Over It (The Kiss Off #2) (29 page)
Read Over It (The Kiss Off #2) Online
Authors: Sarah Billington
If I’d had time I would have changed my top. It’s not like he’d see my love heart pajama shorts but the matching tank top was kind of embarrassing.
But it was either change my top of miss the call entirely.
I breathed in, then clicked the video call button.
Paul’s face to mid–chest filled the screen, with what looked to be a hotel room behind him; not your fancy suite like Ty’s room but your standard twin room complete with minibar and a half unpacked duffel sitting on top of it.
I recognized a hotel room when I saw one. For a couple of seconds Paul stared blankly out at me as he waited for the call to connect. Down in the bottom right corner was live footage of me; what he would see any second – there it is; he smiled and waved.
I tried not to grimace in embarrassment at my appearance.
“Hi Poppy,” Paul said, his hand blurring on my monitor as he waved.
“Hi,” I said, biting my bottom lip with trepidation. “Sorry, I just woke up.”
“Oh, did I get the time difference wrong?” he asked with a frown.
No, no. I was just lazy.
“Sorry to call you without notice like this,” he continued.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get the demo to you,” I said, my face flaming with shame as the disastrous afternoon flashed through my consciousness. The brilliant day capped off with the theft of the laptop.
“I understand you had a trying day,” Paul said, a smile creeping up one side of his mouth. What? How did he know…?
“I like it, though,” he continued. “
Over It
, I mean.”
I screwed up my eyebrows at him and tilted my head to the side. “How did you…?”
“It’s all over the internet,” he said.
“It’s on the internet?”
That son of a bitch. Whoever had jacked the laptop knew exactly what they were doing. Didn’t take them long.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “I finished the song, but the computer was stolen before I could send it to you.”
“Oh, right, it all makes sense now,” he said, his face going a bit blurry as he nodded.
I had no idea what that meant.
“Listen, we think you did a fantastic job. The girls think you nailed the song and the Debutante Dolls sound. Marley really wants to record it.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. “She does?”
Mr. Demeter smiled at me encouragingly. “Yes, she does, Poppy. I mean, obviously we can’t use it now-”
“Because it’s all over the internet.” My shoulders slumped and I nodded disappointedly.
“Exactly. But listen, you’re obviously not a one hit wonder. And I gave you a really tough time frame and you still delivered.”
“Sort of,” I said.
The corner of his lips turned up in a smirk. “Yeah, sort of,” he agreed.
We both sort of smiled at each other.
“How old are you again, Poppy?”
“Seventeen…” I said. It was just a little white lie. A fib. I was closer to seventeen than I was sixteen.
But in the end it didn’t seem like it mattered.
“Okay, we’ll have to talk to your parents about it before any decisions are made, but the Debutante Dolls are touring Europe and Asia over the next couple of months. If you’re interested, we’d like to hire you to come out and help them write their next album.”
I stared at him blankly through the screen.
“I’m sorry, what?”
First I must thank (in no particular order) my amazingly helpful beta readers, Pernille Meldgaard Pedersen, Kayleigh Petrie, Kate Reynancia and Patricia Duarte. When I put the call out for early feedback you immediately put your hands up and your enthusiasm, insight, and thoughtful feedback was invaluable. I’m so blessed to have had your help.
Luna Soo, a last minute addition to my editorial team – I wouldn’t be without you.
Kellie Rose (my biggest cheerleader and volunteer promoter and piracy protector) and Kaitlyn Gill, my monthly literary lunch ladies who help me bounce ideas around and carefully debate pros and cons of potential story lines. You’re wonderful women.
The Plot Bunnies (Amie, Caitie, Sari, Lana, Liz and Peta). I am so glad to have real-life writer friends who simply GET the love for YA.
Caitlin Darrell in particular, I’m so glad to be able to call you my friend. This book wouldn’t have made it without you and our weekly writing lunches. I miss them.
The Copp and McLardy families who both loaned me their beach houses to get away from the world (and the distraction of the internet) and write up a storm. The majority of this book was written in Blairgowrie and Cowes. You’re true life savers. THANK YOU.
