Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Andi is tired of being a second-class sibling to perfect sister Laina. The only thing Andi’s sure she has going for her is her awesome hair. And even that is eclipsed by Laina's perfect everything else.
When Andi’s crush asks her to fix him up with Laina, Andi decides enough is enough, and devises a twelve-step program to wrangle the spotlight away from Laina and get the guy.
Step 1: Admit she’s powerless to change her perfect sister, and accept that her life really, really sucks.
Step 4: Make a list of her good qualities. She MUST have more than just great hair, right?
Step 7: Demand attention for more than just the way she screws things up.
When a stolen kiss from her crush ends in disaster, Andi realizes that her twelve-step program isn’t working. Her prince isn’t as charming as she'd hoped, and the spotlight she’s been trying to steal isn’t the one she wants.
As Laina’s flawless façade begins to crumble, the sisters work together to find a spotlight big enough for both to shine.
Twelve Steps
by Veronica Bartles
The scent of buttered popcorn fills the air, and my
mouth waters as I step into line with Summer and Emily to buy our tickets for Fiero Furious. I don’t see Jarod or his
friends, but the movie starts in ten minutes. They’re probably already inside.
“Hey, Andi. What’s up?” Dave appears in line behind
me.
“Are you following me now?” I take a half-step away
from him, carefully maneuvering so that Emily stands as a buffer between us.
He laughs and points to the long line forming behind
him. “I guess, if getting in line behind you means I’m following you, then I’m
guilty as charged. But so are about thirty other people.”
I cross my arms and turn my back on him. “Whatever.
I just think it’s awfully coincidental that you happen to show up right after
we get in line.”
“You’re right. I planned it. Because it’s completely
unbelievable that two random people could both want to go to the movies. On a
Friday night. At the only good theater in town.”
“Hey, Dave, what’s up?” Summer asks, giving me her
patented, exaggerated eye roll. I can practically hear her thoughts screaming
at me. What are you so afraid of? Dave’s
harmless. It’s not like he’s going to attack you right here in the middle of
the mall. But she wasn’t there when Dave tried to kiss me in the coat
closet after recess in fourth grade. She’d be freaked out too if some guy had
been flirting with her nonstop since they were nine years old, even though she
kept telling him she wasn’t interested.
Dave is totally following me. I’d bet anything that
he was listening to our conversation in the cafeteria. I bet he doesn’t even
like race car movies, and he’s only here because he wanted a chance to
“accidentally” run into me. And if Summer can’t see what a creepy stalker he
is, I’ll just have to prove it.
I give Dave a million-megawatt smile. “What movie
are you going to see?”
He blushes and points to a little boy who’s probably
about four years old hiding behind his leg. “My aunt and uncle are visiting,
and I promised my cousin I’d take him to see Ninja Unicorn Strikes Back. He’s a little shy, so my aunt always
worries that he isn’t socialized enough. Not sure that hanging out with his old
cousin counts, but he’s a cool kid, so it’s all good. What are you here for?”
Very clever. Of course he’d choose a different
movie, so he could pretend to be all innocent. And I have to give him bonus
points for bringing along a decoy kid. I bend down and wave at the cute, little
mini-Dave. “You like ninja unicorns?”
The little boy nods solemnly and releases his death
grip on Dave’s pant leg.
I glance at Dave and then smile at the kid. “How
long did Dave make you wait around for us to show up before you got into line?”
That’s one thing Dave didn’t count on. Kids always tell the truth. He is so
busted.
The little boy smiles and pats my cheek. “You have
lots and lots of freckles,” he says.
I stand up quickly and cover my face with my hands.
Summer and Emily are laughing so hard they’re practically rolling on the floor.
“Well, it was nice meeting you,” I say and shuffle forward as the line slowly
advances, leaving my friends to fend for themselves.
Dave scoops the demon kid up and closes the gap
between us. “We think your freckles are adorable.” He hugs the kid. “Don’t we?”
The little boy nods.
“I like freckles.”
As the second of eight children and the mother of four, Veronica Bartles is no stranger to the ups and downs of sibling relationships. (She was sandwiched between the gorgeous-and-insanely-popular older sister and the too-adorable-for-words younger sister.) She uses this insight to write stories about siblings who mostly love each other, even while they’re driving one another crazy. When she isn’t writing or getting lost in the pages of her newest favorite book, Veronica enjoys knitting fabulous bags and jewelry out of recycled plastic bags and old VHS tapes, sky diving (though she hasn’t actually tried that yet), and inventing the world’s most delectable cookie recipes. TWELVE STEPS is Veronica Bartles's first novel.
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The story of Andi sounds interesting and I want to go on her 12 step program with her. I really want to know how everything turns out. Thanks for the giveaway chance!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really wonderful!
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