Friday, December 10, 2010

The rest of Chapter 20 and Chapter 21 beginnings

Thanks for your feedback on yesterday's post. I'm glad you all felt it was pivotal. Leesie's poem to finish off Chapter 20 ended up being kind of short, and I needed to keep writing so you get a double dose tonight. Michael's dive log starts off Chapter 21.

Happy weekend! See you on Monday.

CHAPTER TWENTY (cont.)


LEESIE’S MOST PRIVATE CHAPBOOK
POEM # ??, A BARGAIN

I want to steal the keys,
the car, and run,
but Michael makes me go with him.
I sit in the back of the makeshift
dive classroom, with my head
buried in my arms, resting
on the folding table and listen
to pens scratch and Michael’s voice
teach dive physics—one atmosphere,
two atmospheres, three atmospheres,
four.

I’m angry—want to hate him,
but his voice feeds my weakness,
my wanting, my love, my desire.
I dream his body, his hands on mine.
No retreat.
Only surrender.

It’s a relief to cool
down in the pool
after lunch, swim laps
with his students,
help them and win
a smile from Michael.

A smile that says,
I love you,
I want you—
just do this one thing.

I shake my head.
No, Michael, no.
No.
No.
No.
No.


CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

MICHAEL’S DIVE LOG – VOLUME #10

Dive Buddy: Leesie           
Date:  06/17
Dive #:
Location: Grand Cayman
Dive Site:
Weather Condition:
Water Condition:
Depth:  
Visibility: 
Water Temp: 
Bottom Time:  
Comments:

            After a long afternoon of back-to-back pool sessions, I hustle Leesie back up to the apartment. “We need to hurry.” The president guy’s wife said we could see him at seven. It’s almost six. She said the church is close to the grocery store heading out of Georgetown—about forty-five minutes drive. Funny. I must have driven by it a hundred times and not noticed.
            “You can’t make me go.” Leesie stomps across the apartment into her and Alex’s room and slams the door.
            I’m on her heels. “Please, babe,” I croon into the door. I try the knob—not locked. I push open the door. What the heck. Gabriel’s always in their. Why not me?
            She’s sitting, scowling on her bed. “You can’t make me tell him anything.”
            “If you won’t”—I close the door behind me so the entire apartment full of tired dive guides won’t hear all our personal business—“I will. I need help.”
            “Divine intervention?”
            “Whatever it takes.”
            “I don’t want to talk to a stranger.”
            I sit next to her on the bed. “What you and I want”—I put my hand on her knee—“is massively irrelevant.”
            “You still want—?” She glances down at the bed.
            “That’s what I’ve always wanted. You know that. I don’t believe any of this stuff.”
            “But—”  
            “But you do. So it’s important. More important  than what I want.”
            She rests her head on my shoulder. “This is useless. Believe me. He’ll just shake his head and show me the door.”
            “I don’t think so.” I put my arm around her. “I’ve got a feeling—”
            She sits up, ducks my arm. “That’s rich. You’re getting revelation these days?”
            I hate that tone in her voice and the look she gives me. I look down, find her hand, grasp it in mine. “It’s just something in my gut that says we need to do this. Please, get ready.”
            “What do I get if I go? It’s going to be so humiliating.”
            I press her hand. “You’re wrong.”
            “Want to bet?” She makes a sound half-way between a snort and a laugh.
            “Sure.” I lean forward and kiss her forehead. “If it will get you in the shower.”
            She kisses me. “You could get me in the shower.”
            “Freak, you’re wicked.”
            “You love it.” Her lips are on mine again.  
            I want to lie down with her in that bed and forget all about that guy at the church, but I disentangle myself and stand up. “What’s the bet?”
            She runs her hands over the sheets. “If I’m right, we come back her and lock Alex and Gabriel out of the room.” She wrinkles up her nose. “No. Not here. If I’m right, we find a dark, lonely beach.”
            “And if I’m right?”
            “We’ll get married tomorrow.”
            I take her hand and pull her to her feet. “If I’m right—getting married?” I start to lose it and have to turn away from her. “You might not want to anymore.”
            She hugs me from behind. “Nothing can ever make me not want to marry you.”
            I turn around and clutch both of her hands in both of mine. “We both know that’s not true.”
            “You’re going to risk us”—light plays on my diamond on her finger, mesmerizing us both—“for a stupid feeling in your gut?”
            “Here’s the bet.” I kiss her one more time. “If I’m right tonight, babe, you gotta call your parents.”

