This Year at Home (A Short Story) Read Online Free PDF

when I saw you at school again. You look like a new you. Whatever happened in Israel must have been good.”
    “It was an amazing experience! I made some really cool friends.” Those friends were unforgettable—Mia, Jake, Avi and Ben. Even Jordyn. They didn’t know it, but they had challenged me to become the person I was.
    “I got a second chance.” I looked at Grace intently. “You should too.”
    “Really?” The relief on her face softened her eyes, but there was still some doubt. “Does that mean we’re friends?”
    “It means we’re talking to each other.” We probably wouldn’t be best friends again. Too much had happened. But it was an improvement over avoiding each other. Maybe our friendship would progress. Maybe it wouldn’t. For now, I wasn’t ruling it out. I only knew I would give it some time, and everything would be all right.
    “Hey, girls.” Collin walked toward us.
    Grace watched him for a moment. “Well, I gotta get home. I’ll see you later, Rebecca.”
    “Bye,” I called, and as she walked away, I felt hopeful.
    Collin stopped next to me. “So, you busy Friday night?”
    “Not really.” Unless I counted talking to my study-abroad friend, Jake. Friday nights had been our catch-up night. He always called me. With the time difference between Boston and San Diego, it was around my dinnertime. But Jake and I could move our conversation to a different time.
    I would be seeing him in two weeks, anyways. He had an interview at Harvard and was coming to Boston for a long weekend.
    Collin smiled at me, reminding me he was there. “I thought maybe we could catch a movie.”
    How could I not want to go out with him? He already knew one of my darkest secrets, my been-bullied past. But he also knew I wasn’t that girl anymore, how I wouldn’t let anybody treat me like a loser.
    I couldn’t help but look into his eyes, and a shiver went up my spine. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
     
    THE END
    Also by Sarah Bridgeton
    THANK YOU FOR READING This Year at Home . I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to read about Rebecca’s trip to Israel, check out:
     
    Next Year in Israel
     

     
    Rebecca Levine is tired of being a victim, after years of being relentlessly bullied at school and after her loser-outcast image pushed her to a suicide attempt. Home from the hospital and determined to survive, she wants an emotional makeover, and a study-abroad program in Israel seems like the perfect place for it to happen. But when roommate issues crop up, Rebecca is convinced she’ll become the school loser again. Can she overcome her issues and make herself over?
    A young adult novel of 55,000 words. Contains religious content from a Jewish (Reform) perspective. Also contains mild profanity, references to sex and drug use, and non-explicit sex scenes between older teens. May not be appropriate for younger, middle-grade teens.
     
     
    For an Adult Audience
    The Undiscovered Novelist
     

     
    Jordyn Simmons has almost everything she’s ever wanted: a sexy live-in boyfriend, an adorable son, and a finished manuscript she plans to get published. The only thing missing from her life is a relationship with her estranged mother, Debra.
    Debra Simmons wishes she could patch the relationship with her daughter but doesn’t know how. Her previous attempts to reconcile have failed, and Debra has given up hope of seeing Jordyn again.
    When Jordyn searches for a publisher, her world collides with Debra’s. And both women are forced to make decisions that could change their lives forever.
    A novella of 36,000 words for an adult audience. Contains mature themes and mild profanity.
     
    For more information about me and my books, please visit my website at: http://www.sarahbridgeton.com