~Tease~
Chapter 1
Lies. Lies. Lies. He was covered in lies. They oozed off him like slick,
goopy slime. As if I didn’t already know Steve couldn’t be trusted. I always
thought of him as a pompous ass, especially after our one and only date.
But that was years ago.
Steve wouldn’t meet my eyes. I hadn’t spoken to him since my freshman
year of high school. I wondered if it he even remembered me. I remembered him
all too well, Mr. Captain of the baseball team with the perfect smile. The
thought of his cold, wet lips and octopus arms still made my skin crawl.
Regardless, he looked past me, around me, like I wasn’t good enough to
look at. I could feel his apprehension so I knew I’d get him. I’d get him good.
Call him out for being the jerk he was and embarrass him in front of his
friends. I just needed to concentrate.
I closed my eyes, focused on blocking out the music and clarifying the
image in my mind. I fingered the gold bracelet interpreting the words and
images flowing from it.
“You just came back from someplace warm,” I
declared.
With a snide look on his face the
muscle-bound jock shook his head and spoke skeptically to the crowd of
onlookers, “Like most of the country isn’t warm in July. This is bogus,” he
chortled, still trying to best me.
He thought his wise cracks were enough to
intimidate me, to make me feel stupid and insecure so I would shut up. He
wanted to end it here and now. Better to make me look bad before it went any
further. Not going to happen. Not tonight. If I had to be miserable, so did
he.
“I see a beach and water . . .”
“Hard one. Like we don’t live at the Jersey
shore.”
“Not here.” I said a bit forcefully. “The
water is clear blue, so it’s not in this state.”
“Oooh,” I heard someone jeer. “She’s onto
you.”
“Shut up,” Mr. Macho snapped at his buddy
while reaching for the bracelet I wasn’t ready to release. “You probably told
her.”
“You’re there with a beautiful girl,” I
continued. “Long blonde hair. Her name begins with the letter E.”
“You were with Emma?” A petite brunette
bellowed while pounding her fist into his arm.
“Busted!” someone shouted before bursting
into a fit of laughter.
“You don’t believe this bull do you?” He
pleaded.
With tears in her eyes, the girl rushed off,
“You’re a shit!”
Steve snatched his bracelet and rushed after
her, “Shari, wait. I haven’t seen her in months. She must be a friend of Emma’s
or my shit-head friends are playing a joke. When I find out which one of you
set this up . . .” the rest of the threat trailed off.
“That’s what you get for two timing,” I
called watching him push through the sea of people. If he didn’t remember me
before the reading, he’d never forget me now. I brought my hands together, “All
right, show’s over.”
A few moans and grumbles, then suddenly I
could breathe. A wave of relief washed over me as the oppressive group
surrounding me thinned. My right eye burned, and the aching in my head had
already begun. I knew I had to stop before the sharp blinding pain ensued.
I turned and looked for my best friend Grace. No sign of her. I shook my
head. I didn’t even want to come to Mike’s stupid party, let alone be the
entertainment, but she insisted.
What exactly she found appealing about Mike was beyond me, but Grace had
been crushing on him all through high school. She would do just about anything
he asked; only before tonight he never did.
Earlier in the day, while life was still bliss, we were just two best
friends laying in the sun with lemon juice in our hair (Grace's attempt at
natural highlights) listening to music. When Mike sauntered over poolside to
extend the invitation, Grace turned into groupie girl, and it took her
approximately one second to accept. I was biding time until I could convince
her to leave.
“One more,” the voice caught me. Stopped me
dead in my tracks. For a moment the room went silent, the people disappeared.
All that existed was the soft soothing voice.
“C’mon, please.” He spoke again, and I wished he’d never stop talking so
I could forever hear the sound of his melodious voice.
Before I could refuse, a small, gold ring was placed in my hand. I stood
frozen, feeling as if someone connected a live wire to my heart. White
electricity surged throughout my body.
I looked up to see what creature bore such exhilarating energy. His
soft, golden-brown eyes captivated me. They were alive with laughter and
mystery. I closed my eyes, barely able to focus and stroked the ring with my
thumb. I took a deep breath, taking in the scent of his cologne. Fighting the
sudden lump in my throat, I blurted out, “Romeo and Juliet.”
“Excuse me?” He smiled confused.
“It’s like Romeo and Juliet,” I recovered, tracing the diamond chip
initial on the ring. “You believe you are in love.”
“She’s my Juliet?” He asked with a suspicious look.
“No, she’s your Rosalind,” I felt the need to explain, hoping to keep
him nearby, “the girl Romeo thought he loved. Remember though, it was
unrequited.”
{End of Tease}
Find Heart Waves at:
About the Author:
Danielle Sibarium grew up as an only child of divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her imagination was developed at an early age. Surrounded by stuffed animals and imaginary friends, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality. On any given summer afternoon she became Snow White sweeping and cooking for the dwarfs, or Cinderella waiting for the prince.
Danielle always loved dialogue and in elementary school began writing plays and short stories. This is when she began to understand she could not only bring her fantastical world to life for herself, but she could enchant others as well. And so she wrote. She wrote and wrote and wrote.
Sadly the first piece she ever sent out for publication of any sort was a letter to the editor of The Home News Tribune. It was a piece thanking the first responders for their bravery and selflessness on Sept 11th. It was chosen as letter of the week.
In 2007 Danielle collaborated with Charlotte Doreen Small to write songs for her CD More. Danielle wrote the lyrics for Take My Hand, and Goodbye, while Charlotte contributed the melody.
In October 2011 Danielle’s debut novel For Always was released. She Has since released Heart Waves and the second book in the Heart Waves series, Breaking Waves.
Danielle graduated from Farleigh Dickinson University with honors, and currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.
Check out Danielle Sibarium's blog: http://www.daniellesibarium.com
~ Maria
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