The Trouble with Flying (26 page)

Authors: Rachel Morgan

Tags: #happily ever afer, #love, #sweet NA, #romance, #mature YA, #humor, #comedy

BOOK: The Trouble with Flying

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“Ha ha,” I say, expressing as much sarcasm into my words as I can. “You know how monumentally stingy my parents are when it comes to their one and only child. I have to learn how to provide for myself, blah, blah, blah.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. It’s a miracle they’re paying for your tuition and rent and not forcing you to use your au pair money for that.”

I wind a strand of unruly red hair around my finger. “Don’t worry, I’ll be using that for all my other expenses.”

“Well, let’s hope it—oh, hang on.” I twist another piece of hair around my finger and listen to the muffled noises coming from Sarah’s side of the phone. “I’m sorry,” she says a moment later. “I’ve gotta go. Aiden just arrived.”

“Ooh.” I make some kissing noises while Sarah tells me to shut up. We both end up giggling, and then I let her go so she can make out with the newfound love of her life.

I slide my phone into my shorts pocket, then roll off the bed and cross the room. I open the French sliding doors that lead onto my balcony and step outside to warm up in the baking sun. In a few minutes I’ll be wilting, at which point it’ll be time to go back into my air-conditioned room. I lean on the railing and look out across the golf course. Beyond it, the sea is like flat, blue glass. A perfect day to be on the beach.

I wonder if I’ll miss this place. The perfectly maintained fairways, the infinity pools, the golf cars zipping around.

Probably not. I’m ready to say goodbye. I’m ready for my next adventure.

I remove my phone from my pocket and search for Adam’s number. He was the first person I called after Plan A fell through. Like me, he took a gap year and then decided to head to UCT this year, so he was also looking for accommodation in Cape Town for the first time. I got to him too late, though—he’d already made a plan with Gross Cousin Luke. Luke spent last year in a house with two other guys, one of whom decided to move back home at the end of last year, leaving a room free for Adam. Adam’s Plan A worked out perfectly.

I’ve just found Adam’s name under my recent contacts when the main theme from
Pirates of the Caribbean
starts playing, and Adam’s face appears on the screen. I’m tempted to leave it ringing for a while because I love the music so much, but my housing dilemma is more important.

I answer with, “Sarah told you, didn’t she.” I’m surprised she removed her lips from her boyfriend’s long enough to make contact with anyone else.

“She just sent me a message,” Adam says, his voice distorted against a noisy background.

“Where are you?” I ask.

“Home. Sorry, just—” I hear a shout, then a loud bang like the slamming of a door, and then the noise disappears. “Sorry, my brother’s got this new habit of blasting his music as loud as possible the moment he gets home from school.”

“Annoying.”

“Yip. Anyway, I phoned to give you some awesome news.”

“Oh yeah?” I head back inside and slide the French doors closed. “What’s that?”

“Mike’s transferring from UCT to Wits,” Adam says, as excited as if he just presented me with a brand new car. Which, incidentally, I could use now that I’m a licensed driver.

“Who’s Mike, and why is that good news?”

“It’s good news for
you
, because Mike is one of the guys I was going to be sharing a house with this year.”

I freeze in the middle of my bedroom. “What? Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“There’s a room up for grabs?”

“There is.”

“Ohmygosh, ADAM! You are a LIFESAVER!” I jump onto my bed and hug the nearest cushion while squealing with delight. “Oh. Wait. You’re a guy.”

“I am.”

“And so is your cousin.”

“Well, that’s debatable.”

“Ugh, my parents wanted me to stay with girls.” I punch the cushion. “They were pretty insistent on that, remember? That’s why I was so happy when I discovered Nicky had a spare room. Quiet, hardworking,
female
student. My parents thought it was perfect.”

“Well, your parents have to realise that you don’t have many options at this point. And they know me, which will probably help.”

“Maybe.”

“Play up the whole safety aspect. It’s safer to stay with guys because they can beat up any criminals who break in.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure mentioning criminals is going to help.”

“Well, remind them how amazing I am, and then say it’s either this or they buy a flat for you.”

I consider that for a moment. “That could actually work.”

“It will work.”

“Okay, I’ll let you know tonight.”

“You’d better.” I hear the squeak of Adam’s desk chair as he spins around on it. “Luke’s been telling everyone he knows that we have a free room now, so it’s bound to go quickly.”

“Eeek! Okay, chat later.”

I put the phone down and start praying. “Please, please, please …”

***

From:
Alivia Howard

Sent:
Mon 3 Feb, 7:39 pm

To:
Adam Anderson

Subject:
I send emails cos I’m old fashioned that way

I’m in!!!

_____________________________

Look out for

THE TROUBLE WITH FLIRTING

coming in August 2014!

to be notified of the book’s release!

Acknowledgements

Thank you, God, for speaking to me through coincidences, for allowing me to grow up in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and for showing me that you exist not only in the magnificence of creation, but in the most intricate workings of the universe.

Thank you, Katie, for being the very first reader of
The Trouble with Flying
, and for loving Sarah’s story.

Thank you, Mariska and Nicola, for saving the reading world from my abysmal Afrikaans skills by translating Elize and Simone’s words into Afrikaans that makes sense.

And thank you, Kyle, for being my happily ever after, my right kind of safe, and for letting me fly.

CREEPY HOLLOW

An Amazon Bestselling YA Fantasy Series

by Rachel Morgan

Enter a hidden world of magic, mystery, danger, and romance…

Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamor follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out alive.

The Creepy Hollow Series

About the Author

Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa and spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t approve of made-up facts. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults and those young at heart.

Connect with Rachel online:

Blog
|
Twitter
|
Facebook
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Goodreads

Also by Rachel Morgan:

The Creepy Hollow Series

An A to Z of Creepy Hollow Fae

The Faerie Guardian

The Faerie Prince

The Faerie War

The Trouble Series

Forgiven (A Trouble Novella)

The Trouble with Flying

The Trouble with Flirting (Aug 2014)