I’ve Been Looking for You
Jennifer Dean
Publication date: December 1st 2017
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
Max: The new girl, the sarcastic asshole, the one who avoids getting attached to anyone.
Emily: The golden girl, the rule-abiding rebel, the one who unknowingly craves something more.
When fate brings the two girls together, life seemed to fall into place. Until their future plans are shattered the moment someone leaves drugs inside Max’s school locker.
While Max inevitably loses hope of escaping her new grim reality, Emily struggles to move on without the one she loves most. Especially when she’s the only one determined to find answers. But the closer Emily gets to discovering the truth, the harder it will be to stop her pursuit, even when it leads to dangerous consequences.
Excerpt:
JANUARY 5, 2015
7:20 a.m.
I
got onto the bus, reluctantly making my way toward one of the empty seats I saw
near the middle right side.
“I
see they started letting assholes on the bus.”
I
turned to see the familiar ocean blue eyes squinting back at me from across the
aisle with a slight grimace as I took my seat. I couldn’t ignore the small
excitement that flipped my stomach at seeing the blonde again. I bit the inside
of my cheek at the building fear that my new thrill had created.
“I’m
new, so he doesn’t know any better.” I shrugged teasingly before winking at the
blonde. “He’ll learn soon enough. What about you?”
“Oh,
well I’m not an asshole, so he had no problem letting me on,” the blonde said
in a tone that made it all too clear the excitement wasn’t mutual despite her
playful bantering words.
“Not
driving the Mercedes today, Princess?”
“Not
every princess has her own carriage.”
I
narrowed my eyes in disbelief until the blonde exhaled out her nose with
surrender.
“Ok,
fine. Maybe the carriage is in the shop. Happy?”
I
remained silent but my smug grin said enough.
“Well,
it’s not a Mercedes it’s a Mustang,” the blonde said with a proud voice that
was attempting to make a point.
“My
mistake,” I said, placing my hand to my chest with a mocking apology before
leaning forward with a teasing grin. “No ride from the boyfriend, then?”
“No,
miss know-it-all, my boyfriend couldn’t because—” She stopped herself and
looked around the bus shyly before she looked back over at my waiting, raised
eyebrow. “Well…he just couldn’t.”
“How
chivalrous,” I said.
“I
don’t know why I even keep talking to you. You’re so—”
“I’m
so what?” I asked with a smug grin.
“Never
mind,” she said shaking her head before turning her gaze to look out the
window.
“Don’t
leave me hanging; the suspense is killing me,” I said.
Despite
my fun, my smirk faded after a few minutes of unwanted silence. I couldn’t help
missing her voice and the cute way she got frustrated every time I teased her.
Mostly, though, I couldn’t help feeling the absence of those ocean blue eyes I
was beginning to crave.
“I’m
getting frostbite over here,” I said.
Finally,
the blonde turned her neck, squinting her eyes with confusion as she looked
back up to meet my waiting gaze. “What?”
“You
know, because of the cold shoulder you’ve been giving me,” I said twitching my
eyebrows.
Unfortunately,
it was only enough to cause the blonde to roll her eyes in annoyance before
turning her gaze back out the window. I sighed with disappointment as I resist
the urge to reach out, clearing my throat to gain her attention instead.
“Alright,”
I said in surrender. “I think we started off on the wrong foot.”
“You
think?”
“Look,
I know I can be an asshole sometimes.”
“Good
to know you’re aware of it,” the blonde said without looking at me even though
I could tell by the way her neck was turned she was waiting for me to continue.
“Well,
I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings…”
My
mouth opened to the invitation as my voice drifted off with anticipation. The
blonde turned her neck back in my direction before lifting her gaze up to meet
my peace offering grin. She chewed her bottom lip, letting the silence linger
for a few seconds as if she was contemplating whether giving her name was a
good idea or not.
“Emily.”
“I’m
sorry for being an asshole, Emily. Can we just…start over?”
Author Bio:
Jennifer was studying History and English at the University of North Texas when she discovered a hidden passion for writing. She has since written two other Young Adult novels, Bound and Blinded. She lives in Seattle Washington.
1 comments:
Such an interesting cover.
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