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Christie Cote

~ Author

Christie Cote

Tag Archives: young Adult

Did you miss…

07 Thursday Aug 2014

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Christie Cote, contemporary, countdown, deal, kindle, love, Rain, Realistic Fiction, Romance, sale, Teen, young Adult

The Rain e-book being on sale for ninety-nine cents? Don’t fret, it hasn’t gone back up to full price just yet, it is $1.99, which is half of the retail price! Still not bad if you want to check it out HERE. If you are part of Kindle Unlimited, you can also read it for free via your membership! Both options are pretty great!

Have a fabulous day everyone!

Three Hours Left…

06 Wednesday Aug 2014

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99 cents, amazon, Christie Cote, contemporary, indie, kindle, kindle coutdown, love, Rain, Realistic Fiction, Romance, sale, Teen, writing, young Adult

Only Three hours left to snag Rain for only $0.99 cents (Normally $3.99)! The price will be increasing to $1.99 and continue to increase all week until it is back to $3.99. Check it out HERE!

 

Synopsis:

Taylor Sullivan took her life for granted until she received news that would change her life forever. In a state of denial she met Kyle, who didn’t end up being what she expected. She wasn’t able to escape her new reality, but with his friendship, just maybe she could survive it.

When inspiration comes when you are trying to sleep…

05 Tuesday Aug 2014

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am writing, Christie Cote, inspiration, Rain, rain series, Realistic Fiction, sleep, Teen, writing, writing problems, young Adult

Okay, so I’ve heard other writers talk about how they get these awesome ideas when they are trying to sleep. I never really had that problem, until last night. I had a long day. I mean it was a Monday of all Mondays! I was ready to just pass out, but nope. I’m just laying there working on drifting off into la-la land when my characters take over my mind, and have a vivid scene in my head. I couldn’t get up and start writing because I NEEDED to go to sleep, but the image just wouldn’t leave me alone until it played it out in my head. WHYYYYY! I sit at the computer all day and haven’t done a whole lot of writing, but when I can’t write, I have a scene jumping and creaming, “look at me, look at me” in my head? *head desk* The even better part is, the said scene is for the third book in the Rain  series, when I should be working on the second book… SIGH. I guess I should just go with it, so now I’m going to try to get the scene written down, and hopefully it comes out as good as what was in my head last night.

 

Happy Writing!

 

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Last Day that RAIN is on sale for 0.99 Cents!

05 Tuesday Aug 2014

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99 cents, amazon, book, cancer, Christie Cote, contemporary, deal, kindle, kindle countdown, leukemia, novel, Rain, Realistic Fiction, Romance, sale, Teen, writing, young Adult

Made by Tiffany from I’m A Book Shark.

 

In case you missed it, or forgot, today is the LAST day that Rain is on sale for 0.99 cents! The book is normally prices at $3.99! That is 75% off! Get it now before you run out of time.

 

Rain by Christie Cote

Taylor Sullivan took her life for granted until she received news that would change her life forever. In a state of de
nial she met Kyle, who didn’t end up being what she expected. She wasn’t able to escape her new reality, but with his friendship, just maybe she could survive it.

Buy Now:

| KINDLE |

Legal Rain E-book Giveaway Winner

25 Friday Jul 2014

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Christie Cote, contemporary, giveaway, giveaway winner, leukemia, Rain, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Teen, winner, young Adult

Happy Friday Everyone!

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for an e-book copy of Rain. It was a good turnout for a quick giveaway!

The winner, randomly chosen via Rafflecopter is Amanda Walker! Congratulations Amanda!

If you didn’t win, don’t worry, just keep your eyes out for more giveaways! There will be more! Don’t want to wait? Just send me a review request and I will send you Rain for free in exchange for an honest review!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! 🙂

New Review for RAIN-Tiffany from I’m A Book Shark

23 Wednesday Jul 2014

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cancer, Christie Cote, contemporary, debut novel, i'm a book shark, leukemia, quote, Rain, Realistic Fiction, review, Romance, teaser, Teen, young Adult

Hi Everyone!

