Happenstance: A Novella Series: Part Three Read online

  “It’s by chance that I have my parents back,” I said, rolling up on the balls of my feet to touch my lips to his.

  He closed his eyes tight, savoring the moment. “And by some miracle, I got a second chance.”

  “We got a second chance,” I said.

  He reached into his pocket and sighed. “You don’t have to wear this,” he said, holding up his class ring. “I just want you to have it.”

  I held up my left hand, and his emerald eyes glowed.

  “Really?”

  When I nodded, he chuckled nervously, and then he slipped the ring over my knuckle. It fit perfectly, and he beamed with pride.

  “Show me your palm,” he said.

  I turned my hand, and etched in black to match the other markings was the word that described my life, our love, and everything in between. It was my favorite word in existence.

  HAPPENSTANCE

  The End.

  In elementary school, whenever a certain classmate decided she was angry with me, the other kids in class would be required to shun me. Valerie Clark and Lisa Coffey would always play with me during recess even though they had been told not to. My eight-year-old self thanks you, and I’m still grateful.

  In middle school, my science teacher ridiculed me in front of the entire class. I don’t remember why, but I recall Tammy Starks standing up to her, telling her she couldn’t treat me that way, even after being threatened with the principal’s office. I thought it was amazingly brave back then, and I still do. Thank you.

  In middle school, I was tricked into meeting someone at a local park, so the school bully could beat me up. Mr. Mike Garcia saw the crowd, pulled over, and stopped the fight before it began. He wouldn’t let me walk home, knowing they would follow, and instead, he gave me a ride. I cried the whole way home, and he assured me life wouldn’t be like that forever. Thank you, Mr. Garcia. You were right.

  When I moved to a new school in the eighth grade, Walleen Littlebear missed her bus to follow me home from school just to make sure two girls who wanted to attack me wouldn’t have the chance. Thank you for making me feel safe.

  In high school, Bridget Saint confronted the homecoming queen in my honor, and Ryan Feddersen refused to let the show-choir tryouts be a popularity contest. Thank you.

  Even in our adult lives, it is sometimes required of us to stand up for others. Thank you Abbi Glines, Fred LeBaron, Danielle Lagasse, Kelli Spear, Jessica Landers, Jennifer Armentrout, and Kristi Browne.

  It’s not always easy to speak out, but I’ll never forget it. Sometimes, even fighters need a champion.

  Thank you to Mr. Bringham for assisting me in some of the details about the school and to Dr. Lisa Vandermeer-Kahle for also aiding me with my fading memory.

  A big thank you to Patty Stuever for the use of her Dairy Queen in the book.

  JAMIE MCGUIRE was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended Northern Oklahoma College, the University of Central Oklahoma, and Autry Technology Center where she graduated with a degree in Radiography.

  Jamie paved the way for the New Adult genre with the international bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Her follow-up novel, Walking Disaster, debuted at #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Beautiful Oblivion, book one of the Maddox Brothers books, also topped the New York Times bestseller list, debuting at #1.

  Novels also written by Jamie McGuire include: apocalyptic thriller, Red Hill; the Providence series, a young adult paranormal romance trilogy; Apolonia, a dark sci-fi romance; and several novellas, including A Beautiful Wedding, Among Monsters: A Red Hill Novella, and Happenstance: A Novella Series.

  Jamie lives on a ranch just outside of Enid, Oklahoma, with her husband, Jeff, and their three children. They share their thirty acres with cattle, six horses, three dogs, and a cat named Rooster.

  Find Jamie at www.jamiemcguire.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Tsu, and Instagram.