SIA
by Josh Grayson
Synopsis:
When
seventeen-year-old Sia wakes up on a park bench, she has no idea who or where
she is. Yet after a week of being homeless, she’s reunited with her family. At
school, she’s powerful and popular. At home, she’s wealthy beyond her dreams.
But she quickly realizes her perfect life is a lie. Her family is falling apart
and her friends are snobby, cruel and plastic. Worse yet, she discovers she was
the cruelest one. Mortified by her past, she embarks on a journey of redemption
and falls for Kyle, the “geek” she once tormented. Yet all the time she wonders
if, when her memories return, she’ll become the bully she was before…and if
she’ll lose Kyle.
Excerpt from Sia
While I wait for my driver, I sit on a
step outside the school. I watch the kids go by. No one stops to say hello to
me, and I'm starting to understand why. Then I see Kyle trudging out of the
school, shaking his thick brown hair back from his brow. I decide to go talk to
him. But he changes direction when he sees me approaching.
“Wait! Kyle? Is that your name? Kyle?”
He stops, but doesn't turn around.
Undaunted, I run up from behind.
“Listen, I just wanted to apologize for Duke in the cafeteria today.”
“Why? Can’t he take care of that
himself?”
“I guess he can, but I don’t think
manners are his strong point.”
Kyle squints at me, trying to read my
expression, so I keep my eyes wide open. If he's looking for dishonesty or
cruelty, I'm determined he won't find any there.
“I don’t get it,” he says skeptically.
“Why would you apologize to me?”
I shrug. “Because it was wrong of him
to be like that.”
“If you're gonna apologize on behalf of
Duke, you should apologize to Ben, not me.”
“Um…okay, I will.”
After a moment of quiet, Kyle says,
“Okay. Thanks.” He sniffs and looks at the ground, obviously uncomfortable. “As
long as we’re apologizing, I guess I owe you one, too.” He runs his fingers
through his hair. “I’m sorry about yelling at you at the soup kitchen. That was
you, right?”
I nod.
“So I guess it was my yelling that made
you run into the street, wasn’t it?”
I nod again.
“Well, I’m really sorry. About all
that. I had no idea.”
“Of course you didn't. Don’t worry
about it.” I look down the street, past Kyle, but I can't see John and the car
yet. I glance down at my nails, still torn and ratty from living homeless.
“What were you doing there, anyway?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I volunteer there
sometimes.”
“Oh.”
“My parents own a bakery nearby. I work
there almost every afternoon. When we have day-old bread and stuff, I take it
over to them.”
“You…Oh!” I suddenly recall the slice
of bread I'd enjoyed just before Kyle yelled at me that day. Soft, homemade,
and unforgettable. It brings a smile to my face. “Well, I know from personal
experience that they really appreciate that. It’s very generous of you and your
family.”
“It’s the least we can do.” He
hesitates. “So you’d been eating there?”
“Yup. All week. With my friend Carol.”
“Carol? That older lady? I know her.
She’s sweet. Helps a lot of the kids out. I guess she’s kind of a teacher for
lost souls, huh?”
“You could say that,” I agree,
remembering my wise friend fondly.
A dark car pulls up to the curb.
I smile with apology. “Sorry, but I
have to go. That’s John, here to pick me up. So are we okay?”
“We?”
“Yeah. You and me.”
After a second, he returns my smile and
holds out a hand. “Sure.” I step closer so I can shake it, and while I'm there I purposefully inhale the smell Amber had so detested. She's right. He smells like bread. Banana bread, I think. And cinnamon. Not unpleasant at all.
About Josh Grayson
Josh
Grayson was born in Mexico, raised in Massachusetts, and now lives in
Martinsville, Virginia. It was his move to the South that stirred his
imagination and gave him the courage to start writing. During his free time,
Josh enjoys reading, jogging, swimming, and watching YouTube videos.
Josh
currently works as a medical driver, shuttling people all over Virginia and
North Carolina. He has also worked as a machinist, film sales rep,
administrative assistant, and telemarketer (he apologizes if he called you).
Sia is his debut YA novel.
Josh’s Links:
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