Sincerely,
Bianca Barnes
I’ll admit that the letter was a little childish. It wasn’t so much the letter itself that was important, as what it symbolized: the new and improved Bianca, complete with attitude adjustment. I folded the paper back up and stepped toward the fire, then kissed the note and threw it in the flames. I watched as it crumbled into ash, then floated away across the cool evening breeze. Never again would superstition keep me from going after what I wanted, because I was a good person and I deserved to be happy. Standing here in Cameron’s arms was all the proof I needed.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you so much for taking a chance on me as a first time author. If you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it, please leave a review online and spread the word. Every sale or review helps get my name out there. I have more books in the pipeline so visit my website and sign up for my newsletter if you’d like to know when and what is coming next or follow my author page on Facebook.
Website: robindanielsbooks.wordpress.com/
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I couldn’t have done this without a lot of help. Thanks to my husband, Alan, and my beautiful children for your patience throughout this process. A big thanks to my editor Jen for being awesome and taking on my project even though she was already super busy. Thank you to Mom, Callie, Lenore, Karie, LauraLyn, Amanda and Colleen for reading the beta draft and giving such positive coments. It gave me the confidence to actually publish the dang thing. An extra special thank you to Josh for the cover design and formatting, everything looks amazing.
And finally, thanks to my baby sister Kelly Oram. This book wouldn’t have happened without your feedback, instruction and general help. Trying to walk in your shoes has given me a greater appreciation for your talent and hard work. (Even though I was already your biggest fan.) You’ve been so gracious about me attempting to do your thing. Twenty years ago, if the roles had been reversed, I’d have thrown a temper tantrum. But you’ve been incredibly cool and supportive. You’re an awesome sister and friend. I don’t deserve you!
Robin Daniels is a wife, mother of five and avid consumer of books. She loves reading SO much that she was actually grounded from it as a twelve year old. No Joking! Her mom caught her reading when she was supposed to be cleaning, which was a common occurrence. At that point she was instructed to go watch TV or play outside like a normal kid. Robin is also a sucker for home design shows and magazines, and has a very co-dependent relationship with a certain diet soda who’s brand shall not be named. (Though anyone with a similar problem could probably guess which one.)
SNEAK PEEK
PERFECTLY YOU
by Robin Daniels
CHAPTER 1
Blah, blah, blah, blah… I was hearing Rob’s words but they weren’t registering.
“I can’t believe you used to make out with him,” Lilly leaned over and whispered while shaking her head; a look of disbelief on her face. She’s my best friend, so her expression should be a look of disgust. But, it’s hard to express disgust when your eyes are full of lust and wonder.
My mouth tightened and my lips pursed. Squinting, I drew in a large breath through my nose. Why did I date him for so long?
I leaned toward Lilly and responded through the side of my mouth. “I think I was suffering from a massive brain fart for most of freshman year. Plus, I had an extra thick pair of beer goggles permanently strapped to my eyeballs.”
Lilly looked confused by the beer reference, since I never drink, so I followed up with an explanation. “You know how super drunk guys are willing to hook up with ugly chicks? Their beer goggles have clouded their judgment.” Lilly nodded in understanding. “Well, my goggles worked the opposite way. I was drunk on the relationship high and the popularity that came with dating Robert Emerson, so, all I saw was his gorgeous face and hot body. I was completely blind to his rotten personality. Narcissism is definitely not hot.”
“Do you have something important to share with the rest of the group, Ivy?” Rob pinned me with a hard stare and waited for my response.
The easiest way to pull his attention from me was to redirect it back on him. If there was one thing Rob loved, it was being the center of attention. “Actually, Lilly and I were just talking about how much we loved your idea of turning this year’s auction into a dinner too.”
I smiled as eagerly as I could fake, waiting to see if my distraction worked. I actually thought the dinner was a horrible idea. It’d cost a lot of money, take a lot of time, and need a lot of manpower. It was a huge component being added to an already big project—an addition that would have a massive overhead expense, causing us to earn less money overall. But, once Rob has spoken, his word is law. If he wanted a dinner, then he’d get a dinner. It’d be less work for me not to fight it.
Rob stared at me a moment longer before returning my smile. “It is a really good idea, isn’t it?”
He verbally patted himself on the back, not like he needed to. There were twenty-three other people in the room willing to pat it for him. He was, after all, Franklin High School’s golden boy. A walking, talking, Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement: tall, blond hair, tan skin, blue eyes, perfect teeth, great abs, and to top it all off, rich beyond reason. Most people were wearing beer goggles when it came to Rob Emerson. He looked great and could be very charming when it suited him. Very few recognized his less than admirable qualities. He was conceited, self-absorbed, and condescending, especially if he didn’t find you his equal. And in Rob’s mind, nobody was his equal.
Rob nodded at my approval and went back to droning on. I still wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Lately, when Rob spoke, all I heard was blah, blah, blah, blah… I should’ve been listening, he was our student body president. But I was getting sick of his leadership methods. Even though I’d been elected Vice President, Rob ran everything like a dictatorship. He wouldn’t be so successful if I weren’t the only person unaffected by his perfect exterior. Rob was like the Manchurian Candidate. How do you compete with that?
