Clarity by Gabbie S. Duran

Clarity

Genre: Coming of age

Release date: TBD

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Blurb:

Her world was shattered and broken. Damaged ... is how she viewed herself. Untrustworthy … is how she viewed men. Taylor never expected to open her heart to anyone. Nick is a player, in every sense of the word, but finds himself doing anything to earn her trust — including fighting the demons she harbors inside. Is he the clarity she’s been seeking, or will her past push him away? Excerpt: My mother’s footsteps can be heard as she makes her way towards my bedroom, stumbling into the wall along the way, reminding me of how I was not so long ago—another reminder of why I should feel ashamed. The door opens and her arched eyebrows are high as she stares at me. “What’s up with you?” she slurs, looking me up and down, her eyes stopping at my legs. “Did you finally get some?” she says, a wide grin spreading across her face, pissing me off that she can’t even act like a real mother when I need one. “Get the fuck out and leave me alone,” I snap at her because she’s the only one here that I can take my anger out on. She shrugs her shoulders before saying, “Hopefully you’ll end up pregnant. It’d be one good thing for you. Easy money.” I didn’t think anyone could disgust me more than Josh had tonight, but I’m proven wrong. “Get. The. Fuck. Out!” This time my angry outburst works and she turns to walk away. Slamming the door behind her, the tears finally fall as I ponder both their hurtful words as they keep repeating over and over again in my mind. The stabbing pain of the realization that Josh may be right about me always being a nobody brews in my head. Up until the day he acknowledged me, nobody cared who I was. The day he asked me to help tutor him for science was the day I began to exist in the social world of our high school. Before that, I pretty much kept to myself, not really fitting in anywhere. I didn’t have a stable family. The only thing I had was enough brains to get me through my classes without failing. Now with school over, I’m back to where I started, a nobody in the small town where I grew up. I have a worthless mother, no family, or friends. I don’t even have money. But that doesn’t mean I’m stuck in this town forever. No. The minute I can get out of here, I will, and I’m never looking back.

Author bio: Gabbie is a Southern California native, who lives with her wonderful husband, two amazing kids and a senior citizen kitty. When she’s not writing you can find her reading or sneaking off for a run. Some might say it’s a crazy life, but she wouldn’t change anything about it. Social media links: Facebook Twitter Goodreads Pinterest