Closing in on the last few snippets from my YA coming-of-age mystery, Shades of Blue before I switch to another book. (You can catch up on the earlier excerpts here.) Last week we left Sam and JoJo after he climbs in her window in the middle of the night to get away from his drunken step-father, and JoJo is surprised to hear that his step-sister Britney (not his mom as some people mistakenly thought) helped him get away. After talking to Sam about how he and his mother have to get out and never go back and getting a wishy-washy response from Sam, JoJo is terrified that they'll never leave despite Russ's abuse. Sam sleeps on the floor of her bedroom and goes home early the next morning when he sees that Russ's truck is gone.
I got ready for school in a hurry so I could go next door and talk to Sam before Daddy came out to the car. When Britney answered the door, I had to bite my lip because her left eye was an ugly reddish-purple color and was swollen almost completely shut. She might be a spiteful tramp, but she didn’t deserve to get beaten. Especially by her own father.
Before I could think of anything to say, she turned around and called Sam then walked away. He came out of his room with his book bag slung over one shoulder and grabbed my arm when he got to the door.
“Come on, JoJo. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
More next week, or you could always go buy your own copy of Shades of Blue here. ;-) Please also check out the other Snippet Sunday folks and the Weekend Writing Warriors. Something for everyone among these talented writers!
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Always makes me sad to see this sort of thing. Good snippet, and hope Russ gets his comeuppance soon...
ReplyDeleteUgh, those poor kids. Hope they can find a way to get away from Russ soon!
ReplyDeleteOuch. I feel sorry for all the characters suffering here - let's hope they can find a way to deal with Russ.
ReplyDeleteThis will be quite the conversation! I really like these two characters...great snippet!
ReplyDeleteLike I said last time, I'm glad she stepped up for Sam and sorry she had to. Good snippet, Joyce.
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet. I'm wondering what Britney did for the MC to call her a spiteful tramp.
ReplyDeleteThat's based on Britney's reputation and their past animosity. They hate each other at this point, but things they are a-changing! ;-)
DeleteWow -- powerful excerpt Joyce!!
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet. I can't wait to find out what he has to tell her.
ReplyDeleteNo one deserves to be beaten--and I bet she might be nicer to be around if she wasn't getting hurt by her father!
ReplyDeleteYou've done a great job of setting us up for a big reveal.
ReplyDeleteRuss had better get what he deserves. I'm curious to know what Sam has to say to JoJo.
ReplyDeleteTorturing characters always makes for great story. Thanks for sharing.-Book Bling Blogger.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, a lot of young adults endure things just like this. Good excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThis story has such bittersweet parts to it. :-)
ReplyDeletePoor girl. Hope Sam can bring a little light to JoJo's day. :)
ReplyDeleteThey should take Britney out too, and his mum. That would be the decent thing to do, as Jojo always complains that Britney is not being decent.
ReplyDeleteWell you can't just leave us with that sentence! What happened? I feel like Britney is starting to wake up and realize just how bad things are.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely have to get the book. You can finish with a tease like this ..... :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat story!
Domestic violence is always so tragic, not being able to trust someone who is supposed to take care of you. Wonder what he is going to share?
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet! Can't wait to hear what he has to tell her.
ReplyDelete