If Only We
by Jessica Sankiewicz
Publication Date: October 27, 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary
About If Only We
They say all it takes is one wrong move and you lose the game. One false step and you’re trapped. One slip-up in your choice of words and you ruin a friendship forever. That is what they say. They say I lost.
I do not believe them.
At the end of the summer after graduation, Adrienne wonders what happened to cause her life to be in ruins. She isn’t getting along with her mom, her stepsister isn’t talking to her, and, to top it off, the boy she’s been in love with doesn’t want anything to do with her. She believes the turning point was a choice she made at graduation. When she wakes up the next day, she has been transported back three months to that moment, the one where everything started to fall apart.
Adrienne realizes she has been given a second chance—and this time she doesn’t want to mess anything up. Reliving the entire summer, though, turns out to be a lot harder than she thought. As the same days and weeks go by, she starts to see how simple decisions can make a huge impact on the world around her. Despite knowing some of what lies ahead, there are some things she didn’t anticipate. She thought she knew what mistake led her to where she ended up the first time. She was wrong.
And by the time summer is over, she discovers what was really at stake.
EXCERPT
I never imagined a day when I
wouldn’t want the sun to shine. One of the best things about summer is the
sunshine; its warmth and the light it casts late into the evenings. It beats
the chill and shorter days of the winter. Today is different. Today isn’t just
another summer day.
Today I am heading to the
cemetery.
I flip the dial on my car radio
to find something to listen to on the way. I hate driving without something
playing. Nothing comes on that is appropriate. No music sounds good right now,
so I just turn it off. I wish something would feel good and distract me from the
already awful day I’m having.
Since I got in late last night,
I didn't speak to my mom until this morning. I should have just skipped
breakfast and avoided the kitchen entirely.
When I sat down, she said,
“Based on what Lyndsay has told me, River's Bend would be a great place to
work.”
I tried to not openly flinch but
it was impossible. Not only impossible to not do, but also impossible for my
mom to not notice.
“What was that for? It's not my
fault you missed out on that opportunity because you ran off to your father's.”
“I'll be going to school on
Monday. I'm still going to be a nurse. You should be happy.”
“I am happy that you will be a nurse.”
I sighed. “Then why is it such a
big deal that I didn't volunteer this summer? It's not like that one thing makes
a difference in the long run.”
“It shows how dedicated you are
in carrying out family tradition.”
Instead of rehashing the same
conversations I had with her all summer, I stood up and left the house without
another word.
I pull into the drive for the cemetery
and park under the shade of a maple tree. I sit there with one hand on the
wheel and the other on the key in the ignition. It’s time. Time to get out of
the car.
It's time for me to face him.
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About the Author
Jessica is the 28-year-old author of IF
ONLY WE, a YA contemporary. You can often find her either reading or marathon
watching TV on DVD, her favorites being Castle and Veronica Mars. She
frequently mismatches her clothes and giggles uncontrollably. She knows almost
every Billy Joel song by heart. She collects books and toys, and she has an
intense love of cats and lemurs. Currently in the midst of her
quarter-life-crisis, she is still takin' names and getting very close to
reaching an epiphany.
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Oh gosh, this looks so good. :0
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