This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Charisse Moritz will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
One mistake and seventeen-year-old Shake LeCasse lost everything. Now there’s no going back and no way to move forward. The once-popular Varsity hockey captain is living in the basement of a grandmother he barely knows, ditching school, avoiding friends and working hard on self-destruction.
She’s the girl nobody sees.
Cleo Lee survives however she can. Lie, cheat, steal, whatever it takes, and saving Mr. Popular isn’t part of the plan. Telling him the truth about the night that destroyed his life is downright dangerous. She needs to keep quiet, be smart and let the guy she’s been half in love with since middle school throw away a future she’d do anything to have. Too bad she sucks at playing it safe.
Say it with me slowly:
“What?” My eyes snap open and I’m confused as hell.
“How many fingers am I holding up?” Cleo straddles my lap, facing me, giving me the middle finger.
“What’re you doing?” I cringe back.
“Keeping you awake. For three fun-filled hours. A job I didn’t want by the way. So you owe me.”
I think about this. My feet are firmly planted, but my head is a lost helium balloon floating up, up, and away. And my face stings. Not just the side Adam pounded on. The other cheek is downright hot.
“Did you just slap me?”
“Huh?” She crinkles her nose and tilts her head. Her innocent routine could use some work. I’m not buying it.
I kind of remember getting slapped. The sharp sound and definitely more than once. “Did you? Slap me? Like a bunch of times?”
“Hold your breath and wait for me to get back to you.”
She’s more annoying than an itchy rash.
“Where the hell are we?” I glance around. We’re sitting in the backseat of a wrecked car. I’m facing forward, with Cleo perched on my thighs. Her spectacular butt is kinda bony. The air smells damp and moldy. There’s a thick layer of old leaves under my sneakers, a bumblebee banging against the windshield and maybe something dead under one of the seats. Goldenrod grows up all the way around, taller than the windows, and the sun is setting in death throes of pinks and purples. It’s way later in the day than it should be.
“By the creek,” Cleo tells me. “Beyond that spot where I feed my strays.”
“Whose car?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care.”
“How’s it here?”
“Rex left it here.”
“Why?”
“Stole it.”
“And?”
“Didn’t wanna get busted with it, so he ditched it here. Over a year ago. Nobody’s found it. But it’s either too cold or too buggy to sleep here ever. And if you ask another question, you’ll need to read me my rights first, and I’m gonna want a lawyer.”
I wonder why in hell anybody would sleep in an abandoned car with a busted window but don’t dare ask. Cleo’s sort of a prickly pear, and I’m not completely with it. Maybe I’m missing something, and I don’t want to do anything overly moronic.
We sit and listen to the bumblebee get super angry. I close my eyes and catch the sounds of birds, maybe the rush of creek water and distant traffic.
Cleo slaps me. Hard enough to crank my head sideways.
“Hey! Ow! What the hell?” I grab her by the shoulders and shake her a little. “Stop doing that.”
“Stop being such a giant toadwart!”
“How am I a … uh, what did you call me?”
“You keep nodding off. All wasted on that nasty shit. How am I supposed to know what could happen? What if… what if...” Her eyes bulge. She’s halfway hysterical.
“What could happen?”
“What if you don’t wake back up?”
That doesn’t sound so bad. Say it with me slowly. Oblivion. I like the word, the way it rolls off the tongue.
Emily Award Finalist and Melody Of Love Award Finalist, Charisse M Moritz divides her life between upstate NY and northern Florida. When not barricaded inside her writing cave or enjoying every possible minute with her husband and three kids, you’ll find her listening to 60’s music, singing offkey and looking for new reads.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19420257.Charisse_Moritz
Website: https://charissemoritz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charissemoritz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/charissemoritz
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Burning-Charisse-Moritz-ebook/dp/B07VWCXSQ2/
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