The Color of Happiness By K.P. Gazelle

The Color of Happiness

by K.P Gazelle 

Release Date: 04/01/15

Radiant Books

218 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Faith
Lane is the girl who has everything. At least, that’s what everyone thinks when
they see her rocking a killer dress while laughing with her best friend,
Tiffany. But Faith’s life is far from flawless. Her peers torment her
relentlessly, and her parents expect her to be the epitome of perfection.
Criticized and pressured at school and home, Faith retreats into silent
acceptance and finds an escape in her passion of dancing.

Then
she meets Alex – quirky, forever with a pass, and concealing a mysterious
secret of his own. And through his encouragement, Faith starts believing in her
gift for dance and gains courage to stand up for herself. But will she be able
to keep her footing when the events of one night consume her with the need to
jump off the rocky cliffs near her coastal home? And what has pushed her to the
edge of reason?

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Excerpt 1:

Even under his full length T-shirt, I could tell this kid was muscular. He probably played on the basketball team with Dale. Dale. I’d almost forgotten Dale. If this kid was a friend of Dale’s then I didn’t want anything to do with him. The sooner I got my stuff together and left, the better. I didn’t want to be anymore indebted to him than I already was. 

The nurse came back with some papers, along with orders to see a doctor promptly. I knew I wasn’t going to the doctor. I hated doctors. She looked my eye over again and said I didn’t need the ice pack anymore. “You’re all set for class. Sixth period is just about to begin.”

My stomach fell to my toes. The big chemistry test. I wasn’t ready for it. Dancing in the rain, forgetting about the test had been easy, but now that it was only minutes away, I felt like I was headed to the gallows.

“Mrs. Friedman, did you notice that Faith still looks quite pale? And the swelling around the corner of her eye still looks pretty bad. Maybe . . . she should stay through sixth?” my rescuer kid chimed in with a smile that had probably broken many girls’ hearts and slickly pushed back his chestnut brown hair that was falling on his eyes. I watched Mrs. Spencer melt right in front of me.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but I was desperate, so I put on my best puppy face and played along. She rechecked my swollen eye and nodded in agreement.

“You’re right, Alex. Faith, you can stay here for a while. As for you, Mr. Alex, you’re in perfect shape to go back to class now. Thank you for helping Faith here.”

“It was the least I could do. I’ll be on my way, Mrs. Friedman. Thanks for all your help.”

Mrs. Friedman smiled and left the room.

“All right, freshman, it was nice colliding with you. I’ll see you around.” He got to his feet and took out his hand, “By the way, I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced before. I’m Alex.”

I looked at his hand and hesitated. He had gotten Dale off my back the other day, saved me from catching pneumonia and dying, and now again by getting me out of my sixth period. I took a deep sigh, feeling my resolve break, before taking his hand and shaking it, “Faith.”

His grip was firm and for some unknown reasons, an electric shock ran through me. I unclasped his hand at once and turned to hide my face, which I’m sure was red by now with all the heat simmering behind it.

He smiled as he grabbed his bag and started heading out. Just as he was around the corner, I yelled out, “Wait. Why do you think I’m a freshman?”

“That’s easy. Dale only picks on all the pretty freshman girls.” He gave me that mischievous grin and wink again, and was gone.

Feeling more confused than ever, I lay back down on the cot. I’d think about all this later when my head wasn’t pounding. I looked over to check the time on the big black and white clock hanging on the wall on my left. Thirty minutes to go. As I lowered my eyes I noticed a pile of papers neatly stacked on a small table next to me. Beside it was my ribbon. Picking them up, I began sifting through them. My chemistry notes. In the top right corner of the first page I had written down the test’s date, today’s date.

So that’s how he knew I wanted to skip sixth period. Right below the date was a sketch of a girl twirling in the rain.

Excerpt 2:

We strolled around the pavement surrounding the lake, enjoying the coolness of the night and the full moonlight. We reached a bench and sat down. Feeling at peace, I rested my head on his shoulder, thinking about how surreal everything felt. Three months ago, I would have never imagined myself sitting with a guy on a bench at night. Or jumping into a locked park, for that matter.    

“You know, when I saw you swinging tonight, I couldn’t move for a while,” he said, breaking my reverie.

“What do you mean?”

“When I first saw you tonight, I was speechless. And immobile, I guess.” He sounded almost embarrassed. “You’re simply beautiful, Faith.”

He leaned in a little closer and then paused, asking permission to continue. I wanted my first kiss to be perfect and with someone special. Looking into Alex’s ocean-blue eyes, full of admiration and sincerity, and feeling his warm body next to mine, I knew that this was the moment. Closing my eyes, I leaned in yet a little closer, and soon felt the softness of the most perfect first kiss.

About the Author

K.P Gazelle is a true bookworm at heart - she can
spend hours with a good book and a hot cup of coffee. When she's not reading or
writing you can find her playing with her many nephews and nieces,
photographing landscapes, or eating a delicious meal. 

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