Hey everyone!
So, if you do not know I am @addictofchocolate , and my pen name here on Wattpad is Evelyn Rodriguez. I struggled a lot to figure out what on earth I wanted to talk about (like, A LOT) but, I finally decided it would be best if I told you all a little about who I am so you can get to know me, and then I'll post the prologue of my newest book on Wattpad: Rekindling Us so that y'all can read it and see if you're interested in pursuing it on my profile.
So, first off, I'll give you guys the quirky little about me I have on my profile page with a few added notes:
1) I loooooove reading and writing. Seriously. I read about a book a day maybe more depending on the length. So, you do the math.
2) I am a Pentecostal Christian and absolutely proud of it. I love God and speaking of his love and wisdom is a joy.
3) Some of my favorite shows include: NCIS:LA, once upon a time, castle, leverage, and a whole bunch of other crazy stuff networks put on
4) I want to pursue being a doctor, but I'm not sure what type yet (I'm thinking a Hospitalist, though).
5) I'm a pretty big nerd and I love it! (Nerds don't get nearly as much credit as they should these days).
6) I love baking, cooking, you name it! (I make a mean muffin).
7) I'm from the Dominican Republic, and therefore Hispanic.
8) I'm a die hard chocoholic (especially when it comes to dark chocolate truffles with raspberry filling). If you couldn't tell this by my username, I just gave you a huge cyberslap.
9) I adore watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond
10) I'm that 6'1 girl you see laughing at what she reads on her phone in the middle of a store (yes, I am 16 and really that tall)
11) I am enamored with all things sparkly, shiny, or hot pink (yet, I can't remember to put anything more than tinted moisturizer on my face everyday; Go Figure).
12) There's a huge feud between me and insects; they know I will scream my head off and kill the crap out of them if they come near me.
13) I hate olives with a vengeance; we have a very horrible relationship.
14) I'm a sucker for happy endings.
15) I have a very short attention span, so I tend to get bored very quickly
16) I have a weird obsession with infinity scarves (I always gravitate toward them in any store).
17) I'm very clumsy with an intense case of butterfingers, and I usually drop everything.
18) I tend to randomly start humming or singing in stores
19) Rush Hour 3 is my most favorite movie of all times
20) I'm a weird mix of sorta girly-girl, kinda nerd like, and lazy bum.
21) I have dark curls that everyone seems to love but me
22) I have terrible vision
23) I'm used to people stopping me on the street and asking me if I model or do basketball because of my height (Not as cool as it sounds, trust me).
24) Evelyn Rodriguez is just a pseudonym so I don't have stalkers ;-) (You never know with the internet these days!)
So, that's a little about me. And now, here's the prologue of Rekindling Us. Remember, if you're interested, go to my profile page and check it out! It is still a work in progress, but if you want a full book while you wait, you can check out The Secret Singer which is the one that got the award from @youngadultreads. Thanks so much everyone and happy reading!
Prologue for Rekindling Us:
Haley's POV
Haley's thirteenth birthday
Shiny turquoise blue was on every surface available; be it tablecloths, the banner hanging from the doorway to the kitchen, or the princess dress hanging off of my gangly frame. Pop music burst through the speakers in the living room, and kids used bazookas and an array of party favors to make as much noise as possible.
And through it all, I sat in the chair at the head of my dining room table with a glum look, wishing beyond belief that everything and everyone would go away and let me sulk in peace.
And why was I sad on the joyous remembrance of my birth? Because my best friend wasn't here to celebrate it with me.
Samuel Steinfeld, Sam to me, had left to visit his grandparents in the Appalachian mountains with his family, and there was no way for him to get out of it. It felt foreign to do anything without him, because we were just that close.
From the moment we became friends in the Christmas of six years past, I'd felt a connection between us that made it impossible to not want to be near him all the time. He was just as bummed as I was that he couldn't come, but his parents refused to let him stay since his grandmother's health seemed to be on the brink. So, we had said goodbye a week ago, courageously sucking in our tears, and now I had to deal with a party my parents forced me to have even though I knew it would never be a happy occasion without my best friend next to me.
If anything, it was just an excuse for overzealous tweens to get hopped up on sugar and be even more crazy than usual.
Just as I was contemplating killing Dan, the boy to the right of me who decided that he should throw the sparkling confetti on me to celebrate, the doorbell rang, offering with it a blissful reprieve from this madness. I ran over to get it, and I frowned when all I found was a box of my favorite chocolate truffles from Godiva on my porch.
