It’s Excerpt Monday!
~Redd~
Chapter 1
Pemberly Preparatory is the last in a long line of elite boarding schools. Don’t let the name fool you. It’s not some enchanted country estate school with Bennetts, Bingleys and Darcys running around between teatime; it’s not even in England. No, Pemberly Prep is a modern reform school for the uber rich. A collecting house filled with the spoiled, misguided misfits and misbegotten youth – someone like my self.
I never intentionally start trouble, it just seems to hone in on me. I have a knack for always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This I attribute to my adventurous streak, coupled with my innate ability to pick up unsavory habits. I can pick any lock in thirty five seconds flat – it’s been timed – boost a car, even a brand new Mercedes, and hack just about anything with an internet connection.
And I am too trusting. That’s what gets me in these messes generally. No matter what sort of clique I filter into, my past sneaks up and all of a sudden I’m corrupting upstanding students. Never mind that nine times out of ten, it’s their industrious, little conniving minds that start the problem to begin with. Whether it’s the captain of the cheer squad, the future valedictorian, the outcast loner or the geek patrol, they find me and all hell breaks loose. I trust and they exploit.
So, this is my final chance at actually graduating from high school. I mean some semblance of a normal school, not that Pemberly resembles that in any shape or fashion. But the final threat is military school – in Alaska. Okay, just kidding. But seriously, military school in some remote location like Montana. This is my father’s sadistic plan. My mother thinks juvie hall is even better, because maybe I will learn a lesson and it’s free. Lucky for me, maybe, Pemberly promotes a policy of non-expulsions. And there lies the taunting challenge.
I will remain guarded, tight lipped and on my own. This time I won’t have friends, and certainly not boys; they tend to be my Achilles’ heel. Besides, it’s not like the students of Pemberly are the type to build a lifelong bond with anyway. I just need to get through senior year, and then I’m free.
The funny thing is, I completely and wholeheartedly blame my misdirected failure for love and attention on my parents. I’ve clocked hundreds of hours in numerous detention halls, studying psychoanalysis and psychology. The books say I lash out at the neglect. My parents’ answer to my repeat offenses is to take extended personal vacations, have lavish affairs and throw money at me like they’re dousing a fire. I have one hell of a kick-ass 5th Avenue wardrobe, too bad it’s of no use at Pemberly. The compulsory uniform is black and white, a Massachusetts Puritan horror of colorless shirts, jumpers and skirts.
My first day of school I boldly lace up my cherry red sneakers – let’s see how many demerits I get for this one.
To check out Mel and Bria’s brainchild, Excerpt Monday Blog, follow this path.
Check out Babette James’s excerpt and blog here. She’s got a great little story that’s paranormal and PG-13.
LOL. I just snorted coffee reading Inez Kelley’s excerpt from JINXED. You must read, you must read. It’s R and RomCom.
For a fascinating paranormal historical check out Gina’s excerpt.
Here’s Annie Nicholas’s excerpt from Bait, really cool twist on a vampire romance. It’s paranormal and R.
Check out Crista’s historical paranormal too!
Cate's Musings 