Souls in Peril Read online

  Souls in Peril

  Sherry Gammon

  WordpaintingsUnlimited.com

  Copyright 2012 Sherry Gammon for Wordpaintings Unlimited

  Cover Design: Sherry Gammon copyrighted

  Cover Photo by: Konradbak copyrighted

  All rights reserved. Souls in Peril is the copyrighted property the author {Sherry Gammon} and may NOT be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or no-commercial purposes. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except for the use of short passages for review purposes. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  This book is dedicated to:

  The Wigz! This book would be nothing without you!

  And to my Beta readers. I’m grateful for your feedback

  And to the awesome book bloggers who have giving me such much support and for taking a chance on an Indie Author. You are truly angels! I can’t than you enough :}

  Praises from Book Bloggers for Unlovable by Sherry Gammon

  Beckie ~ Bittersweet-Enchantment:

  Wow, Wow, Wow, this book is the whole package of greatness! Unlovable went above and beyond. I found this book to just tear at my heart string. There is such wonderful passion and love within this story. I love it when I can come across a book that just makes me feel good while reading it. The author, Sherry Gammon has written a timeless love story.

  Mollie~Tough Critic Book Reviews:

  It's next to impossible to find the words to express what a phenomenal book this was. First off, I can't believe this was a debut novel. It was so beautifully written. The author was able to realistically portray a story of abuse, love, co-dependency, romance, and triumph in a way that is far beyond most books I've read.

  Donna~Book Passion for Life:

  Unlovable is a truly an amazing story. This story had me captivated from page one and even though I finished it a few hours ago, I’m still thinking about it now. Sherry has created a heart breaking story that will leave us readers with hope that everyone can be loved and will get a happy ending they deserve

  Haley~Ya-aholic:

  This book was …WOW, just amazing. It is so beautiful, I could not believe how good this story was. It blew my mind! I started reading this one night and couldn’t stop. I had to stay up until I finished the whole thing, and once it ended all I wanted was for it to continue! I wanted no NEEDED more of Maggie and Seth! Their romance is one of the best I have read ever ! Unlovable was truly an amazing story, it had everything, romance, action, mystery, thrill, everything. If you are looking for a strong story with beautiful romance then Unlovable is for you!

  Carina~Fictionaldistraction:

  I loved every word, sentence, page, chapter I read. There is something special about this novel and the way it's written that made it possible for me to get completely sucked into the story. Unlovable is a very lovable story, one that will stay with me for a long time. I had heard good things about it before starting it, but I never expected to love it as much as I did. It's a story about loving and being loved in return, about trust and finding the strength to survive a seemingly hopeless situation.

  Danielle~Confessions of a Bookaholic:

  This is the first non-paranormal book I have read in a whole lot of years and to be honest I didn't know if I would enjoy reading any other genre. Well I'm glad to so I didn't just enjoy it, I LOVED it, no loved is an understatement of how I feel about this book; I am in awe of it!

  Destiny~Totallybookalicious:

  Unlovable was a novel unlike most YA novels. Sherry Gammon paints such a realistic picture of what life can be like for some people that the story haunts you long after turning the last page. Sherry Gammon touches on subject matter that is rarely brought up in YA novels and does so in a way that you feel everyone should read this book.

  Giselle~Xpressoreads:

  Real, raw, undeniable emotions run through the pages of this amazing book. It's an eye opener and while writing this review, with a heart doubled in size, I'm experiencing a world wind of emotions just by reminiscing what I've read. If you aren't touched by this novel at all, you are definitely a rock. Really, I want to give a virtual standing ovation to Sherry Gammon for this novel that I cannot express into words how much I loved. I want everyone to read this. I then want you to give it to your mom, your grandmother, your whole family, even read it to your dog, because this story… it needs to be shared.

  Souls in Peril

  Chapter 1

  “Dude! She is the hottest cheerleader at Port Fare High.” Leo slapped Max on the back as they watched the cheerleaders perform their final cheer.