This awesome blog that I have been following since I started blogging a few years ago, I’m a Book Shark, just added a new blogger on board, Tiffany! She is super cool and agreed to review Rain on the blog. Her post is gorgeous! It is filled with her thoughts and teaser pictures that she made that fit perfectly with the book! The post blew me away, so I really hope you all will check it out HERE!

One of the many beautiful teaser pictures Tiffany made!

This book had funny moments, ‘awww’ moments and beautifully heartbreaking moments. I couldn’t get enough of the pink highlights, iPod shuffles and lego houses.

-Tiffany from I’m a Book Shark

 

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

23 Wednesday Jul 2014

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contemporary, diamonds in the rough, Michelle madow, Realistic Fiction, remembrance, Teen, the secret diamond sisters, waiting on wednesday, wow, young Adult

waiting on wednesday

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

 
DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH
Expected Release Date: October 28, 2014!
All-access doesn’t mean no problems
The three Diamond sisters survived the summer in style after coming to live with their long-lost billionaire father. But making a place for themselves at their exclusive new Las Vegas private school is throwing them any number of gold-plated curves. Savannah’s YouTube stardom turns into a Sweet Sixteen reality show extravaganza—with complimentary enemies on the side. Dangerous flirtations don’t keep Peyton from a gamble that will risk far more than she planned to bet. And when Courtney and the sisters’ archenemy, Madison, uncover two explosive secrets, it will rock even this town of glittering illusion—and turn their lives upside down all over again (MichelleMadow.com).

 

PRE-ORDER: [ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million| Book Depository | iBookstore ]

 

I discovered Michelle Madow when I began blogging. I read her debut novel Remembrance and loved it! Now she has a big publishing deal and a new series! I’m excited about the new series and look forward to the next book coming out! The first book, The Secret Diamond Sisters is available now!

 

THE SECRET DIAMOND SISTERS

“Sexy and often electrifying … Gossip Girl meets The Princess Diaries in a city that never sleeps.” 
–Booklist
 
“This quick and entertaining read is filled with glitz and glamour … get ready for one crazy and fabulous ride.” 
–RT Book Reviews

PURCHASE: [ Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Book Depository | iBookstore ]

Three sisters. One billionaire father. What could go wrong?

Savannah. Courtney. Peyton.

The three sisters grew up not knowing their father and not quite catching a break. But it looks like their luck is about to change when they find out the secret identity of their long-lost dad—a billionaire Las Vegas hotel owner who wants them to come live in a gorgeous penthouse hotel suite. Suddenly the Strip’s most exclusive clubs are all-access, and with an unlimited credit card each, it should be easier than ever to fit right in. But in a town full of secrets and illusion, fitting in is nothing compared to finding out the truth about their past (MichelleMadow.com).

Teaser Tuesday (7)

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

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Christie Cote, contemporary, excerpt, giveaway, quote, Rain, Realistic Fiction, Romance, teaser, Teaser Tuesday, Teen, TT, young Adult

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

I haven’t shared a teaser in a while, so I thought I would participate this week!

Rain Cover e-bookRain by Christie Cote

Taylor Sullivan took her life for granted until she received news that would change her life forever. In a state of denial she met Kyle, who didn’t end up being what she expected. She wasn’t able to escape her new reality, but with his friendship, just maybe she could survive it.

BUY NOW:
| Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble| BullMoose | BAM |

Teaser:

I knew I couldn’t hide from this. It was in my body, not a monster in the closet.

Rain Chapter One Excerpt

GIVEAWAY:

Enter to win an e-book copy of Rain using the rafflecopter link below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where the Rain e-book is LEGALLY available and how to get a copy for FREE!

22 Tuesday Jul 2014

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amazon, Christie Cote, contemporary, e-book, free, giveaway, illegal book sales, illegal downloads, kindle, legal downloads, Rain, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Teen, young Adult

Hi Everyone!

