xxxIn the spring of ’68, it was the worst of times. Student protests raged from the Sorbonne to Berkeley. Civil rights demonstrations and anti-war rallies were turning violent. Martin Luther King was dead; Bobby Kennedy would be soon. Hundreds of other Americans were dying each week in South Vietnam. Soldiers patrolled the streets of Saigon, Paris, and Washington. Soviet troops prepared to invade Prague. And in a nowhere...

"These things suck!" I turned and looked at the girl who stood beside me and raised an eyebrow in question. She gestured at the garishly decorated gymnasium. "This! It sucks!" She pointed at Jessica Wheeler, the head of the junior varsity cheer squad. "These things are designed for girls like her to have a good time." She then gestured between the two of us. "And for girls like us to be reminded of what losers we are." Th...

"I don't understand why I have to be there," Teagan whined from where he sat at his desk. Textbooks and note pads surrounded him, along with empty snack bags and soda cans. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him through narrowed eyes. He couldn't be serious, right? There was no way. "Are you for real?" I demanded. The look I got in return told me he was. I uncrossed my arms and slammed my hands down onto my hip...

"I really don't think this is one of your better ideas, baby," I told Teagan with some trepidation. I hung back as we approached the restaurant; I was sure it was going to end in a disaster much worse than when I met his friends the first time. It didn't help this was the same place, either.He shot me a look as he reached past me and opened the door for me. "I don't care if it's a bad idea or not, Aislinn." He waved me th...

"Now, what's a pretty girl like you doing in a dump like this?"The question was so corny that I had no choice but to laugh. I looked up from the book I had been reading while eating my dinner to see Ryan gazing down at me. Seeing my amusement, he gave me a smug look."Well, had I known that cheesy pickup lines were the key to you not being hostile, I'd have used it a long time ago," he said. "I've built up quite the collec...

“I’m sorry, what?” A frustrated sigh met my question and I fought the urge to take my annoyance out on the owner of the said sigh. “For the third time,” Ryan grumbled, “Do you want to see one of the movies that are on the syllabus? Or do you want to do a book report first?” I stared at him blankly, having no idea what he was talking about. The entire concept of studying for my classes seemed inconsequential these days. Ev...

DECISIVE MOMENTS – CHAPTER 7 “Hey, man! Can I borrow your shaving cream? I’m out.” I turned to see Connor standing at the bottom of the stairs. He was glancing into the kitchen where Teagan was cooking. I had offered to help but was turned down with an emphatic no! I still hadn’t gotten any better with my dismal culinary skills. I found it rather offensive that the two of them continued to remind me of this, however. “Yea...

Decisive Moments – Chapter 6 When I walked into the kitchen the following morning and saw Connor sitting at the table, I had to fight not to turn around and run. Teagan had left earlier to catch up with his early morning study group, so I had no buffer. I was comfortable with the step that we had taken the previous night. But the thought of my brother knowing anything was mortifying. It didn’t help that every time I thoug...

I groaned as I woke up, my head pounding and eyes dry and scratchy. I blinked in the dark, disoriented. The clock on the table beside me showed that there were still several hours before morning. I sighed as I worked a hand out from under the covers and rubbed my forehead. “What’s wrong, baby?” I heard whispered into my neck as muscled arms pulled me tighter. I smiled as Teagan nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck....

The days leading up to Mother’s Day were miserable. I was about forty months pregnant, or that’s what it seemed like at least. It didn’t help that my ankles were the size of my head and that I ached everywhere. Combine that with the intense heat that Texas was already experiencing and you had the perfect recipe for an epic pity party. I missed my husband. Robert was with the Army’s 1 st Armored Division and stationed at F...

Looking back on things, I can see where I could have handled things at that point a bit better. Blurting out, “Are you shitting me? Who are they for?” probably wasn’t the best route to take. Especially if the look on Teagan’s face was any indication. Not one of my smarter moves at all. He turned and looked at me in disbelief. “They’re for me, Aislinn,” he snapped. I recoiled in surprise at his tone. Even at his angriest w...

I frowned at the scrap of paper that fluttered to the ground as I opened my locker. My locker was immaculate, so there was no reason for paper to fall out. That could only mean one thing. Robert Munroe had been breaking and entering again. With a barely stifled sigh, I leaned down and picked up the note from the floor. Jesus! – Practically every damn day! Why couldn’t he just accept that not every girl in Crestview High S...

I closed my text book with a loud snap and checked the time on my cell phone. I groaned when I saw that I had been studying for almost four hours and still had what felt like a mountain of homework left. Teagan had cautioned me about taking so many classes my first semester but I had been stubborn. I wanted to get the basic courses out of the way as soon as possible. As I looked at the books and papers scattered around me...

“Are you for real right now?” I heard my best friend Penny ask me from the other side of the room. I stood up and turned to look at her with a frown. “What are you talking about?” I asked as I shoved the same chunk of hair out of my eyes for the thousandth time with annoyance. It was times like these that I really wanted to just hack the crap off. Penny looked at me dumbfounded. “Seriously? Ash! – You brought every book a...

I stormed up the stairs, mentally cursing my brother. I glanced behind me at an unexpected noise and fought to hold in a sigh. I really didn’t need this right now. But the dog was sitting at the foot of the stairs, ears perked and tail thumping. Refusing to smile, I caved. Retracing my steps, I walked back down the steps and lightly patted him on the head. “There! Happy now?” He looked up expectantly. “What?” It was obvio...