I looked around the porch, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of the gifter, when I suddenly felt arms wrap around my waist from behind and swing me around in a circle. Normally, I'd be kicking the heck out of whoever had the audacity to touch me without my permission, but I would know those skinny arms anywhere. They belonged to the person that made everything I did ten times better.
Sam.
"Happy birthday, firecracker!" He yelled out like the dork he was, with the nickname he'd given me when we first became friends, saying it was because my temper had a very short fuse. But I didn't care; all I knew was that my cheeks hurt from smiling so much because my best friend was here, and it was the best birthday present I could have ever asked for.
"Sam, I can't believe you're here! When did this happen?"
He swung me around in his arms so I was facing him, and I looked into the face of my goofy best friend as he laughed.
"My parents decided that since I visited Nana for a week, it was fine to leave early and surprise you on your birthday. I got your parents in on it, and they snuck me in through the back door. You happy?"
"What do you think, dimples?"
He laughs again, showcasing the deep dimples that give him his nickname, and leads me back to the dining room where everything suddenly looks better and brighter. It actually feels like a happy birthday now.
After we'd eaten the Triple Layered Delight cake, a special from the restaurant Dominic's, and Sam and mine's absolute favorite dessert, Sam and I moved away from the chaos of dancing and loud singing going on in my house and walked toward the largest tree in my backyard. This tree was one of the symbols of our friendship; the second best place to get away from the world and just be us for a little while.
The primary place was Sam's tree house. His dad created it for us two years ago so we could have our own made up adventures after we watched the movie "Bridge to Terabythia" and begged him for a tree house of our own. As we grew older, it became less of a playground and more of a sanctuary from the rest of the world.
No remote Caribbean island, and no fantastical getaway could compete with that tree house to me, because it was such a strong symbol of one of the strongest relationships I have with another human being on this planet. Sammy isn't just my best friend; he's my cuddle buddy when I can't sleep. He's my biggest supporter when I'm scared to go for something, he's the wiper of my tears when I can't stop crying over something sad, he's my defender when someone tries to put me down. He turns a blind eye to all of my faults and quirks, and he makes a depressive, rainy day feel like a day when the sun won't stop shining. He's the calm to my crazy; the sweet to my sour. He just gets me in a way no one else can.
Tucked under Sammy's arm is the guitar his father gave him for his ninth birthday. And old and weathered Gibson, that guitar had seen a lot of action in its life. Sammy loved to take it out in his free time and sing a song appropriate for the occasion. His favorites to play, though, were the really jazzy and bluesy songs. Or, as he liked to call them, "songs that make you feel something".
He took the opportunity now to strum a light tune, and then he looked at me with excitement.
"So, while I was away, I learned how to play that song you fell in love with, 'Fever'. I was thinking I could play it for you and you could sing?"
I smiled and nodded almost immediately, knowing Sammy wass doing this as a gift to me. He knew better than anyone that I loved to sing, especially to live music. It's even better when I get to dance along with it, feeling the vibrations of the music move throughout me as I sing and dance to the beat. But for now, I settled with singing alongside my best friend.
He played the jazzy opening, and I began to sing once my cue came.
(Fever by Peggy Lee, sung by Siahna Im)
I sang the whole melody in a very low, raspy voice to do the song justice. Really what intrigued me about it was the soft melody that makes you practically feel the romance in the air. It's one of the best things about Jazz and Rhythm & Blues music.
When I finished, I looked up and saw that the group of kids from school that came over for the party had come outside and were now clapping at my performance. I looked over at Sam who blushed at the attention and kept strumming a soft melody on his guitar. His eyes closed and swayed to the tune, and I watched as everyone from the party became just as entranced. It was always liked this when Sam played a tune, but it was even better when we put on a performance using our singing, acting, and dancing skills combined. Our music and drama teacher liked to say that we were best friends because our souls instinctively knew no one could handle being close friends with a triple threat except another triple threat.
When everyone had gone back inside to dance and eat some more, Sam opened his eyes back up and looked at me with a nervous smile.
"So, um, I kept wondering what to get you as present on the way over here, and then I suddenly remembered what you told me a few years back. You know, when I asked you what you wanted the most in the world when you became a full fledged teenager, and you said-"
"A first kiss that doesn't suck." I interrupted softly, my cheeks flaming up at the reminder of that stupid answer I gave him when we were nine. In my defense, I had just watched a movie where a girl was kissed for the first time by her boyfriend and she looked completely grossed out by it. The second I saw that, I knew I wanted something completely different.
