Heartbreakers

by Ali Novak

  “It’s not junk,” I responded. “And I’m going to be living here.”

  “I get that,” Drew said, “but where are you going to put everything?”

  “Let me worry about that,” I told him and pulled one of my favorite tops out of the bag. Quickly deciding that only my nicest clothes would get a hanger in the closet, I folded the shirt and put it in a pile destined for the dresser. “You finish unloading the car.”

  We were in the process of moving me into my dorm at school in New York. Drew and I had arrived early this morning, pulling up in the family van just in time to see the sun’s first rays glimmer off the frozen snow as we carried a load of boxes across the lawn. For the past two hours, Drew had been running back and forth between my room and the van as he emptied the car of my luggage.

  It was expensive to ship my belongings, so Drew had suggested we drive everything out. Even though it was almost an eighteen-hour drive, I’d eagerly agreed and packed the van with everything I owned. Our last road trip had been the start of an adventure for me, one that had shaped me into a new person. On the contrary, maybe my time with the Heartbreakers only opened my eyes to the person I already was. All I’d had to do was find the courage to peel off the layers I was hiding under and embrace myself. Either way, I was a different person, and I hoped this most recent trip would bring as many exciting experiences as the last one.

  “Maybe if your lazy lump of a boyfriend helped me, I’d already be done.” Drew gave the stink eye to Oliver, who was lying on the futon, arms crossed over his chest and beanie pulled down over his eyes as he tried to nap.

  “I’m way too pretty for manual labor,” he told Drew. “Besides, I’ve been working all week. I’m spent.”

  And Oliver wasn’t joking, at least in regard to the working part. For the past two weeks the Heartbreakers had been in the studio recording their third studio album, Light Years Away.

  Drew scoffed, and I was fairly positive I heard him grumble, “Pretty, my ass,” as he stalked out of the room.

  “You know, helping him wouldn’t kill you,” I told Oliver. “The sooner I finish unpacking, the sooner we get to hang out.”

  Oliver only had the weekend off, but he’d flown out from LA to see me. When Monday came, he’d be back on a plane to California to finish the album’s production process.

  “I did help,” Oliver said. There was a crooked smile on his face. “I gave him a hand with the futon.”

  “Yeah,” I said and rolled my eyes. “So you could sleep on it.”

  Before Oliver could come up with another smart-ass comment, there was a knock on the door. Standing outside was a pretty girl with long legs and dark skin who was wearing an SVA sweatshirt.

  “Hey,” she said when I looked up at her. “My name’s Lena. I’m your neighbor across the hall, so I thought I’d introduce myself.”

  Standing up, I brushed myself off before holding out my hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Stella.”

  “Let me guess,” Lena said, gesturing her head in the direction of my dresser. The drawers were still empty, but resting on top was my camera. “Photography student?”

  “Yup,” I said and offered her a smile. “You?”

  “I’ve got my own camera,” she said, grinning at me, “but it’s for something a little different. I’m film and video.”

  “Cool,” I said, genuinely excited to already be making new friends.

  “So…the boy I saw in the hall who’s carrying all your stuff in—Mr. Hot and Sweaty,” Lena said. “He your boyfriend or something?”

  I blinked at Lena, not sure who she was talking about, but then I remembered Drew. “Oh, God no!” I said, making a face. “He’s my brother.”

  “Sorry.” Lena flinched, but the way she was biting her lip revealed that she was pleased with my answer. “That’s totally embarrassing.”

  There was a groan of metal from the futon. “Don’t worry,” Oliver said as he stood up. “You’re not the only one who’s made that mistake before.”

  Lena’s gaze flickered over to Oliver as she noticed him for the first time. He’d pushed his hat back so you could see his face, and Lena’s eyes grew huge. She glanced at me and then back at Oliver, and I pressed my lips together, trying to stifle my grin as she realized who he was.

  “I don’t get it,” I joked, shrugging my shoulders. “We don’t act like a couple, and we look freaky similar.”

  Oliver smirked and said, “Yeah, almost like twins.” Then he crossed the room and offered his hand to Lena. “I’m Oliver,” he told her. “Stella’s boyfriend.”

  Well, I thought to myself as Lena squeaked. This is definitely the start of another crazy adventure.

  Acknowledgments

  The creation of The Heartbreakers was in no way a one-woman operation, and there were countless people involved in making this possible. Although their names are not printed on the cover like mine, their efforts can be found on each page and in every word.

  Firstly, I have to thank my amazing army of fans on Wattpad who are just as much the author of this book as I am. They supported and shaped this story before I ever dreamed of having it published. As I’ve said in the past, without them I would be nowhere.

  Second, the Sourcebooks team, specifically my editor, Aubrey Poole, who saw my vision before I had a clear picture of it. This manuscript came to her as a serialized mess, and she was the guiding hand that helped me turn it into a novel.

  To the extraordinary people at Wattpad, especially Caitlin and Ashleigh, who acted as my makeshift agents before I had one. I’d also like to thank Chloe Larby, Asha Clarke, and Laura Stracey for helping me write Oliver’s song to Stella. I’m no Taylor Swift, but I think we did pretty dang good.

  Thank you to Grandma Fletcher, who acted as my own personal copy editor; to my mother, for listening to my endless rants and soothing my frustrations with a good bottle of wine; and finally to Jared, my husband, for being my own special star—not only did you give me the opportunity to chase my dreams, but you put up with my writing storms, late nights, and panicking.

  About the Author

  Ali Novak is a twenty-three-year-old Wisconsin native and recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s creative writing program. She started writing her debut novel My Life with the Walter Boys when she was only fifteen, and since then, her work has received more than one hundred million hits online. When she isn’t writing, Ali enjoys Netflix marathons and traveling with her husband, Jared. You can follow Ali on Wattpad and Twitter @Fallzswimmer.

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