Published: November 12th, 2014
Description: 14+
Larsen Davis isn’t afraid to stand up to those who bully him, but in a two-against-one situation at Mystekal High, it’s never easy. When classmate River Dalworth witnesses the abuse and intervenes, the two seniors become good friends. Larsen explains that he’s fighting another battle at home: his own mother, Raylene, bullies him for being gay.
When Larsen meets River’s mother, Arielle, and learns she is overseeing the renovation of the Desert Theater, he shares his dream for a career on stage. Soon, Arielle offers Larsen a job as her assistant, but Raylene is dead set against the idea of her son doing what she considers “gay work.” After Raylene gets a new boyfriend, Reggie, the bad situation at home worsens and Larsen has no choice but to leave.
Now working at the Desert Theater, Larsen feels the unearthly presence of someone in the long-abandoned theater. Meanwhile, as the theater nears completion, a talent show is scheduled for opening night. As it becomes more evident that the theater may have a ghost, it also comes to light that someone may be sabotaging the renovation and the show. Is the ghost real or just the handiwork of someone with a grudge?
Opening night at the Desert Theater sets the stage for a crime, never-imagined reunions, long-awaited explanations, and otherworldly miracles.
EXCERPT
River was just leaving school for the day when Gina caught
up to him. “Hi there, River.”
“Oh, hi, Gina.”
“I was just wondering …”
“What? If I’m as good-looking close up as I am from a distance?”
Gina giggled. “Well, maybe.”
Just as River was about to respond, Larsen appeared at his side. “Sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if I could speak to you for a minute. Before you head home.”
Gina looked disappointed. “Guess I’ll talk to you another time, River.”
“Sure thing.” River turned to Larsen as Gina walked away. “Let’s go outside and hang a left. I think they spray for bullies there.”
“Good one. Thanks, Riv.”
As soon as they walked around to the side of the school, Larsen leaned against the wall and exhaled. “Man, it’s been a bad day.”
“I’m really sorry about Jax and Antonio.”
“They cornered me right after Ms. Carrow’s class.”
“Sux, dude. Sorry I wasn’t there.”
“Listen, River. I wanted to thank you for standing up for me. People rarely do. I wasn’t so sure Jax wasn’t going to punch you out.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
“I really appreciate what you did. I just don’t want you to get caught up in my nightmare.”
River shook his head. “No. It’s everyone’s nightmare when nobody stops bullies.”
“I sure wish more people felt like you did. Wish they had your courage. I should be able to stop them without any help.”
“Reinhardt’s a big guy. Antonio is a body builder. We all need a little help now and then. Just try to go home and chillax.”
Larsen looked down and kicked the dirt. “Home. That’s a joke. I’m gonna tell you something, Riv, because I know I can trust you.”
“You can. What’s up?”
“Let’s just say that being at school is better than being at home most of the time. And considering I’ve got two jerks bullying me, that doesn’t say much, does it?”
River looked dumbfounded. “School is better than home? What’s going on?”
“I’ve got a mother who’s the biggest bully of them all.”
“Your mom bullies you for being gay?”
“That’s about right.”
“How about your dad?”
Larsen’s eyes began to water. “My father died when I was eleven. My mom says that the lack of a good male role model is what made me gay. She’s clueless. You know, Riv, when I was ten, my dad took me to the mountains one day. We were just sitting there, looking at the view, and he told me, ‘Son, when you grow up, there are gonna be some people who will bust your balls for being different. But take it from your old man, it’s okay to be whoever you are.’ ”
“So your father knew you were gay?”
Larsen wiped away a lone tear. “Yeah, he knew before I did. And I think he knew he was sick. That’s why he told me. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, damn, dude. I’m sorry. What did he die from?”
Looking right, then left, Larsen paused before answering. “Some kind of lymphoma. My mother won’t talk about it.”
“Sorry, Lars. I really am. So, what’s up with her?”
Larsen looked in the distance and saw Jax and Antonio jump into a black Mustang where the driveway to the school met the main highway. “Let’s go, Riv. You don’t need to stand here and watch me hold the building up.”
River laughed as he and Larsen started walking away from the school, toward the large expanse of desert where several students were still milling about, waiting for rides, or just talking. “I’ll tell you, if you can hold the building up, you can take care of those two clowns.”
Larsen frowned. “Yeah, maybe. Anyway, my mom, well, she’s embarrassed to have a gay son. Tells me all the time that it’s hard enough being black, so what the hell did I have to go and be gay for. I keep telling her that I had as much choice in being gay as I did being black. But she’s not buying that. She told me she’s gonna squeeze the gay right out of me one day.”
