Ella's Stormy Summer Break by Amy Sparling

“Thank you, Mom,” I say, standing up from my air mattress and stepping carefully around all the shopping bags to give her a hug.

I put on a smile because I am grateful, it’s just a little too much to take in right now. But she’s trying so hard, and I can tell she’s so excited to be buying me all this unnecessary crap with money we don’t exactly have. “That’s in case the cafeteria runs out of silverware,” Mom says. “You know, just because purple is my favorite color doesn’t mean everything has to be purple,” I say, picking up a package of purple plastic utensils. She sets it all on the floor in front of her and then puts her hands on her hips, appraising my room of junk with a pleased smile. I’m not a fan of the idea of showering while wearing shoes, but she’d told me more than once that dorm showers are germ factories and that my dad had once suffered a case of athlete’s foot and it was disgusting.

Mom shuffles into my room, carrying a purple fabric laundry basket that’s filled with purple towels, purple washcloths, a purple shower caddy and purple flip flops for wearing to the communal shower. I mean, it’s not crap-it’s cool stuff-but I am overflowing with guilt that it’s all been bought for me. Now, I can barely see the faded carpeting over the boxes and shopping bags of crap. And that’s a little ironic because up until last weekend, my room consisted of an air mattress, a dozen outfits in the closet, and a gorgeous antique makeup vanity I got for ten bucks at a garage sale.

I’m pretty sure my bedroom has more items in it than the rest of the house combined. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems -except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews-without permission in writing from the author at book is a work of fiction. You can unsubscribe at any time.Īll rights reserved. Want to be the first to know about new books, exclusive giveaways, and more? Join my monthly newsletter! Each month is packed with at least one book giveaway, gift card giveaways, eBook deals, and news in the book world.

Ella's Stormy Summer Break by Amy Sparling