Friday I discovered a site selling the e-book of Rain illegally. This happens all the time, right? The thing is, I am not even well known, I’m not a full-time writer, I have a full-time job and I am not making big bucks off of my writing, which is fine, I didn’t expect to. I expect pirating to happen as well, but someone making money off my work is so not okay! To me that is worse than putting my book up on  a site for free, but I haven’t found that yet. I’m unknown, and I understand that it is hard sometimes to take a chance on an unknown, especially if you don’t have a lot of money. My solution for that; email me with the subject line, “Rain Review Request.” I will give you the e-book for free in exchange for an honest review. You don’t even need to have a blog, just write your thoughts on Goodreads and Amazon. There, even better than buying an illegal copy at a discounted price, you can read it for FREE for just a few extra minutes of your time to write a review. Not a bad deal. If you want to support me and buy the e-book, I would love that, but it is only legally available on Amazon. Don’t have a kindle? Easy! You can download the e-book to your computer and change the format with a free program called Calibre, which you can also use to upload it to your e-reader of choice.

For information purposes, if a website selling books says something like this,

“How do I download my eBooks?
The books will be sent to your email address as E-mail attachments,
you can download the books from the email. ”

It is not legal! If you are buying a book legally you will never receive it in an email as an attachment! The site might send you a receipt, but the book will NEVER be sent in an e-mail. The only time you should ever receive an e-book as an attachment legally is if it is an ARC directly from the author or publisher. If they are sent that way, the author does not receive credit or royalties, so please think about that if you run across one of these sites.

 

What made me more upset about this situation is I found most of my favorite authors on this illegal site, some of them well known and some of them not so well known. It hurts my heart, especially since their work is more likely to get illegally bought than mine. I don’t want that! I would love this site to be taken down, but I don’t think I have the power to do that. I notified a few authors, but if you are an author and come across this, your book is more than likely on that site, so feel free to email me and I will give you a link to the site. I’m not posting it on this because I don’t want it to get more visibility, which is what seems to happen in these situations.

This is how I’m choosing to handle this situation, feel free to tell me what you think or ask me questions.

 

GIVEAWAY:
For fun, I will give away an e-book copy of Rain without the obligation of writing a review, to enter use the form below. There is also an excerpt of Chapter One of Rain on my website, the link can be found below under ‘Links.’

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Links:

Rain Chapter One Excerpt

Rain E-Book

Calibre

Buy Now:

| Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble| BullMoose | BAM |

Rain-Chapter One

10 Thursday Jul 2014

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Tags

cancer, chapter one, Christie Cote, contemporary, debut novel, excerpt, leukemia, Rain, Romance, Teen, young Adult

Rain Cover e-book

Chapter One 

I watched the rain hurl itself against my window. Every so often I would see a flash of light in the darkness. The weather seemed to know how I felt and was displaying my sorrow outside. I felt compelled to go out and feel the rain against my skin. It felt like the sky was crying for me, even though I knew in reality that wasn’t true.

I moved from my perch at the window and made my way out of my room, through the house, and out the door. I didn’t bother to put on shoes or a jacket. I stepped outside onto the cool wet grass wearing just my jeans and a light pink fitted t-shirt. I pulled out my elastic hair band and let my blond hair fall around my shoulders. I wiggled my toes in the grass; it felt freeing. The rain fell on me, beginning to soak my hair and clothing; but I didn’t care. I invited the rain to drench me and wash away my pain.

Closing my eyes, I raised my head up toward the sky and extended my arms outward; the drops soaked into my skin. As I stood listening, the only sounds I could hear were the rain pounding on whatever surface it touched and the occasional boom of thunder. Breathing in deeply, I opened my eyes and spun around and around in the rain like I had when I was a little girl. I usually acted like the rain would melt me if I got caught in it. I hadn’t behaved this way since I was around seven. It felt exhilarating and almost made me forget. Almost.

“Taylor! What are you doing?” My mother’s alarmed voice startled me. I turned toward her and saw her blotchy red face and sad eyes staring at me incredulously. She couldn’t hide that she had been crying. It was because of me.

“Mom, it’s not a big deal,” I stated, not wanting to fight with her.

“Taylor, you can’t just stand out in the rain. You have—“

“Mom! Don’t even say it,” I cut her off. “I’m well aware and can’t forget… no matter how hard I try,” I said angrily.

