going to have a field day with this later.
“Anyway, can you point me in the direction of the office?” he asked again.
“Oh, right. Of course.” I turned and pointed to the doors where several students were walking through to go to their first class. “Just go through those doors and make a left. It's right down the hall.”
He smiled. “Thanks so much for your help.”
I watched as he walked around us and made his way through the doors.
“Holy shit. I think I'm in love,” Lucy groaned as she stared at the empty spot where he'd just been standing.
“Wow,” was all I could manage to get out. My brain wasn't functioning at the moment.
“Yeah, wow. I don't think I've ever seen you freeze up like that,” she teased.
“I just…wow. I don't know what happened.”
“I think we both have it bad,” she said as we walked up the rest of the steps and headed into our school.
I remembered him pulling in with his piece of crap car. “I wonder who he is. He has to be a new student since I've never seen him before, but I don't see how since he drove up in that thing.”
“Maybe he's one of the scholarship kids,” she suggested.
“Scholarship kids?” I asked stupidly.
“Do you ever pay attention? Coach Sanchez was just talking about it the other day at practice. I guess the school awarded scholarships this year to two or three kids from across town. They normally attend the public school over there.”
“Oh,” I said.
“Yeah, oh. That has to be it. I would have remembered seeing that guy before now. He's not exactly someone you can forget.”
“So, if he went to the public school, he must be poor,” I said, sounding disappointed. There was no way I would ever be able to get to know him. My mother wouldn't allow it.
“Do you realize how snobby you just sounded? I swear to God your mother's voice just came out of your mouth.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean. My mom would never let me associate with someone like him.”
“Because he isn't rich?” Lucy asked sarcastically.
“Because he isn't rich.”
“Your mom is a bitch.”
“And so is yours. They both run in the same circles, you know.”
To me, this is the hardest part of a book to write. There are so many people who have helped me, and I know I will miss a few.
To my husband—Without you, I would never have finished any of my books. You’re my rock.
To my parents—You listen to me and help me with everything I need. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you.
To my blogger friends—Gah! I can’t say thanks enough times to all of you. You’re not just bloggers to me. You’re my friends. Without you, no one would even know who K.A. Robinson is. No one would know who Drake is. (That would be a damn shame right there, wouldn’t it?) Your support means so much to me.
To my “real-life” friends—Thank you for dealing with my constant absence. I know it’s hard to get a hold of me. I get so into writing that I forget to live sometimes. You’re always there to drag me back to reality. I love you!
To my author friends: Tabatha, Katelynn, Sophie, Tijan, and several others I know I’m forgetting—I love you. Seriously. You guys keep me calm, help me when I need it, and remind me to eat. I feel so blessed to call you my friends.
To my readers—Your response to Chloe and Drake has been overwhelming. I never imagined that so many of you would care about these two characters the way you do. You guys continue to rock my world on a daily basis. I love you all to pieces.
To Letitia—You make the best covers. Ever. Thank you!
To Jovana—You deserve a medal for dealing with my crazy self and for reading the unedited mess of a book that I send to you. You rock!
K.A. Robinson is twenty-three years old and lives in a small town in West Virginia with her toddler son and husband. She is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of The Torn Series. When she’s not writing, she loves to read, usually something with zombies in it. She is also addicted to coffee, mainly Starbucks and Caribou Coffee.
Her latest novel, Shattered Ties, was released on November 12, 2013.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/karobinson13
Twitter: @karobinsonautho
Blog: www.authorkarobinson.blogspot.com
Tainted Page 18