17 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness... Michael is amazing, he is willing to risk them being together, everything, by taking her to the church. Gosh, he loves her. Gosh, I LOVE HIM. Wonderful post.

    PS-His gut feeling is more than just a gut feeling..he just doesn't know it yet.

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  2. really angela ?!?!?!?!
    you had to end it like this ? lOl
    i have never wanted a week-end to end so fast in my life.. Please post another Chapter :)
    But these chapters were G R E A T !!!!!!!
    hope micheal is right
    lOl

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  3. Guys, guys, guys!!!!! This is really cool news. I just found out SING ME TO SLEEP was nominated for the GoodReads Choice Awards 2010 for YA Fiction!!!! Isn't that so amazing. Here's the link so you can vote! And it's totally legal to bribe you all, so let me know that you voted and I'll give you five extra entries in my big blog contest!! The voting goes to the end of December. I hope you all help me spread the word. I guess that's what I'll be doing this weekend--so much for taking it easy. But heck, this is pretty cool. Whoopeee!!!!!

    LINK: http://www.goodreads.com/award/choice/2010#41651-Young-Adult-Fiction

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  4. I LOVE THIS!!! And that's great news! I'll definitely vote. Thanks for another great chapter! I was waiting to hear from Michael's POV. LOVE, love, love, love.

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  5. This might just be me, but I don't get this part:
    I take her hand and pull her to her feet. “If I’m right—getting married?” I start to lose it and have to turn away from her. “You might not want to anymore.”
    Why would he freak out if she wanted to marry him? And why WOULDN'T she want to?
    And I can't vote without an account on Goodreads, can I?

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  6. Hi Angelaaaaaaaa!

    I Voted!
    Good Luck for you!

    Hugs,

    Nichole.

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  7. I voted for you in the Goodreads Choice award.

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  8. Thanks everyone. I can't quite believe it.

    Sana, I think you do need a GoodReads account, but it's not hard to sign up.

    And thanks for pointing out that this is confusing. She wouldn't marry him back in UNBROKEN CONNECTION when he asked her because he wouldn't join the Mormon church. Maybe I need a mini-flashback to that scene here to make this clear. It's kind of important. He's sacrificing a lot by taking her back to church.

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  9. I'm voting now! Yay for you! Congrats!! You are amazing. :)

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  10. Love it! The stanza in the poem about Michael's smile is my favorite. He is sacrificing a lot by taking her back to church -- he really loves her! He wants the old Leesie back, but the old Leesie might decide she can't marry him unless he joins the church.

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  11. P.S. I just voted for you on GoodReads - congrats!

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  12. I voted for you on GoodReads and I had to cover my eyes to get to this comment section because I'm reading Unbroken Connection right now! :)Loved Taken By Storm!

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  13. I voted for Sing Me to Sleep--just gave my babysitter my copy for her to read and vote. How 'bout that? ;) And you know what? If Michael and Leesie don't get married, I'm going after Michael myself. Watch out, Leesie!! :) I'm DYING! I can't handle the suspense...my weekend is officially RUINED. Boo. I need more.... :) Can't you just spend the next three days striaght writing? :) I mean, you might not get any sleep, but the rest of us sure would sleep easier at night, the resolution to Michael and Lessie swimming through our heads. :)

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  14. Oh man, Michael knows just how to work his way with words *grin*

    And that is splendid news! Of course I voted for Sing Me :)

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  15. YAY!!! Thanks everybody. I'm up against some really huge names and novels that have been showered with awards, but who knows? It's very cool to make the list. READER POWER!! That's what I love about GoodReads.

    And maybe somebody stopping in to vote for John Green and David Levithan's co-authored book or Ellen Hopkins or Ally Carter or Elizabeth Scott will see SING and want to read it, too.

    Thanks for your support and helping me spread the word. More on Monday. Now I've got to get this posted on my poor, neglected website.

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  16. i am one of the voters !!!!
    Congrats by the Wayy !!!!!!
    :) you deserve it !!!!

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  17. Oh man, how did I miss this chapter? I was thinking something was a little of with rest of next post, but now its coming together!!

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