  “The team is in the huddle,

  The captain’s at the head,

  They all got together,

  and this is what they said . . .”

  Max beamed proudly as Emma did a backflip flawlessly at the end of the cheer. “That's why she's my girl.” He cocked his biceps playfully, kissing each one.

  Leo laughed. “I don't know what's bigger. Your guns,” he pointed to Max's biceps, “or your ego.”

  “I think it's a tie.” Max laughed at himself. His dark brown eyes and hair, long thick eyelashes, and dimpled smile were simply a matter of good genes. For that, he thanked his parents. The iron hard body, however, he earned himself through hours of sweat and hard work. He sacrificed partying with his amigos for good, old-fashioned healthy living. No liquor or illegal substance ever passed his lips, let alone the evilest of them all: White Flour and White Sugar. His mom was a fanatic about eating healthy, a choice she passed on to her son, and for that Max was eternally grateful. Your body is a temple, she always said, and Max certainly worshiped his.

  Leo and Max made their way down the steel bleachers to the edge of the football field. The pep rally was almost over, and Emma promised to meet him there afterwards.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Lisa York appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around Max. She planted a huge kiss on his cheek, only because Max turned his head in time. She had aimed for his mouth. She'd been after him since the sixth grade, but he only thought of her as a friend, much to her dismay.

  “Lisa.” Max laughed and swung her around before setting her down and backing away. She sunk her hands into the pockets of her jeans and frowned. “Doesn't Emma look good today?” Max pointed out to his girl as she came running across the field in her pleated blue and gold skirt and matching tank top to join them. His smiling eyes sent a blaring message to Lisa: Unavailable.

  Undaunted, Lisa tried to slither herself back up to Max. He quickly sidestepped her snaking arms and gathered the girl he really wanted into his arms.

  “You did so good today, babe.” Max planted a long, deep kiss on Emma, having now completely forgotten that Lisa existed. He loved how she smelled of fresh cut grass after her pep rallies. It reminded him that his team was poised to take the state baseball championship this year. Now a senior at Port Fare High, this would be his last year as pitcher, and he hoped to go out in a blaze of glory.

  “Hi, Max. I love you in this shirt,” Emma said with her signature heart-stopping grin. Max wore the yellow shirt on purpose. He knew Emma loved how the color popped against his golden Latino skin.

  “I'm thinking we should go and catch a movie tonight. That new slasher film, Glorious Guts, is at the drive-in.” Max ran a hand over Emma’s long blond hair and tucked a strand behind her ear. He loved the feel of it. So smooth and flowing compa
red to his dark curls.

  “Ew! I hate slasher movies, you know that.” Emma scrunched her face, burying her sky-blue eyes behind her cheeks. She shook her blue and gold pompoms at him.

  “I wasn't planning on watching the movie.” He wagged his eyebrows and grinned, bringing out the dimples on either side of his smile that he knew Em loved.

  “Max!” She slapped her pompoms playfully on his chest. “What would your parents say if they heard you talk like that?”

  “Yeah, Max, what would they say?” Lisa interjected awkwardly into the conversation. He glanced over at Leo, who busied himself with a text, as usual. Max wondered if the cell phone was a third appendage, he'd seen it in Leo's hand so much.

  “My father would probably agree with me, Lisa. My Madre? Not so much,” he admitted. “Okay, come over for dinner tonight then, Em. My dad is making Shrimp Scampi. You know how good his Scampi is.”

  Before she could answer, Lumpy Larry and Icky Izzy meandered by. Larry's face pointed to the ground, as did his slumped shoulders. His greasy brown hair stuck up in the back where he'd scratched his head recently. His tight jeans did little to improve the look of his girth. The button at the waist struggled to hold on.

  Izzy plodded at his side, nearly invisible with her frail, wispy body and long, stringy blonde hair. She appeared tan due to the freckles that covered her face, and her watery blue eyes sank in to match her hollowed cheeks.