“Yeah, right. C’mon, come over to my house. Hang with me for a while. I live about a mile down the road, off to the right.”
“I live about a mile and a half in the other direction. Oh, man, Riv. What if someone sees us walking to your house together?”
“Then it means their eyeballs are in good operating condition. C’mon.”
Surprised but pleased, Larsen walked alongside River.
“You’re a pretty good guy.”
River was embarrassed. “I’m okay. Tell me about your mom.”
“She works as a waitress in Palm Desert. She goes in before I get home from school and gets off work around ten-thirty.”
“She’s not around to cook dinner for you?”
Larsen sighed. “No. I eat mostly frozen dinners. Sometimes on the weekend she cooks up a pot of something and leaves it for me to heat up. Or I cook a little something myself. But that’s not the worst part, Riv. My mom picks up men all the time. And she doesn’t know them that long before she brings them home. She says she’s doing it for me. Wants me to meet ‘real men.’ They stick around for a couple of weeks and dump her.”
“Wow, dude. That’s some lame shit.”
Larsen picked up a small rock and threw it as far as he could. “She told me the last guy dumped her because he couldn’t sleep in the house with a homosexual in the next room. What kind of idiot thinks that gay people are attracted to just anyone of the same sex? Or that we’re all sexual perverts? Makes me mad. Anyway, Mom told me I’m ruining her life.”
River bit his bottom lip while Larsen’s words replayed in his head. “Sounds to me like it’s the other way around … sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“S’okay, Riv. I’m down with the truth. Your parents gonna have any problems if you bring me home. I don’t want to—”
“No. No way. My family isn’t like that. We’ve got our own history, you know. Nobody in my house is going to judge you. This is probably TMI, but my mom split on us years ago and went to live in LA with some loser producer. It’s a long story, but she came home, stuff happened, and then she and my dad fell in love again and got remarried. When she first left, we thought she was gone for good. So you never know. We’ve even got a dog now. Maybe things will get better for you.”
“Don’t think so, Riv. My mom hates me more every day.”
“Oh, hi, Gina.”
“I was just wondering …”
“What? If I’m as good-looking close up as I am from a distance?”
Gina giggled. “Well, maybe.”
Just as River was about to respond, Larsen appeared at his side. “Sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if I could speak to you for a minute. Before you head home.”
Gina looked disappointed. “Guess I’ll talk to you another time, River.”
“Sure thing.” River turned to Larsen as Gina walked away. “Let’s go outside and hang a left. I think they spray for bullies there.”
“Good one. Thanks, Riv.”
As soon as they walked around to the side of the school, Larsen leaned against the wall and exhaled. “Man, it’s been a bad day.”
“I’m really sorry about Jax and Antonio.”
“They cornered me right after Ms. Carrow’s class.”
“Sux, dude. Sorry I wasn’t there.”
“Listen, River. I wanted to thank you for standing up for me. People rarely do. I wasn’t so sure Jax wasn’t going to punch you out.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
“I really appreciate what you did. I just don’t want you to get caught up in my nightmare.”
River shook his head. “No. It’s everyone’s nightmare when nobody stops bullies.”
“I sure wish more people felt like you did. Wish they had your courage. I should be able to stop them without any help.”
“Reinhardt’s a big guy. Antonio is a body builder. We all need a little help now and then. Just try to go home and chillax.”
Larsen looked down and kicked the dirt. “Home. That’s a joke. I’m gonna tell you something, Riv, because I know I can trust you.”
“You can. What’s up?”
“Let’s just say that being at school is better than being at home most of the time. And considering I’ve got two jerks bullying me, that doesn’t say much, does it?”
River looked dumbfounded. “School is better than home? What’s going on?”
“I’ve got a mother who’s the biggest bully of them all.”
“Your mom bullies you for being gay?”
“That’s about right.”
“How about your dad?”
Larsen’s eyes began to water. “My father died when I was eleven. My mom says that the lack of a good male role model is what made me gay. She’s clueless. You know, Riv, when I was ten, my dad took me to the mountains one day. We were just sitting there, looking at the view, and he told me, ‘Son, when you grow up, there are gonna be some people who will bust your balls for being different. But take it from your old man, it’s okay to be whoever you are.’ ”
“So your father knew you were gay?”
Larsen wiped away a lone tear. “Yeah, he knew before I did. And I think he knew he was sick. That’s why he told me. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, damn, dude. I’m sorry. What did he die from?”