Her eyes began to fill with tears again, and I immediately regretted my angry words. This was hurting her just as much as it was hurting me.

“I’m sorry. I’ll come inside now.”

Her face relaxed a little, but the stress lines seemed to be permanently etched onto her forehead, and they wouldn’t be going away any time soon.

“Thanks, honey. I’m just worried.” She spoke sadly.

“I know, Mom… I know,” I said as I walked toward her and the house. As I reached the door, I turned around to look up at the sky one last time. It was an expansion of darkness, like the darkness that wanted to consume me. It was funny how one life-changing event could make you forget what happiness felt like. I brought my head back down as a light across the street in an upstairs window caught my attention. It was the only light on in the neighborhood, but I hadn’t noticed it before. The realization then hit me that I had been dancing around, acting crazy in the rain; people could have seen me. I felt my cheeks warm as embarrassment washed over me. I would have never acted like that before today.

I hurried through the door and shut it, leaning against it as I noisily exhaled. I looked down and saw water dripping on the wooden floor. Just then, my mom reappeared with a big white towel and put it in my hands.

“Here. Dry off and go change,” she instructed me with a forced smile. “I’ll make us some hot chocolate.” I nodded and wrapped the towel around myself before heading to my room.

After entering my room, I shut the door quietly before stripping my wet clothes off. A shiver rolled through me, so I quickly wrapped the towel back around my body and began drying off. After twisting the towel around my hair like a turban, I grabbed a large gray t-shirt and sweatpants to match. I put them on before slipping into my fluffy pink robe from the back of the door. I rubbed the soft sleeve on my cheek, loving the feel of the material. It felt like a stuffed bear was wrapping itself around me, comforting me.

I closed my eyes, inhaled deeply, and then exhaled slowly before I emerged from my room. As I made my way to the living room, I examined the typical white walls and the pictures of a happy, normal family displayed proudly. Yesterday, they wouldn’t have bothered me, but now they just seemed like a lie. Things were not normal, and they never would be again.

I tore myself away from the photos but felt their gaze burn into me, taunting me for taking everything for granted and acting like nothing could penetrate my perfect world and shatter it. I shook my head, pushing the tormenting thoughts away, and made the last few steps to the couch. I sat down on the soft brown cushion and pulled my legs up in front of me. I wrapped my arms around my legs then interlocked my fingers.

I just stared straight ahead at the black screen of the television until my mom walked in front of me and handed me a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows—, my favorite. I took the mug from her hands without saying a word. She sat down next to me without speaking, knowing there was nothing to say. She was here for comfort so I wouldn’t feel alone. She was good at knowing when words wouldn’t help and supported me with her presence. In the past, she could depend on knowing that I would talk to her when I was ready, but I wasn’t sure I would ever be ready to talk about this. Saying it out loud would make it real and mean I would never wake up from this nightmare. I really wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

***

“Taylor!” I heard Liz yell from down the school hall. I immediately cringed, not ready to face anyone yet. I was not in the mood for petty conversations and drama. I tried to hurry up and retrieve my textbooks from my locker, acting like I hadn’t heard her. I turned the opposite direction, ready to make my escape, when I felt her hand wrap around my arm. I felt my body stiffen, followed by the impulse to spin around and punch her. I controlled my reaction and breathed in deeply, knowing it wasn’t her fault. This was normal. Any other day it wouldn’t have fazed me.

“Oh my god, Taylor, how did you not hear me?” she squealed excitedly. I turned around slowly as she released my arm, and I planted a huge smile on my face. I took in her slight frame and expressive blue eyes. Her shoulder-length auburn hair was layered and parted to the side; some hair fell across her left eye. Liz was my best friend; I didn’t really want to hurt her, but I also didn’t want to have to act like everything was normal.

“I must have been in my own world,” I lied

“Anyways,” she continued, not missing a beat, “we need to plan your birthday. It’s less than a month away and we haven’t made a plan. It has to be huge. We should totally invite Jordan and tell him to bring his hot football player friend. Well, obviously we won’t say it that way when we invite him. Oh, and you should have a theme for the party. All of the legendary parties have awesome themes.” She finally stopped and took a breath, looking at me expectantly while essentially jumping up and down.