  “Well, lookie who we have here. If it isn't The Ten.” Leo beamed at his little joke. Only Lisa laughed. Max and Em had heard it a million times before. Leo loved to point out that the two geeks looked like a ten walking side by side: Icky with her lack of bulk and Lumpy with bulk to spare.

  “Ugh. What is that smell?” Leo dramatically sniffed at the duo.

  “I do believe it's Twinkies, mixed with Oreo's,” Max chimed in. He knew he shouldn't have said it, but it came out so automatically he didn't have a chance to stop it.

  “Yes, I do believe you're right, although you forgot to mention the quart of greasy hair.” Leo plugged his nose and pretended to faint.

  Icky and Lumpy upped their strides and escaped before any more abuse could be hurled at them. Everyone collapsed onto Leo, laughing. Everyone except Emma, that is.

  “That’s mean. Max, how could you?” She actually looked as if she might cry.

  Max jumped up, darted in front of her, and wrapped his arms around her. “Aw, babe. Don't be upset. It's just a joke. No harm, no foul.”

  “No harm no foul to you. What about how they feel? Did you ever stop to think of that?” Emma jerked away from Max as he tried to gather her in his arms again. She stepped back and snapped her arms across her chest.

  “Em, we've been teasing those two since we were in third grade and they were in second. It's tradition.” Max had the nerve to grin, a decision he immediately regretted. A storm was a-brewing in Emma's eyes, and the thick fringe of her lashes did little to soften the glare. “Come on, babe. It's all in fun.”

  “Only to you. How do you know she doesn’t go home and cry her eyes out, or that he doesn't go and sit in a dark room regretting having gotten out of bed in the morning?” Em turned and stormed off the field, her pompoms flailing at her side. Max followed.

  “You're making a bigger deal out of this than you need to.” Em didn't slow at Max's words, instead increased her pace. “Em. Stop.” He clasped her arm and gently spun her around to face him. He took the pompoms and dropped them on the ground before taking both of her hands in his.

  “I don’t want to fight over those two. They mean nothing to us.” Max watched as her eyes grew wide and added, “Personally, I mean. As human beings they are very important to . . . someone, I'm sure.”

  She stomped her blue and gold cheer shoes. “That is so mean. Those two have mothers who love them, just like you and I. I'm sure they have friends, too, who care about them.”

  Max didn't dare point out that in the ten plus years since he'd known them, never once had he seen either of them talking to anyone besides each other. “Probably,” he said wisely, not wanting to argue with her about the two losers.

  “Probably? You don't think they have any other friends?” The anger in her pretty eyes had vanished and compassion now took its place. Em’s loving heart amazed Max. It reminded him of his mother, and he concluded it must be a female thing.

  “I don't know, Em.” He scooped up her pompoms, glad the fight was over. He tucked them under his arm and took her hand, leading her to his truck. “I've never paid much attention to them, really. They may have friends, but I doubt it. Have you ever seen Izzy talking with anyone?”

  “Not that I can think of, but you'd know better than me. You've grown up here. This is only my second year in Port Fare. Max, that is so sad.” She shook her head. “I think we should befriend them. Clearly, they don't have anyone but each other.”

  He stopped dead and turned to Emma, whose face now beamed with excitement. “Think about it, Max. The captain of the baseball team and the head cheerleader, making friends with Larry and Izzy. People will follow our lead. They'll befriend them, invite them to parties, maybe we can set them up with dates.” Em seemed almost giddy with excitement. Max listened as she began laying out ways to include Izzy in activities with her and her girlfriends.

  Max, however, didn’t see it like Emma. He saw things much differently. “Em, those two have no friends for a reason, number one being they smell. Who knows when they bathed last? And then there's the matter of their size. Izzy is anorexic. The girl is purposely starving herself to death just for attention. No one thinks being that skinny looks good.