Looking right, then left, Larsen paused before answering. “Some kind of lymphoma. My mother won’t talk about it.”
“Sorry, Lars. I really am. So, what’s up with her?”
Larsen looked in the distance and saw Jax and Antonio jump into a black Mustang where the driveway to the school met the main highway. “Let’s go, Riv. You don’t need to stand here and watch me hold the building up.”
River laughed as he and Larsen started walking away from the school, toward the large expanse of desert where several students were still milling about, waiting for rides, or just talking. “I’ll tell you, if you can hold the building up, you can take care of those two clowns.”
Larsen frowned. “Yeah, maybe. Anyway, my mom, well, she’s embarrassed to have a gay son. Tells me all the time that it’s hard enough being black, so what the hell did I have to go and be gay for. I keep telling her that I had as much choice in being gay as I did being black. But she’s not buying that. She told me she’s gonna squeeze the gay right out of me one day.”
“Yeah, right. C’mon, come over to my house. Hang with me for a while. I live about a mile down the road, off to the right.”
“I live about a mile and a half in the other direction. Oh, man, Riv. What if someone sees us walking to your house together?”
“Then it means their eyeballs are in good operating condition. C’mon.”
Surprised but pleased, Larsen walked alongside River.
“You’re a pretty good guy.”
River was embarrassed. “I’m okay. Tell me about your mom.”
“She works as a waitress in Palm Desert. She goes in before I get home from school and gets off work around ten-thirty.”
“She’s not around to cook dinner for you?”
Larsen sighed. “No. I eat mostly frozen dinners. Sometimes on the weekend she cooks up a pot of something and leaves it for me to heat up. Or I cook a little something myself. But that’s not the worst part, Riv. My mom picks up men all the time. And she doesn’t know them that long before she brings them home. She says she’s doing it for me. Wants me to meet ‘real men.’ They stick around for a couple of weeks and dump her.”
“Wow, dude. That’s some lame shit.”
Larsen picked up a small rock and threw it as far as he could. “She told me the last guy dumped her because he couldn’t sleep in the house with a homosexual in the next room. What kind of idiot thinks that gay people are attracted to just anyone of the same sex? Or that we’re all sexual perverts? Makes me mad. Anyway, Mom told me I’m ruining her life.”
River bit his bottom lip while Larsen’s words replayed in his head. “Sounds to me like it’s the other way around … sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“S’okay, Riv. I’m down with the truth. Your parents gonna have any problems if you bring me home. I don’t want to—”
“No. No way. My family isn’t like that. We’ve got our own history, you know. Nobody in my house is going to judge you. This is probably TMI, but my mom split on us years ago and went to live in LA with some loser producer. It’s a long story, but she came home, stuff happened, and then she and my dad fell in love again and got remarried. When she first left, we thought she was gone for good. So you never know. We’ve even got a dog now. Maybe things will get better for you.”
“Don’t think so, Riv. My mom hates me more every day.”
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About the author:
Lisette Brodey was born and raised in Pennsylvania. After high school, she moved to New York City where she attended Pace University and studied drama. After ten years in New York, several of them working in the radio industry, she moved to Los Angeles, where she held various positions at Paramount Studios in Hollywood and CBS Studio Center in Studio City, CA.
Back on the East Coast, she worked for many years as a freelance writer, specializing in PR and the entertainment industry. In 2010, she returned permanently to the Los Angeles area. She is the author of five novels. Her first-published book, CROOKED MOON (General Fiction) was published in 2008. Her first-written, second-published book, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO (General Fiction) was published in 2009. MOLLY HACKER IS TOO PICKY! (Women’s Fiction), was published December 1, 2011. In October 2013, Lisette’s fourth novel, MYSTICAL HIGH, book #1 in a YA paranormal trilogy, The Desert Series, was published. In January 2013, the author edited and published a book of her mother’s poetry (written 50 years earlier) called MY WAY TO ANYWHERE by Jean Lisette Brodey.
Author's Giveaway
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8 comments:
What an interesting excerpt. Would love to read the whole novel. Thanks for hosting.
Bullying is terrible and it's awesome that your wrote a book to address the issue. It sounds great and I can't wait to check it out. Thanks for sharing!
Congrats on the release.. this is going to be a great novel.
Expert was very good book looks like a very good read.
congratulation with the new release..
thx u for hosting :)
Very interesting except.
thanks for the chance!
sounds like a great book! Thanks for the giveaway.
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