I Tease, I Tease...

Hey there, friends.  A couple things before we get to this week's tease from my current WiP, SHUT UP.

1.  Have you entered my Friday Five Contest yet?  I'm giving away FOUR books...so maybe you should check it out and enter.  Just saying.

2.  Some of you may have noticed that I didn't do a FUN AND GAMES WITH K & K post last Thursday. My apologies.  It was written, but due to the holiday and family coming in for a visit, I went AWOL from everything last week...so, you will get my F & G post this Thursday. Sorry about the inconvenience, folks.  Can you ever forgive me? Please?

Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's get the TEASER show on the road.  This snip technically takes place BEFORE last week's snip, but due to the crazy way I've mapped this book out, it will show up AFTER last week's scene.  (Was that explanation confusing enough for you? LOL)

Anywho...hope you enjoy this...if not, sorry about your luck :)

No matter where I looked, the world was drenched in ugly. The cracked gray concrete of the pitted parking area in front of the school, the brilliant white sneaker clad feet pounding the asphalt as students hurried forward, not wanting to be late on the first day, and even the too-tall trees surrounding the building whose leaves were still a vibrant summer green, not yet marred by the approaching shift in temperature all held a sinister quality, like they knew every one of my secrets and were just waiting for the perfect moment to spring forth and announce them to one and all.


Junior year wasn’t supposed to start out like this.

“Anna,” I called, my legs doubling their pace without conscious command.

She barely looked up to acknowledge me, but she stopped, her shoulders hunched forward like she had the world’s biggest knot in his neck.

“Look, Anna. I really think—“

“Gwen!” A blindingly bright grin cracked her face in half, her cheeks straining under the pressure of holding the smile firmly in place. To anyone else, she was the picture of perfect happiness, a girl full of first-day-of-school giddiness.

But, I knew different. It was there, in her moss green eyes. The hurt, the pain, the sadness. It dribbled out in invisible strands, coloring her smile fake.

“This is going to be a great year. I just know it.” She looped her arm through mine, a silent plea to just shut up. “Don’t you think so?”

This was it. My chance to fix things, to make them right. This was my window of opportunity. If I didn’t jump through the narrow opening right then and there, I might never get the chance again. I opened my mouth, poised to let loose all the words I’d been rehearsing on the short drive in this morning.

Shh. Nothing happened. Don’t say a word. Shh.

My mouth snapped closed, the promise I’d grudgingly made to myself coming back to beat me into silence. Reluctantly, I nodded. Above me, the all-knowing trees with their haughty, holier-than-thou, judgmental leaves glared down accusingly. They knew what I’d done…what crime I was committing by responding the way I just had. Shame weighed down on my own shoulders, the crushing force slowing my normally purposeful stride, my steps faltering.

I didn’t have to look to the right to see Anna’s reaction to that small bob of my head. Her relief was so overwhelming that the little but loud guilt machine raging through my brain momentarily vanished. Her whole body relaxed in the space of one breath. With that long exhale, her Joker-esque grin evaporated, leaving behind lips quirked slightly at the edges, not quite a smile but very far from frown territory. Shoulders sagging as if all the weight now riding on top of me had actually come from her, she sidled closer to me, letting her hand slide down my arm until our palms pressed together and our fingers entwined.

“Thanks, Gweny,” she whispered in my ear as she leaned into me to give an awkward, one-armed hug. “You’re the best friend ever.”

Any arguments I might have made died a violent death right there on my lips. The moment was gone, and my window had slammed shut.

“That’s what friends are for.” Now, it was my turn to wear the fake grin, with lips stretched far too wide to be even remotely comfortable.

 
So...what do we all think?  Can you guess what Gwen did...or didn't do? I'd love to hear what all you all think in the comments...oh! and how are we enjoying Game of Thrones on HBO? A-MAZING is all I can say right now. Seriously.