“You did good today, Val.” Lindsay Polanski sat down beside her with a loud sigh. She untied her jacket and pulled it on, shivering a little as she pulled her hair out from behind the collar.

She was uncomfortably aware of her sweat-soaked shirt as the wind reasserted its presence. Val took a long drink from the fountain and then plopped down on the wooden benches in front of the bleachers. So I want to say six-forty? Why don't you go ahead and take ten.” “Looking sharp, Val!” Coach Freeman said, as she passed.Ĭoach Freeman looked at her stopwatch. But she wouldn't let herself think about that - not out here, with the wind in her hair, and the silvery light of a cloud-blocked sun shining bright in her eyes. Who wanted to watch a bunch of teenagers run in a circle, over and over? If you weren't participating, it wasn't all that fun. Track wasn't a spectator sport, not really. Most of the spectators weren't even spectating. Her eyes flicked to the bleachers where a few students sat reading or talking, or waiting for the football team to come out and start their practice. During meets like these, Val was immensely grateful that boys and girls trained separately. Sweat was dripping down her face, blurring her vision and making what was left of her makeup run. Out on the high school's track, Valerian Kimble had already made the conscious decision to knot hers around her waist. In Derringer, California, this meant stifling humidity and a windchill that made people think twice about removing their sweaty jackets. Time is running out.It was one of those days in late April when the weather wasn't quite sure whether it wanted to be hot or cold, and so settled for a cloudy, muggy hybrid of the two. As her meetings with Gavin unravel into a more complex and frightening relationship, Val can't help but wonder if the new boy in her life is her depraved and obsessive stalker. He's charming and poetic and makes her feel things that she thought were only possible in books- Fear. So when Gavin Mecozzi, the school's brilliant but twisted loner, begins to show an interest in her after a chance meeting in a pet store, Val is intrigued.

There's a saying that curiosity can kill … but Valerian Kimble is beginning to learn that satisfaction might just be worse.įourteen-year-old Valerian lives in an age where antiheroes and bad boys are portrayed as the romantic ideal, and good guys are passe and boring. She trusted him because she wanted excitement. He followed her because he wanted to own her. This book is dedicated to all the 'Nice Guys'

Fearscape by Nenia Campbell