I guess charisma and beauty were the only things important in high school politics. No wonder our country was such a mess. Rob was exactly the type of person my peers wanted to representrepresenting them because they were too foolish to get informed. I took a good look at the kids seated around me and realized that many of them would be voting in our country’s next presidential election. The thought made me shudder.
“So, Ivy, how are we coming on volunteers for the Auction? You have enough participants, I assume. The deadline for name submission is today.”
Rob was speaking in his usual condescending tone. But, as his unfortunate right hand in student government, and his ex-girlfriend, I rarely accepted his air of superiority without sarcasm or general rudeness. “Of course, your highness.” I bowed my head to him in mock reverence. “As head of the auction committee and one of your most loyal subjects, I can assure you that everything is in order and will be presented to Principal Anderson this afternoon.” My sarcasm was thick enough to cut.
Rob shot me a death glare. Most of the room was silent, except a few people who were snickering under their breath. It was Lilly who broke the tension when she yelled, “Damn!” Only it came out “Dayuuum!” and was accompanied by fingers snapping while her chin jerked side to side. The whole display was utterly ridiculous coming from Lilly’s tiny frame and fiery red head, but it had the desired effect—the entire council erupted into laughter. Well, everyone except Rob and his girlfriend Sophia Hill. That girl was a piece of work, perfect for Rob in every single way. A match made in trust fund heaven.
My transgression of disrespecting our benevolent leader was temporarily forgotten, so I tried to smooth things over while I could. “Seriously, though, Rob, I only need one more volunteer and I’m confident I can find one by the end of the day.”
I smiled politely. I did have to work with him for the rest of the year and I
wasn’t a complete hag. I could be civil. Probably.
Rob gave me a curt nod and said “Good” before closing the meeting. It was Monday morning and the dismissal bell was about to ring. The student council got to meet each day as their very own homeroom class. This was super convenient because most of us were real overachievers—schedules booked up tight after school. In addition to student council, I played volleyball in the fall, ran track in the spring, and took photos for the yearbook committee. I also belonged to the National Honor Society and Student Art Association.
Lilly was one of the only people who didn’t need meetings to take place during school. Her extra-curricular activities consisted of supporting me in mine. As far as student government went, she was only along for the ride. Same as everything else in her life. Lilly was whimsical and carefree, but fiercely loyal. It’d been easy to talk her into joining the student council.
I thought I was off the hook but right before I walked out the door, Rob yelled out to me. “Hey Ivy, can I talk to you for a minute?”
I heaved a sigh and turned to my best friend. “Go ahead without me. You don’t need to endure the tongue lashing I’m about to get.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying. It’s a best friend’s job to act as a buffer you know.”
Rob strode out the door and stopped, placing himself between my feisty little best friend and me as if she wasn’t even there. Lilly’s jaw fell, incredulous at his blatant disrespect. Luckily, his back was to her so he couldn’t see her middle-fingered salute. I smirked at the gesture then tried to focus on what Rob was saying.
“What the hell was that in there, Ivy?”
“Whatever do you mean, Robert?”
“You know exactly what I mean. You’re always being disrespectful and trying to make me look stupid at meetings. I’m running the student council professionally but you undermine my efforts daily. You, are the vice president. You, should be showing me more respect than anyone.”
Anger flared up inside me. I should be showing him the most respect? Who did he think he was? I tried to compose myself before I spoke. “Where exactly in my job description does it state: give total respect to your student body president, even if he’s a conceited jackass?”
“I’m not the one acting like a jackass here, Ivy.” He obviously wanted me to admit my own jackassery. Yeah, not happening. Rob waited for my response, arms folded across his chest, tapping his foot like a petulant child.
I looked over his shoulder and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. Lilly was mocking him to his back. She’d assumed his pose—arms folded, foot tapping, angry glare on her face. When I didn’t answer Rob right away, he continued with his lecture, but as he spoke, Lilly’s mouth started moving silently. She did a very good Rob impersonation.
“Ivy, if we want the student body to respect us as leaders, we need to present a united front. Badmouthing me in front of everyone isn’t the way to gain that respect. It makes me look stupid, and it makes you look immature.”
“I’m not immature, I’m just pointing out what everyone else is blind to.”
“And what is that, exactly?” Rob was getting exasperated.
“That you’re so self-centered, you expect everyone to bend to your will. Did you ever stop to think that other people can have good ideas too? That maybe you aren’t the only person on the council who’s capable of getting things done? It’s like the Rob Show in there all the freaking time. I’m V.P. for heaven’s sake. You shouldn’t publically check on everything I do like I’m a kid putting off chores. You say you want to present a united front, but all you do is show everyone you don’t trust me to do my job. I’m a competent individual and more than capable of getting things done, without you nagging me like you’re my mother.”
