Manuscript

Visibly Ever After

What would you do if you were yanked out of your perfectly cozy group of friends, your home town in sunny Florida and had to live in….all things foreign GERMANY? On top of that, you have to go to a middle school where the girls don’t want to have anything to do with you.

In VISIBLY EVER AFTER 13-year-old Lexie desperately wants to fit in with the girls in the school that is set in a castle, but this is no fairy tale. She feels miserably invisible and will do almost anything to become Visibly Ever After.  BUT, at what cost? Lexie has to decide where to draw the line when nose-picking sister, Sadie, winds up in the emergency room and it is all Lexie’s fault.

Excerpt:

“So far, this is one of my favorite things about Germany. Almost every corner has some kind of kiosk, or bakery stand, with mouth-watering treats, like apple strudel and sweet cheese-filled crepes. I love the fruit stands too.

The sweet yeasty aroma blends with the metallic smell of the train tracks. “Ine chocolate croissant, beat-tey.” I smile widely as I hand the foreign coins to the nice older man. Lucky thing most vendors understand my broken German. Speaking Deutsch is not coming easy to me.

As I devour the croissant, I spot two giggling girls approaching the station. From a distance, they look similar. They wear a ton of make-up, but somehow it works for them. What really stands out is their walk. It’s more of a glide. They have the easy coolness and confidence of girls who can get anything they want.

Viewed closely, there are differences. The slightly taller girl has sky blue eyes and waist-length hair that is the same rich color as the cobble stoned street. She wears a tight white blouse, a short plaid skirt and long black socks. The other girl has vibrant blue eyes that remind me of my birthstone, topaz. Her golden-brown hair swings as she walks and her black t-shirt mini-dress is impeccable.

Did they just walk right off the pages of Teen Vogue?

The Vogue girls glance over toward us and I figure maybe I’ll make some new friends. I raise my hand to wave. They look. Right through me. My hand literally freezes in mid-air.

Put. It. Down. I lower my hand in slow motion and look down at my own blue jeans and graphic monkey t-shirt. They seemed like a good idea, until now.”