Title Leftover Girl
Author C.C. Bolick
Genre YA Sci-Fi
Book Blurb
Found on a dark highway with no memory...
At fifteen, Jes is no stranger to being the new kid. She's never stayed in one town long enough to make a true friend. When the latest move lands them in her adopted mom's hometown, her life quickly becomes a series of lies.
No one can know about the people who abandoned her. Or how she's starting to remember that night. Then there's the guy she's falling for, off-limits for more than one reason...
Jes pushes everyone away, until she meets a strange new student with secrets of his own. He's searching for a missing girl who just might be her. As Jes will learn, truth comes at a cost, but will she give up love to find out?
Excerpt:
Mom’s voice trembled. “Where are your contacts?”
“I lost one last night,” I said.
“That was your last set? Oh dear, and your father isn’t here. He usually gets them for you.”
“I’ve got my old glasses. I can see fine and they still fit my face.”
She sighed, ushering me into the van. “My mess magnet.”
During a ten-minute ride that seemed to restart twice as many times, Pade refused to let Bailey complete a full sentence. Unlike the day before, I had his full attention. Also unlike the day before, I contemplated a restraining order. Pade continued to ramble about the game while each play infuriated me more.
He followed us to The Spot and I entrenched myself in a Bailey-Angel debate over what to wear for the Homecoming dance, ready to block out yet another recount of the night before. Tosh appeared on the sidewalk, but Pade hovered by my side until the first bell rang.
“Look at Delamester,” Tosh said. “She’s wearing blue contacts now.”
Tosh laughed, but Pade quickly changed the subject. In a perfect world, I would have simply smacked her and asked, ‘Who the hell wears contacts with glasses?’
When I lifted my backpack, Pade touched my arm. “I like the blue eyes, Jes.” He gave a smile with the power to melt my heart only twenty-four hours before.
I mumbled thanks and sped off, reaching first block with a minute to spare. Mrs. Pearson followed her usual path to the front as Chase’s stiff body maneuvered into the seat next to mine.
He stared at the desk.
My stomach tightened. “What’s wrong? Chase, talk to me.”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Your morning can’t be as bad as mine.”
“You have no idea.” The squeal of chalk on the board drowned out a groan as he looked up, his face shifting from disgust to surprise in the space of the last bell. “Your… eyes.”
“Usually I wear contacts, but I’ve lost my last pair.”
“But your eyes are blue.”
I pressed the metal frames higher, rubbing the sore spot on my nose. “My eyes are blue, but I wear contacts that make them look brown.”
“Why would you want people to think you have brown eyes?” he asked.
“My mom and dad and brothers all have brown eyes.”
“And yours are blue. Like mine.”
“Chase,” Mrs. Pearson said. That’s when I noticed the room had filled with silence. “Stop talking in my class.”
He leaned across the aisle. “Tell me why.”
Mrs. Pearson slammed down her planner and circled the desk, heading in our direction, but the clicking stopped when I looked up. Her gaze flowed from me to Chase, then back to me. “Class, open your literature books and read Twelfth Night. Silently.” I tried to think of something, anything to say if called upon, as she turned and ran from the room. Everyone glanced around, but no one said a word.
I met Chase halfway, voice lowered to a whisper. “I’m adopted.”
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Author Biography:
C.C. Bolick is the author of nine young adult books, including the Leftover Girl series and The Agency series. She grew up in a small Alabama town where she learned the best roads were always the muddiest. An engineer by day and author by night, C.C. loves to mix teenage drama with her favorite genres—romance, sci-fi, and paranormal. She writes complex stories about seemingly normal teens who learn they're anything but normal. C.C. likes her characters with big hearts, room to grow, and the strength to fight for what they believe in. If you enjoy page-turning drama, family secrets, and a special power or two, her books might be for you.
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