To his credit, Rob’s glare softened slightly and his voice was a lot calmer when responding to my outburst. He uncrossed his arms and threw them up in a gesture of surrender. Lilly threw hers up too. The fact that he was totally unaware of the performance being given behind him, only reaffirmed how self-absorbed he was.
“Listen Ivy, I know that you hate me. I don’t know what I did to you, but ever since you dumped me freshman year, there’s been lots of tension between us. We could avoid each other easy enough before, but now we have to cooperate and at least be civil. If we don’t, this is going to be a really long year. And there’s still a lot of year left.”
So, Rob was taking the high road huh? This was new, very diplomatic of him. Maybe he realized that I wasn’t the kind of person you wanted to have on your bad side. I sure as heck knew he wasn’t expressing humility. Rob Emerson didn’t know the meaning of the word. He waited again for me to respond, and I knew I had to make a decision. I could continue to be supremely annoyed by Rob and his one-man government, or I could play nice and try to change how things were run; hopefully, making student council a more enjoyable experience for everyone. This should have been an easy decision, but the part of me that was a giant brat wanted to make him suffer.
“Fine.” I sighed. If Rob could be a grown-up, then I suppose I could to. “I’ll stop mocking you in front of everyone, if you promise to stop treating me like a five-year-old. And, you needhave to promise to let other people get involved. Stop being so bossy and treat the rest of the student council like your peers instead of your minions.” I held out my hand waiting for him to shake it. “Truce?”
Rob’s mouth twitched up on one side, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips. He grabbed my hand and shook it firmly. Such a polished politician. “Truce,” he agreed as the warning bell for first period rang.
Rob turned to leave, smacking straight into Lilly, who happened to be only inches behind him. She put on a mask of innocence and stepped out of his way as he walked back into the classroom. Once Rob was far enough away, Lilly and I burst into laughter. We both had first period across the hall so we headed inside, still giggling over Lilly’s theatrics.
“You do an excellent Rob Emerson, my friend,” I said. “Too bad I just promised not to mock him anymore, because it’d make a really good sketch for the opening of the auction.”
Lilly shot me a wicked grin. “Speak for yourself. You’re the one who said you wouldn’t openly mock him. I made no such promise.”
“Well, at least one of us can still have some fun.” I pouted.
“You can still have fun,” Lilly insisted, wrapping her arms around me. “You just have to be a little more discrete about it.”
I smiled at Lilly, my best friend since seventh grade; instantly bonded by the fact that Jeff Morris thought it was hilarious to tease us about being named after plants. Ever since then, we’d been stuck together at the roots…pun intended. She was basically my polar opposite—her long, curly, bright red hair to my shoulder length strawberry blond bob. Her big, round, brown eyes to my almond shaped blue ones. She had the standard ginger complexion—fair with some freckles across her nose—while I was moderately tan and freckle free. Her petite five-foot-two body was dwarfed when she stood next to my athletic five-foot-eight frame. I think she weighed maybe a hundred pounds, soaking wet.
The differences didn’t stop in the physical department; our personalities couldn’t be more opposite either. I was your classic Type A personality. I liked to be responsible and in control, an overachiever and perfectionist. I was also a candid person which, in my opinion, was one of my greatest strengths, but admittedly, also one of my biggest weaknesses. Most of the people I knew appreciated that I was so real with them. My friends always knew what I was thinking or where I stood. There was, however, a small percentage of the high school population that I’d offended with my honesty. I never tried to hurt people, but I had a tendency to speak faster than I thought.
Lillian Atkins was your typical Type B socialite. I had lots of friends, because my extra-curricular list was extensive. Lilly had lots of friends because she was like a breath of fresh air. She was cute, fun, and spunky; constantly making people laugh. She was quirky but real
ly didn’t care if people thought she was weird. And Lilly was always sporting some kind of crazy outfit or accessory, today it was bowling shoes. Her attitude was infectious and people couldn’t help but be happy in her presence.
“Lilly, you know mocking Rob discretely won’t be easy,” I whined.
She laughed at me as we took our seats. “Yes Ivy, I’m well aware of that. You’ll definitely be challenged by your new arrangement with Rob. But, that’s what’ll make it so entertaining for me.” Lilly raised her eyebrows up and down, enjoying my displeasure.
I sighed dramatically. “After all the fuss I made about being competent, I guess I better find another volunteer by the end of the day. Otherwise, my temper tantrum will have been for nothing and I’ll look like an idiot. No better way to prove your competence than to not get the job done.” My sarcasm button was stuck in the on position.
Lilly went into problem solving mode. “What do you need, a boy or a girl?”
“I have ten girls signed up but only nine boys. I’ve asked almost every guy I know, but either their girlfriend says they can’t be auctioned off, or they want to bid on one of the girls that have already signed up.”
“You can’t possibly have asked every guy in school.”
“I’ve asked every guy who I think can bring in decent money. This is a fundraiser after all, so we can have a kick ass senior party. No offense to the dorks of the senior class, because a lot of them are super nice guys, but I doubt the captain of the chess team or president of the cosplay club will bring in a ton of revenue.”
Perfectly Oblivious (The Perfect Series Book 1) Page 24