  “And Lumpy Larry,” Max continued, “is just plain disgusting. He doesn't have to be that way. He can stop eating junk food and start exercising. That alone would solve half his problems.” Max stepped back a few steps. “Look at this body, Em.” He waved a hand over his muscular frame. “I work hard at it, two hours a day. And it's not easy. It takes discipline and sacrifice. I've never even eaten a Twinkie, let alone survived on a steady diet of them.”

  “How do you know he doesn't have a glandular problem?” Emma pressed.

  “Because I've seen the empty junk food wrappers falling out of his pig-sty locker as I've walked by. The guy doesn't have a glandular problem. He has a lazy butt problem.”

  “And you, Maximiliano, have a heart of stone problem.” Emma grabbed the blue and gold pompoms from him and stomped off. She wouldn't be eating dinner with him tonight if he didn't think fast. Why did she have to be so sensitive? Girls!

  “Babe, wait.” He hustled after her, catching up as she got to her cherry red Acura. He held the door shut so she couldn't open it. She let out a hard rush of air, keeping her back to him.

  “Em, if I'd known my playful little jabs bothered you so much, I wouldn't have said anything to The Ten.” He weaved his fingers around a lock of her blond hair as he spoke.

  “Larry and Izzy, Max. Not The Ten. And you should be apologizing to them, not me.” She spun around, bouncing a finger in his chest. “And if you really care about me, you will.”

  “I promise. The next time I see them, I will.” He slipped his arms around her waist and tugged her close.

  “Thank you. Larry is right over there.” Em pointed over Max's shoulder. He twisted to see Larry eating a Snicker's bar while digging through his cyclone of a locker. Max groaned out loud, not his intention.

  “I knew it. I knew you wouldn't apologize.” Em wiggled out of Max's arms and ripped open the door of her car.

  “I'm going right now,” he said, exasperated with the entire conversation. He'd apologize just to end the fight. Arguing over The Ten? So not a priority to Max. He stomped his way across the short space between the row of senior lockers and the parking lot.

  Max raced up to Larry as he buried his arm deep in his locker, obviously searching for something in the back. Probably a Twinkie, Max thought. “Hey, Larry.”

  Larry didn't turn, he just kept digging away at the mound of
trash.

  “Larry,” Max said a little louder, this time adding a tap to Larry's shoulder. Larry sprung around in surprise. His arms shot up in front of his face as if to block a punch.

  Max waved and stepped back; the guy smelled awful. “Hi, Larry,” Max reiterated.

  “My name is JD. It’s short for Jayden.” JD pushed the smudged glasses that had slid down his nose back up to his eyes.

  “When did you get glasses, JD?” Max asked.

  “In third grade.” JD's voice came out so soft Max could hardly hear him. Why hadn't he ever noticed JD'S glasses before?

  “Oh. Well, Em thinks I hurt your feelings back over by the bleachers, and she wanted me to apologize.” Max shook his head and added, “She's probably PMS'ing. Know what I mean?”

  A quizzical expression crossed JD’s face. Clearly he had no idea what Max meant. “Anyway, I tried telling her it was all in fun and you didn't take it seriously, but she insisted. So, no hard feelings, 'K?” Max held up his hand and JD awkwardly slapped it.

  “Thanks. No one's ever apologized for being mean to me before.” JD smiled.

  Max frowned. Maybe Em was right. Maybe JD did just need a friend. He twisted anxiously, deciding to follow Em's advice. “So, if you ever want a workout buddy, let me know,” Max offered.

  “Really? That'd be great. I've wanted to get in better shape. I just didn't know what to do.” JD jabbed his glasses back up his nose.

  “Sure. I go to the gym in town. We’ll go together. Maybe on Monday, after school?”

  “Oh, the gym.” JD dropped his head a little. “Maybe. Gym's make my asthma act up. Thanks anyway.” JD went back to searching his locker as Max nodded and jogged back to Em.

  Asthma. It's just an excuse not to exercise, Max thought. His best friend Leo had asthma and he worked out regularly. Leo just had to be smart about his routine. He wanted to say I told you so to Emma, but not being a dummy, he smiled and gave her a bear hug.