“Liz, I don’t want a party.”

“But you have to!” She practically yelled. “It’s your sweet sixteen. You can’t turn sixteen without a party.”

I felt myself begin to lose what little calmness I had left. I sucked in a breath, trying to rein in my feelings that were about to explode. “I’m not having a party, Liz.” My voice shook.

“Taylor, what is wrong with you? We have been talking about our sixteenth birthdays since we were thirteen, and you always wanted a party,” she exclaimed with a confused expression on her face.

“Well, sorry to disappoint you, Liz,” I bit out harshly, “but instead of getting my license and a car for my sixteenth birthday like most kids, I’ll be getting chemotherapy.” I turned around and walked away. She stood where I left her, immobilized by my words. “Crap,” I cursed under my breath. “Screw this.”

I kept walking but turned toward the exit instead of my class. Just as I was about to reach the door, Austin walked in front of me.

“Hey, babe.” He smiled his perfect smile that put male models to shame. His short, dirty blond hair was spiked as usual. He stood confidently, nodding his head at the girls giggling and waving at him. I was used to this behavior by now; most girls had a hard time keeping their eyes off of his muscular body. I just rolled my eyes, wondering why they bothered trying.

“Hey, Austin,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Where are you going?” he asked as his deep blue eyes looked me up and down.

“Home. I don’t feel well.”

“But you just got here,” he stated while he wrapped his arms around me possessively.

My voice rose an octave. “And now I’m leaving.” A hurt expression instantly crossed his face. “Austin,” I continued, “I’m sorry, but I don’t feel well and I just want to go home.”

 

“Oh, okay,” he said, disappointed. “I just thought we could do something after school today; we haven’t spent much time together lately.”

“I’ll call you later, okay? Maybe if I’m feeling better, you can come over,” I said, knowing he would like that compromise.

Slowly, a smile crept across his face, and I moved forward to hug him. He embraced me warmly, wrapping his muscular arms around me. I felt myself melt a little, welcoming the comforting feeling even though he didn’t have a clue how much I needed this right now. I felt guilty because I wasn’t ready to tell him. I should have wanted to tell my boyfriend and best friend what was going on. If anyone would be there for me, they would. But I wasn’t ready to talk about it. I began to pull out of his embrace to leave before the bell rang.

“I’ll see you later,” I said as I gave him a soft kiss. His lips were warm and welcoming, and I could feel that he wanted more than the brief contact I’d allowed. I knew if I wasn’t careful, he would end up convincing me to stay; and I really needed to get out of this building. I smiled at him and headed out the door without another word.

I heard him say, “See ya,” as I exited the school.

I stepped out of the building and instantly felt better and could breathe more easily not being trapped in there. I felt the coolness of a soft, steady breeze as it blew across my face, and I could hear birds chirping in the distance. The weather was the complete opposite of last night. The sun was beaming down on me, and I could feel the warmth penetrating my skin. Only a few clouds graced the light blue sky, giving me a glimpse of serenity.

My mom had dropped me off, so I walked the mile and a half home. I was officially skipping school since I hadn’t been dismissed. I could have called my mom and had her dismiss me and pick me back up, but then she would probably want to talk about it.

I walked down my street. Most of the houses looked similar; it was a boring, uniform neighborhood. The houses were nice but not like how houses used to be. They used to all be different with their own characteristics. Uniqueness had been destroyed in houses today, just like it had been destroyed among people.

I sat on the sidewalk across from my house, not wanting to go inside. My mom would usually be at work now, but I had a feeling she’d called out today. I didn’t have anywhere else I wanted to go; I just wanted to sit. It was a nice day; and it felt good to just be outside, not having to do anything. I wasn’t sure how long I had been sitting there staring at my plain white house before I felt someone come up behind me and just stand there. I twisted my body around and squinted up at him while shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand.

“Can I help you?” I asked, my voice filled with annoyance. I took in his thin frame. He was tall and had messy brown hair. His brown eyes were zeroed in on me, and I couldn’t make out his expression. He was in all black and had a skateboarder look to him.