"Well," Sam continued, looking down at his guitar with a flustered gaze. "I thought maybe we could help each other out. I mean, I know I won't be thirteen until two more months pass, but I still have the same wish, and of course we both want to be ready for when we start dating so that we're not inexperienced, and it would be a great experiment to see what works and what doesn't, and-"
"SAM!" I shouted, stopping him from going into another one of his extremely long monologues that come when he was nervous. "The point, please."
"I want us to be each others first kiss." He said quickly, looking at me afterwards with trepidation.
My face instantly flamed up again. It wasn't that the thought of kissing Sam was repulsive or embarrassing that had me blushing like a schoolgirl. It was the realization that I wasn't opposed to the idea of kissing him at all, and I wasn't sure how to reconcile that idea with the strictly friendly feelings thoughts I was supposed to have toward him.
"I guess that would be okay," I answered slowly. "After all, neither of us is coming to this with big expectations, so we could practice for the real thing later on without any pressure. And, I mean, we're best friends forever. Nothing will change that, especially not a silly old kiss."
Sam nodded slowly in agreement, and his bright blue eyes gazed into my dark green ones intensely, as if he wanted to find the secrets I kept hidden deep within me that I refused to even tell him.
"Okay, so um, how do we do this? Do we just go for it, or is there a specific way we need to do it? Should I tilt my head to the right or to the left? Do I need to hold your hand, or is that too mu-"
I decided to interrupt Sam's nervous breakdown this time in the only way that could finally shut him up.
I kissed him.
Most movies will show you that first kisses are perfect. That the kiss is like a fairy tale, right down to the inspiring music in the background and a soft wind to caress your cheeks.
In reality, though, my first kiss with Sam wasn't like that at all. We awkwardly sat there for about five seconds with our lips pressed together feeling like absolute dorks, until that one moment where it just changed. A switch was turned and out of the blue, it seemed like those illusive sparks I'd heard about for so long, but never got to actually experience, suddenly engulfed my entire being, starting from where my lips connected to Sam's. We created an experimental dance of sorts with our lips, pressing closer and closer until even a strand of hair couldn't stand between us, and gave ourselves completely into the moment.
We finally broke apart when the ingrained need to breathe tore us away, and by then we were both breathing heavily and staring at each other with wide eyes. Sam brought his arms away from where they were interlocked behind my back, and I took the moment to separate myself from him further and recuperate the common sense in my head that had been blown to pieces after my impromptu makeout session.
"So," Sam began nervously, running his fingers through his hair like he always did whenever he felt uncertain. "That happened."
I chuckled at his very obvious maneuver to try and diffuse the situation. Sam had never been good at dealing with situations that forced him out of his comfort zone, a quality I'd always found extremely endearing. Now, however, I struggled with letting him off the hook or forcing him to deal with what just went on between us.
But in the end, my fear won. I was too much of a chicken to face my fear and deal with the thought that Sam might not have felt what I did. The flutters in my stomach, the tremors in my hands, and the voice in the back of head telling me the one thing I didn't want to acknowledge.
That Sam was no longer just the best friend that I'd grown up with and that could seamlessly transition from doing a flawless tango to acting as an old, British man the next second in the exact same way that I could. No, he had veered into the dangerous territory of a crush.
It was no man's land for a reason, and that was the fact that it could potentially destroy the closest relationship I had with another human being.
So I refused to acknowledge it, thinking that if I didn't he wouldn't either and this memory would obliterate itself into the nothingness in my brain until the day came that we could talk about this without it being weird.
But, I was wrong. It did matter, and it only continued to matter, until one day my fear came true and it led to the separation of my other half. I never thought I'd see him again after it happened. Heck, I made sure of it. But, fate has a way of screwing you over just when you think all your plans are made out perfectly and making a brand new plan that you'd never wanted to consider.
And this is the story of how it happened to me.
***End of Prologue***
Alright well, that was the prologue of Rekindling Us! I hope you guys liked it and want to read some more, and hopefully check out The Secret Singer as well. I have a lot of twists and turns planned for this book, and I cannot wait for them to come out in the story and see what everyone thinks. Thanks everyone, keep being awesome!