Breathing Underwater (29 page)

Authors: Alex Flinn

Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Social Issues, #Physical & Emotional Abuse, #Boys & Men, #Dating & Sex

BOOK: Breathing Underwater

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In that moment, I knew I hated her.

Lisette was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, more beautiful than Courtney or any of the popular girls at school, more beautiful than my dolls. She looked like a grown-up, like one of those people on
Inside Edition
. Her eyes were the same color as the sparkling, royal blue shawl, and her lips were large and a shade of red my mouth only got if I drank a red Slurpee. I knew the girls at school would soon make her their queen, and that made me hate her even more.

“Are you Emma?” she said, and I could only nod, frozen.

“Oh, God! I’m so glad!” She rose to walk closer to me. Her eyes fell on my book. I should have left it in the tree house.

But Lisette’s eyes grew even wider. “Wow, you’re reading that?” When I nodded again, she said, “You must be really smart.”

I went through a big-time internal debate about whether to nod again or deny it. Finally, I said my first words ever to my new stepsister.

“Well, I’m bad at math.”

“Really? Math’s my favorite. I’m bad at English. Maybe we can help each other out.” Then, she opened her arms and said, “Oh, Emma, I know we’re going to be just like real sisters.”

And, in that moment, I really wanted to believe her. A sister had to love you, right?

BACK ADS

BOOKS BY ALEX FLINN

Breathing Underwater

Breaking Point

Nothing to Lose

Fade to Black

Diva

Beastly

A Kiss in Time

Cloaked

Bewitching

CREDITS

Cover art © 2012 by Howard Huang
Cover design by Sasha Illingworth

COPYRIGHT

The author spoke with several people and did extensive research regarding the various counseling and anger control programs available to batterers. The Family Violence Class in which Nick participates, while representative of the type of programs available in various jurisdictions, is fictional. It does not portray any particular program or group leader.

Breathing Underwater

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.epicreads.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Flinn, Alex.

Breathing underwater / Alex Flinn.

p. cm.

Summary: Sent to counseling for hitting his girlfriend, Caitlin, and ordered to keep a journal, sixteen-year-old Nick recounts his relationship with Caitlin, examines his controlling behavior and anger, and describes living with his abusive father.

ISBN 978-0-06-029198-3 — ISBN 978-0-06-029199-0 (lib. bdg.)

ISBN 978-0-06-447257-9 (pbk.)

EPub Edition © FEBRUARY ISBN 9780062208200

[1. Dating violence—Fiction. 2. Anger—Fiction. 3. Fathers and sons—Fiction. 4. Child abuse—Fiction. 5. Diaries—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.F6395 2001	00-044933
[Fic]—dc21	CIP
	AC

11 12 13 14 15 CG/BV 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Revised edition, 2011

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ALEX FLINN loves fairy tales and is the author of the #1
New York Times
bestselling
BEASTLY
, a spin on Beauty and the Beast that was named a VOYA Editor’s Choice and an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Beastly is now a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens! She also wrote
A KISS IN TIME
, a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and cloaked, a humorous fairy tale mash-up, as well as
BREATHING UNDERWATER
,
BREAKING POINT
,
NOTHING TO LOSE
,
FADE TO BLACK
, and
DIVA
. Alex lives in Miami with her family. Visit her online at www.alexflinn.com.