“You tell me; you’re the one sitting in front of my house,” his smooth voice retorted. He stood confidently and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Actually, I’m sitting on a public sidewalk, which happens to be in front of your house,” I snapped back, still watching him while wondering how I had not seen him before if he lived across the street.

“True…” He dragged out the word as he arched his eyebrow. The wind blew, and I smelled his cologne; it wasn’t Axe, which was what most guys wore. It smelled really nice and had an earthy quality to it. The scent was like being outside after it rained.

“So you can go away now,” I said curtly as I turned back around.

“Geez, who’s dying? You’re a ray of sunshine,” he said sarcastically. I flinched at his choice of words.

“I am,” I barely whispered without thinking. I hadn’t expected him to be able to hear it. I was staring at the ground, and he rushed in front of me. I could now see the bottom of his black jeans. He knelt down in front of me, trying to see my face.

“Crap,” he cursed. “Are you really?” he asked, unsure. I peeked up at him without moving my head. His face had paled, and his forehead was scrunched together. He had never expected what he had said to be so true.

I don’t know why, but I told this stranger whose name I didn’t even know the truth. “Yes,” I answered quietly, looking him in the eyes.

“Wow.” He exhaled loudly. The shock was clear across his face. “I’m so sorry I said that,” he apologized, and I could hear the sincerity thick in his voice.

“Whatever.” I brushed it off. “Most people don’t think about what they say. It’s like when people make those your mom jokes without thinking about the possibility that that person might not have a mom.”

I watched him process what I’d just said; he looked a little surprised by my response to his apology. I think most people just thought I was a clueless blonde because that was the stereotype; and when I didn’t act like an airhead, people were surprised. Those reactions were great for my self-esteem; thank you, stereotypes.

“I’ll try to think about that next time.” His voice cut through my thoughts.

“Mmhmm, sure.”

His voice rose. “I will.”

“People don’t change,” I argued.

“Maybe.” His voice was soft again. “But I don’t make it a habit to hurt people with what I say unless the person deserves it.”

“We’ll see.” A small smile crept onto my face. He stood up abruptly. I thought he was going to walk away, but he came and sat next to me on the sidewalk instead. I turned toward him and looked at him curiously.

“I’m Kyle,” he told me while a sly smile slid onto his face.

“Taylor.”

“May I ask why you are sitting in front of my house instead of yours?” he asked, nodding toward my house.

I held my breath for a moment, surprised he knew that I lived across the street. Letting out the breath, I responded, “Skipped school. Didn’t want to go home.”

“So you sit right across from your house?” He looked at me, confused.

“I didn’t really have anywhere else to go.”

“You don’t look like you’re dying,” he spoke softly, and his face sobered.

“Looks can be deceiving.”

“That’s true. Can I ask…” He paused. “What is wrong with you?” He finished carefully.

I bit my lip. I hadn’t said it out loud yet, but it felt like it would be easier telling someone I didn’t know. Like it wasn’t a big deal, no pressure. I had no ties to this person. I could tell him, and he would go on with life just the same.

“I have leukemia,” I choked out. A confused expression crossed his face. “It’s a type of cancer,” I explained. I saw the recognition in his eyes at the word cancer.

“There is a treatment, right?”

“Yeah. Chemotherapy, a fantastic poison that will make my hair fall out. I’m not even allowed to dye my hair, and now I’m not going to have any.” I met his eyes dead-on.

“Why would you want to dye your hair?” he asked. I was surprised that that was the question he’d chosen to ask.

“I’m sick of people thinking I’m stupid because I’m naturally blond. I figure if I dyed my hair a different color like brown or something, then I wouldn’t be instantly judged by my hair color. Unfortunately, my parents don’t agree and won’t let me.”

“Wow, that’s harsh. I wouldn’t think someone is stupid because of their hair color.”

I arched my eyebrow at him while I responded, “Your expression earlier said otherwise.”

“What?” I could hear the surprise in his voice at my accusation.

“When I said the thing about the your mom jokes,” I reminded him.

