Title: Sia
Author: Josh Grayson
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: November 20, 2013
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
SUMMARY
When seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park
bench, she has no idea who or where she is. Yet after a week of being
homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At school, she’s powerful and
popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams. But she quickly realizes
her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart and her friends are
snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was the
cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of
redemption and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all
the time she wonders if, when her memories return, she’ll become the
bully she was before…and if she’ll lose Kyle.
EXCERPT
I
reach my locker and just start unlocking it when Kyle stops beside me. He’s
dressed comfortably in faded jeans and a black t-shirt with a yellow Batman
logo on it.
I
smile broadly. “Hey.” It's hard to describe just how good I feel, seeing him
there. Yet I don’t miss the stunned expressions on Amber and Stacy’s faces, or
how they spin towards each other to whisper something. In Amber’s world, Kyle
is a loser, so I’m sure their words aren’t pleasant.
I
turn my back to them.
“Hey,”
he replies. He keeps his eyes purposefully away from the other girls. So he
knows, I think. What must that feel like, knowing people are looking
down on you? Saying cruel things? He doesn’t deserve this.
But
he doesn't appear to care. He leans casually against the locker beside me.
“Just thought I’d tell you I saw Carol this morning at the soup kitchen.”
I
drop my lock and give him my full attention. “You did? Was she okay?”
He
nods, grinning at my reaction. I can’t help thinking how much I like his smile.
It's warm and genuine, and makes his grass-green eyes sparkle like emeralds.
“Yeah. I told her hi for you. She said she can meet you at Elysian Park after
school if you want to talk.”
“Awesome,
Kyle! Thank you so much!” I throw my arms around his neck without thinking.
After only a slight hesitation, he hugs me
back. I breathe in his delicious cinnamon scent, then let go reluctantly and
back away. “Oh, I almost forgot. I have your sweater in my—”
Before
I can finish, Duke charges in like a bull and slams Kyle into the lockers.
“What do you think you’re doing, geek?” he roars. “You keep your floury hands
off my girl, doughboy. She’s mine.”
Kyle
pushes back, pressing his hands against Duke’s broad chest. “Get off me, Duke.”
But
Duke isn't finished. He jams his forearm against Kyle’s neck, suffocating him.
Kyle’s
fingers clutch at Duke’s arm as he struggles to break free.
I
shove at him. “Duke! Let go!” my shouts echo in the hallway, but even with all
my strength, I can’t move him.
“Back off, Sia. I’ll take care of this twerp,”
Duke snarls. “He needs to learn a lesson. Nobody touches my girl!”
“That’s
right!” Stacy chimes in from behind them. “Sia belongs to Duke!”
I
belong to Duke? The nerve of these people!
The
two girls press against each as they watch the action. Amber is smiling like a
satisfied cat, obviously relishing the moment.
I'm
so busy trying to rip Duke’s arm off Kyle's throat that I don't hear Mr. Barrow
coming up from behind us. “Duke, would you mind letting go of Kyle? We don’t
condone murder in our hallways.”
Finally,
Duke drops his arm. But his furious stare remains glued to Kyle’s face.
Kyle
stares back, his eyes dark with hate and humiliation. He doesn't bother swiping
back the thick brown bangs that have fallen over his forehead during the
struggle. “You have nothing to worry about, Duke,” he chokes out. “I’d never go
out with a girl like Sia anyway. She’s your type. Not mine.” With that, he
walks away, rubbing his throat.
I
watch his back as he is swallowed up by the crowds in the hall. The sea of
backpacks and t-shirts blur as my eyes fill with tears. It shouldn’t hurt so much, I think. I barely know him. And yet it does hurt. A lot. Like a fist
squeezing my heart.
PURCHASE LINKS
No
purchase links currently available.
ABOUT the AUTHOR
Josh Grayson was born in Mexico, raised in
Massachusetts, and now lives in Martinsville, Virginia. It was his move to the
South that stirred his imagination and gave him the courage to start
writing. During his free time, Josh enjoys reading, jogging, swimming, and
watching YouTube videos.
Josh currently works as a medical driver, shuttling people all over Virginia and North Carolina. He has also worked as a machinist, film sales rep, administrative assistant, and telemarketer (he apologizes if he called you).
Sia is his debut YA novel.
Josh currently works as a medical driver, shuttling people all over Virginia and North Carolina. He has also worked as a machinist, film sales rep, administrative assistant, and telemarketer (he apologizes if he called you).
Sia is his debut YA novel.
AUTHOR LINKS
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