PW-30 (YA): BETWEEN BROKEN ENDS

MENTOR: Evelyn Ehrlich

MENTEE: Emily Martin

TITLE: BETWEEN BROKEN ENDS

CATEGORY/GENRE: YA Contemporary

WORD COUNT: 60,000

PITCH:

Carson High slut Harper Sloan is resigned to her reputation, until her former best friend—who also happens to be the first and only boy she’s ever loved—shows up in her small town, and she’s forced to face who she currently is, who she used to be, and who she could, with his help, become.

EXCERPT:

Denying the rumors is pointless.

People around here live for this shit. And since I’m pretty confident half my class will wash out of whatever bush league college they get accepted to and land right back in Carson, my biggest concern is the possibility of them procreating. Because seriously, one more asshole in this town will put us over the quota.

Besides, it’s more difficult to deny rumors when they’re true.

Not that they all are, but the details hardly matter anymore. All that matters now is making up for lost time. And Sadie and I aren’t wasting another minute.

“Okay, I’ve got a good one,” she says, hanging upside-down from the monkey bars.

Holding her cigarette between her lips, she uses both hands to pull herself upright.

I smash my lips together to keep from smiling. “Let’s hear it.”

“Cory Kingston. In the backseat of your car. With…a pair of fur-lined handcuffs.”

“Are you kidding me! That’s the best you’ve got?” I shake my head and feign disappointment. “No. And also, ew.”

This is Scrue, aka the perfect game for celebrating the merciful arrival of summer. It’s loosely based on Clue, except there’s no board, and instead of murder plots we guess sordid details of sexual exploits. Or in my case, the recent lack thereof.

“Well, I’m tired of guessing Declan-in-your-bed-with-nothing.” She jumps off the monkey bars and flops onto the swing next to mine. “You need to spice it up a little.”