“I was surprised by your statement because most people don’t consider those things—especially when they don’t pertain to themselves—but I wasn’t surprised because I expected you to be a dumb blonde.” His voice rang with sincerity. I looked for an inkling of amusement or a hint of a lie, but his face was serious. He continued to look me directly in my eyes.

“Okay, I believe you.”

“Good.” The corner of his mouth twitched like he wanted to smile. I wasn’t sure why this guy who didn’t know me cared that I believed him. I didn’t say anything more, and we both sat quietly. It felt good talking to him. When I’d told him that I had leukemia, it felt like some of the darkness had lifted and some of the sunlight beaming down on us had made its way into me.

“I saw you.” The suddenness of Kyle’s voice startled me. I looked at him with a confused expression on my face. “Last night. You were spinning around in the rain.”

I instantly felt heat rush to my face, remembering the light I had seen before I had gone inside last night. I looked down self-consciously.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to embarrass you. I just thought you looked free. Like nothing in the world mattered.”

“I’m not sure why I did it. I definitely wouldn’t have if I’d known people were watching,” I said, still not looking at him.

“It’s not a bad thing, Taylor. I was surprised when I saw you sad and angry today though. I thought maybe it was boyfriend trouble, but boy was I wrong.”

“If only. Nope, everything is good on the boyfriend front; although I would prefer that over the truth.” I frowned. Thinking about Austin made me feel guilty for telling Kyle what was going on when I wasn’t ready to tell him or anyone else I knew.

“What?” he asked.

“I haven’t told him yet—or anyone else, really,” I confided.

“Are you afraid of how he will react?”

“No. I just haven’t been ready to talk about it.”

“You told me,” he stated. I looked up at him then. I realized that he was partly right. I was afraid to tell people because of how they would react. I wasn’t ready for more people to be sad for me or hurt because they care about me. Telling Kyle also meant that I did want to talk about it but hadn’t wanted to admit that to myself.

“I guess…” I started. “I guess it was easier telling someone I didn’t know.”

“I get it,” he said with an understanding voice. “I worked at a grocery store, and I would ask, ‘How are you?’ because that is what you are supposed to do; and the normal interaction would be, ‘Good, you?’ And I would say, ‘Good,’ and then that would be it. I had some customers take it a little too literally and go into their life story. Like one woman went on to tell me that her husband cheated on her and she is pregnant and her life is ruined and men suck. I guess it was easy for them to vent to me because they would probably never see me again.” I couldn’t hold back my laughter at his story. I wasn’t sure why it was so funny to me, but it was.

“Did she realize the irony in her statement?” I asked, laughing. “Saying men suck while speaking to a man.” He smiled back at me, seeming to enjoy my amusement.

“I don’t think she cared. I cashed her out as fast as possible before she decided to throw something at me because all men suck,” he chuckled. I imagined some middle-aged, crazy-haired woman picking up a package of eggs or something and chucking it at him. I could see the slimy, yellow-and-transparent, goopy eggs sliding down his shocked face. I began laughing uncontrollably at the image in my head.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not that funny.”

“Pictured…crazy…customer…throwing…eggs at you,” I gasped out between giggles.

“Well, if that’s what makes you happy…” He smiled crookedly at me. It felt good to laugh; I didn’t think anything could make me laugh again, but I was wrong. I just needed someone to distract me and make me forget, even if it was just for a moment.

“Taylor! What the hell!?” Liz’s angry voice instantly stopped my laughter, killing the moment. I looked up to where her voice was coming from. She was standing in front of my house with her arms crossed, glaring. I looked back at Kyle as I stood up.

“I have to go.” He just nodded at me. “Thanks,” I said as I turned and began walking toward Liz. This was not going to be fun.

“Taylor,” Kyle’s voice came again, and I turned my head back toward him. He was now standing, watching me.

“Yeah?” I asked

“There is a flaw to your plan.” A sly grin crept onto his face once again.

My eyebrow arched at him questioningly.

“I live across the street,” he told me; and, without another word, he turned around toward his house. Then I realized what he’d meant. I’d told my problems to a stranger I would probably see again.

 

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