Tripp — Kristen Kehoe

Because there are two sides to every story… I've never been the guy who shied away from taking the ball. I'm an athlete, I thrive on the court, and I thrive in life because like on the court, I don't shy away from taking chances. Except that one time. Except with Rachel. I fell in love with my best friend when we were ten, and she almost put her fist in my face when I tried to defend her against a fifth grade bully. I didn't tell her that day that I loved her, or any of the ones following, because she had proved she didn't need me, and even at a young age, I knew the opposite was true for me. I needed Rachel with every breath I took, and it scared the ever-loving crap out of me. Being the mature young man I am (cough), I tried to ignore it. I dated someone else, I stayed Rachel's friend and watched her from afar because when you love someone who has the potential to break you into a million unrecoverable pieces, that's what you do. You watch from afar and you never reveal your true feelings because it's safer to hide them than to admit them. Until it's not. Until the day you take a step forward and alter both of your worlds completely, only to discover that you'll never, ever be over her. This is my story â€" my story of Rachel and everything I did and didn't do, everything I said and forgot to say, and everything I felt before and after we made our biggest mistake and walked away from each other. She told her side â€" now it's my turn. I'm including our past, holding nothing back from her ever again, so she better be ready for me. Mature Young Adult ***This is the companion novel to LIFE INTERRUPTED (the life series book 1) released January 2014. It can be read as a standalone, as it is different from Rachel's story.