A novel by
HEAVEN J. FOX
Copyright © 2014 Heaven J. Fox
Fitting In (Is Hard to Do) Book 1 Semester 1
Fox E. Flinn Books
First Edition Printing: September 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
ISBN-13: 978-1503006096
ISBN-10: 1503006093
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Copyright and Design © 2014 Fox E. Flinn, all rights reserved.
Website: www.heavenjfox.com
Twitter: @heavenjfox
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Publishing Website: https://www.foxeflinn.com/
Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/YAHeavenJ/
Westbrook Series Website: www.whs.heavenjfox.com
DEDICATION
Dedicated to my entire family. I would not have been able to even write a single word on paper if it weren’t for you guys pushing and uplifting me!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, Thank You, Lord for giving me the gift of storytelling. Please continue giving me the words to reach out and teach someone. If it had not been for You… I don’t know where I’d be.
Thanks to my Mom & Dad, my husband, all my children, my sisters and brothers, nieces, nephews, and grandkids for being there for me.
Last but not least a very special Thanks to all my readers.
1 CHAPTER ONE
The most basic human desire is to feel like you belong. Fitting in is important.
~Simon Sinek
AMBER STYLES LOOKED IN the mirror at her fifteen-year-old body and detested it. She wanted her size 2 jeans to be at least a size 10-12, so she can have one of those “Apple bottom booties” like the girls in her class. They got so much attention from guys. She too wanted that attention. She wanted a guy… any guy, to walk past her in the hallway and feel her booty so she could slap him across the head and tell him to quit playing!
Amber wrapped a few pieces of toilet paper around her hand and stuffed it into each sides of her bra. She cupped each breast with her palm and gave them a few squeezes hoping the toilet paper wouldn’t look so lumpy. She maneuvered it around a few times so she could acquire a more natural looking roundness. Bending down in front of her full-length mirror, she used her arms to squeeze whatever bosoms she had together. What does a chick have to do to get some cleavage? She questioned herself.
“Ew, that’s disgusting! Is that what you girls really do?” Cam’Ron says as he burst into his sister’s room.
“Cam, Get out!” Amber screams as she snatches the toilet paper from her bosom and throws them in the wastebasket.
Cam’Ron didn’t bulge an inch. Instead he says, “Give me $5 and I won’t tell Roman Davis.”
“Ugh! You know I don’t have $5!”
“Ok, suit yourself.”
Amber reaches into her pants pockets. “Here! All I have is $2. Take it and shut up.”
♥♥♥
Amber and her two best friends, Willow and Ryder, climbed into the school bus. Since Willow and Ryder boarded first, they filled the first empty seat in the front, which left Amber alone to search for a seat herself.
Amber’s eyes shifted toward the back as she saw Symphony, a sophomore, halfway standing and waving. “Come back here with us.”
Amber’s heart sank into her stomach and chills radiated down her spine. Could Symphony Perkins be talking to her? Amber smiled and waved back about to make her way to the back of the bus to sit with all the cool and popular kids until she saw Symphony’s face distorted as if she smelled something funky.
“Excuse me.” Spirit Sweet said as she maneuvered her way around Amber. She was now embarrassed. How could she have been so stupid to think someone like Symphony would actually smile, wave, and tell her to come to the back with her?
Amber just sat in the first seat she saw next to a random girl. “Uhn unn… this seat is taken!” The girl pushes on Amber to move out of the seat. Not wanting to draw any more attention to herself, she quickly got up and sat somewhere else. That was it. Amber thought to herself, tomorrow she will make sure she gets on the bus before Willow or Ryder and make one of them have to find a suitable seat.
“This is some bull!” Quincy Garnett boards the bus and head towards the back. I see they back on this mess again!”
“Bruh, what are you hollin’ about now?” Roman Davis laughed as he got up so Quincy can scoot over to the window. “It’s way too early in the morning for all that.”
“I’m just saying it lame as heck that the bus passes us to go pick up the high-rollers in the condos and then roll back down the hill and pick us up last.” Quincy shakes his head. “This bus full to the max already can’t find a seat.”
“Well, you know they have to pick the queen up first.” Symphony looked over at Quincy and shined her bright smile in his face.
Spirit laughed. “You should be smart like me and at least walk up to the next bus stop.”
“You need to walk up to the condo’s with yo fat ass.” Quincy shot a look at Spirit that dared her to keep it going because how he was feeling right now, he can crack jokes all day.
“Aight! Y’all calm down and chill.” Roman looks over at Quincy. “I don’t know what your problem is, I saved you a seat.” Roman laughs because he knows Quincy hates sitting on the inside.
“Nigga! If you were really doing me a favor, you’d let me sit where you are. I’m taller than you anyways,”
“You wish!” Roman sat back and glanced over at Symphony and licked his lips. “Tell ya girl to trade me seats so this nigga can stop crying.”
Hunter Santos sighed as she got up to change seats. “I really don’t care where I sit as long as y’all can shut up.” She nestled in by the window seat and closed her eyes.
“What?” Roman waited for Symphony to slide in the seat first.
“Unh unh…. This is my seat. You are sitting with me, so in ya go boo boo!”
“Aw man, you have got to be kidding me!” Roman scoots in the seat and sits by the window. “I’m supposed to be your man that means the woman gets the window, and the man is always supposed to be on the outside.”
“Says who?” Symphony wanted to know.
Quincy on the other hand stretched his long legs in the isle and laughed at Roman. “So what that made me when the shoe was on the other foot?”
2 CHAPTER TWO
AMBER STYLES
Crooked Smile