Finally, thank you as always to my family, Colin, Hazell and Kathryn Billington for always being there for me even when I’m in writing mode and sometimes get lost inside my head.
Sarah Billington is an Australian writer and editor who likes to write stories with love, laughs, suspense and zombies. Sometimes all in the same story. Her favouritest thing to write about are those horrendously awkward moments that come with being a teenager. Or a human being. Sarah was extremely accident-prone and klutzy as a kid and teen, so her cup runneth over with experiences of horrendously awkward moments to draw from in her writing. Thankfully, she has grown out of her klutziness. Mostly. She is, however, still an embarrassment.
She loves a variety of random things, which include doggies (hers as well as yours), Swing Dancing, Ice Hockey, Roller Derby and
she
is a bit obsessive about paranormal investigation shows and channel E!.
OTHER TITLES BY SARAH BILLINGTON:
NOVELS
YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY
When sixteen year old Poppy Douglas writes a song about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-friend Nikki, she has no idea that her heartbreak is about to go global.
A local band picks up her song from Youtube and soon she’s along for the ride with her own fanbase as they blow up on the local club scene and hit the international charts. Though it turns out leaving Cam behind isn’t as easy as she had hoped.
Tangled in a web of unfinished homework, ill-considered sexting and a new lead-singer boyfriend, Poppy has a choice to make between the ex that inspired it all and the rock God whose poster lines the inside of half the lockers at school. But as she struggles to keep her emotional dirty laundry private, she learns that the truth can be hard to find when your life is in the headlines.
WHAT READERS SAY
:
"A fun, fabulous and swoon-worthy novel that is as perfect as a three-minute pop song. It has an absolutely killer hook that I wish I'd thought of!"
Shirley Marr, author of Fury and Preloved, Black Dog Books
"I absolutely adore this book"
The Life of Fiction
"Fresh and fun and extremely upbeat"
I Love YA Fiction
"If you like fun YA chick lit, this IS your book
!”
Dead Trees and Silver Screens
“I was completely blown away by how much I loved this book”
The Reader’s Antidote
UPPER MIDDLE-GRADE CONTEMPORARY/HUMOR
Thirteen year old Kaley’s best friend Jules is an alien clone. That has to be it. Because Jules wouldn’t dress like that or act like that…and she definitely wouldn’t be friends with Meg-a-bitch.
Kaley can't wait to start at her new school with her best friend Jules. Jules was away in Europe all summer (worst summer of Kaley's life!) But it's cool, now school is starting and everything is going to be awesome. However as the school bus pulls up on that first day, Kaley barely recognizes the silky hair and glossy lips as Jules gets off with the cool kids and with their arch-nemesis Meg, the popular girl (God only knows why) who made Kaley and Jules's lives miserable in elementary school. In Europe, Meg had somehow won over Kaley's best friend and Kaley finds herself frozen out.
LIFE WAS COOL UNTIL YOU GOT POPULAR is a first person upper-middle-grade novel told through Kaley’s eyes, chronicling the initial pain and incomprehension of what happened to destroy their friendship. But that doesn't last long. Kaley decides that underneath the bleached blond clone with the personality transplant, Jules is still in there. Somewhere. And she is going to get her best friend back!
WHAT READERS SAY:
“Fans of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison are sure to fall in love with Kaley: the funny, admirably loyal, and endearingly quirky heroine of Sarah Billington's debut novel. The dialogue is brilliantly funny, and the tension is high. Readers will not want to put this book down until the very last page. This debut novel by Australia's Louise Rennison, Sarah Billington, is sure to have readers cheering for its heroine and laughing out loud.”
Shevi Weaver
, author of Ride of Your Life
YOUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY
A new 5,000 word short story coming August 13, 2012!
Jordan thought she and Paul were forever. Then she found out about Missy: Paul’s other forever.
Now it’s the night of the sophomore dance. Jordan’s on stage with her band, Paul’s text bombing her and Missy’s in the audience with murder on her mind. Unfortunately, it’s not Paul in Missy’s sights.
Another short and sassy story from Sarah Billington
.