How I Ruined My Life
Author: T. L. Bainter
Publication Date: February 12th, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance,
Publication Date: February 12th, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance,
Book Description:
Kyle has gone unnoticed for the vast majority of his life and he’s
always preferred it that way. Homeschooled, shy, and only attending
church because he’s forced to, there’s not really anything outstanding
or interesting about him. That changes, however, when he meets James
Porter. The two are fast friends, but Kyle isn’t sure if that’s a good
thing or not. While some of the experiences resulting from their
friendship are grand, many other experiences leave Kyle broken, angry,
and depressed. Is Kyle’s friendship with James really such a good thing,
or would he have been better off if he’d simply remained the quiet,
lonely boy that no one seemed to notice?
Buy Links:
Excerpt
After
retrieving my suitcase from the baggage claim area, I pull out my
mother's cell phone and call the number that my dad gave me. A man's
cheerful voice answers, “This is Jacob Kirk!”
“Um,” I stammer, “this is Kyle?”
“Kyle...?”
“Barnes? Kyle Barnes.”
“Oh! Gotcha. How's it going, Kyle?”
I don't really feel like going through pleasantries, especially since I
dislike talking with people on the phone. This is particularly true for
individuals that I don't even know personally. “It's going. I'm in the
baggage-claim area whenever you get here.”
“Wait, you've already landed?” Jacob asks me with a confused-sounding
voice.
I blink. “Yeah?” Do you think I'm calling you from the sky? I think to
myself with a roll of my eyes.
“I thought your mother said you'd be landing at four, not three. I'll be
right there!”
“Nope, it's three. That's when I was scheduled to land.”
“I must have been confused.”
Given the slurred way that this man talks, it doesn't surprise me that he's confused. “Guess so. When will you be here?” “Give me an hour.” An hour?! I want to shout. I decide to simply thank him and hang up. The next hour is one that I spend seated on a chair all by myself. A few groups of people come by to pick up their bags, but the baggage claim area is empty for the vast majority of my time there. I hear a loud clack clack clack coming from my left. When I look in that direction, I see a potbellied man with a long cane slowly clomping his way toward me. In my mind, I begin to hope and pray that this isn't the individual that's going to be picking me up. Yet a pit in the back of my stomach tells me that this unattractive, limping man is Jacob Kirk. Slowly, I stand to my feet and approach him. “Jacob Kirk?” “Yes,” he answers with a smile that's hidden behind an untamed goatee. “And you're Kyle, I presume? Nice to meet you.” He extends a sweaty hand. Actually, all of him appears to be sweaty. There's a pool of sweat on his chest and under his arms. There are even pools showing through his cargo shorts. I grimace and quickly pull my hand away from his. “Shall we go?” “Yes.” Jacob slowly turns around and begins to head back in the direction from which he had come. I wonder why he didn't just pull the car up to the pickup area since he clearly has so much trouble walking. Since I'm not interested in talking with him, I decide not to say anything at all. My pace is hindered by Jacob's slow and deliberate movements, and I'm starting to walk so slowly that it's growing rather stressful. My stomach twists and turns every time Jacob's cane hits the ground. Perhaps New Orleans wasn't such a good idea after all.
Given the slurred way that this man talks, it doesn't surprise me that he's confused. “Guess so. When will you be here?” “Give me an hour.” An hour?! I want to shout. I decide to simply thank him and hang up. The next hour is one that I spend seated on a chair all by myself. A few groups of people come by to pick up their bags, but the baggage claim area is empty for the vast majority of my time there. I hear a loud clack clack clack coming from my left. When I look in that direction, I see a potbellied man with a long cane slowly clomping his way toward me. In my mind, I begin to hope and pray that this isn't the individual that's going to be picking me up. Yet a pit in the back of my stomach tells me that this unattractive, limping man is Jacob Kirk. Slowly, I stand to my feet and approach him. “Jacob Kirk?” “Yes,” he answers with a smile that's hidden behind an untamed goatee. “And you're Kyle, I presume? Nice to meet you.” He extends a sweaty hand. Actually, all of him appears to be sweaty. There's a pool of sweat on his chest and under his arms. There are even pools showing through his cargo shorts. I grimace and quickly pull my hand away from his. “Shall we go?” “Yes.” Jacob slowly turns around and begins to head back in the direction from which he had come. I wonder why he didn't just pull the car up to the pickup area since he clearly has so much trouble walking. Since I'm not interested in talking with him, I decide not to say anything at all. My pace is hindered by Jacob's slow and deliberate movements, and I'm starting to walk so slowly that it's growing rather stressful. My stomach twists and turns every time Jacob's cane hits the ground. Perhaps New Orleans wasn't such a good idea after all.
T.
L. Bainter was born in 1994 and began writing short stories not
long after that. Since the age of six, he has been churning out short
story after short story. After receiving an award from the renowned
Writers of the Future competition for his short story Edwin, T. L.
Bainter found the confidence and encouragement that he needed to write
and publish his first novel: How I Ruined My Life. Currently, he resides
in Kansas City with his cat, Sooba.
Author Links:
***GIVEAWAY***
Blog Tour Organised by:
Thanks for hosting today! :)
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt sounds really intriguing.
ReplyDelete