“Oh, thank you! I’m so flattered,” I said.
“Trust me, the irony of my ‘recruiting’ you from your story about illegal recruitment is not lost on me. But here’s my information anyway,” she said, holding out a crisp business card. “I can’t promise any under-the-table scholarships, but if you have the right grades, there might be money available for you here. Just something to think about.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the card. “I definitely will think about it.”
By the end of the night I had cards from five more schools who had sought me out. They each had a slightly different pitch about why their journalism school was the best and, honestly, they all sounded wonderful. Going to any school that took reporting seriously and wanted to continue on the tradition of responsible media sounded like a dream to me.
When we got back to the hotel room I wanted nothing more than to call George and tell him all about the win and about all the cards I’d gotten. Grace was already wrapping herself up in the bed cocoon-style, and I looked at her sheepishly.
“Do you care if I call—”
“Fine, fine, go be lovebirds. But do it quietly. I need some beauty rest,” she said.
I snuck off into the bathroom and perched myself on the counter, resting my feet near the sink. The phone rang twice before he picked up.
“So, what’s the verdict?” he said.
“We won,” I said.
He started playing a recording of “Who Let the Dogs Out” and I had to hold my mouth to keep from cackling. It was so random, but the most wonderful celebration song that I ever could have asked for.
“I knew you guys would,” he said. “Take that, Merrill! This really is your Oscars moment. You beat Merrill!”
“Ha!” I burst out laughing. Grace groaned from inside the room and I vaguely heard “shut up” mixed in with it. “And then after the ceremony I ended up talking to about five journalism advisers from different schools around the country. They came to find me. How wild is that?”
“Again, I’m not surprised,” he said. “You and Grace obviously put a lot of time and effort into that story, and it shows. I mean, you got that old perv put on indefinite leave. Not every student group in the school has the power to expose a horrible teacher for who they truly are. And only a fraction of the people in that group has the guts to pursue it. I’d say you’re pretty incredible.”
“You are playing out your role as my official hype man spectacularly well,” I said. He laughed on the other end of the line. “But truly, thank you for helping me believe in myself. I sometimes need the extra boost.”
“And I’m always happy to boost. You should get some rest—I know you have more to do tomorrow,” he said.
“Yes, and then I’ll be home again with Mom and Ashley. Things are finally going to go back to normal,” I said.
“You deserve some normalcy,” he said.
“That I do.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have to give it up again to the big two in my life, my parents, Heather and Rich Martin, for their unwavering support in everything I do. I am incredibly lucky to have been born into your family, and I thank the universe and the cosmos every day for that gift.
Endless thanks to my little sister, Abbie, for everything you’ve taught me about being a decent and loving human. I’m proud to call you my sister and my best friend.
One of my favorite characters in this book ended up being the beloved poodle monster, Fiyero, who is 1,000 percent based on my dog, Scooter. He has shown me what love an animal can bring into a family and has made me a complete animal lover. (He’s getting a longer paragraph than my parents, that’s how obsessed I am with him.)
To my grandpa Mike Harrington (SwoonPa, as he was so lovingly called by the Swoon Reads staff when we visited Swoon HQ), for everything. You are a rock star. To my grandma Judy Harrington, thank you for giving me my love of reading (and I did it again! A green cover!).
Also to the leader of our Martin clan, my grandmother Kathleen Martin. You paved the way for an amazing family. (Hi, Martins!)
This book would not have been possible without the amazing vision of my editor, Emily Settle. Thank you for always being my number one fan. And to the rest of the team at Swoon Reads, I’m forever indebted to your tireless work. Thank you, Jean Feiwel, Lauren Scobell, Ashley Woodfolk, Teresa Ferraiolo, Morgan Rath, and Carol Ly. (I will forever remember the happy tears I cried when I got the first e-mail with cover concepts.)
To the Swoon Squad for being the best group of support that any author could ask for. Special shout-outs to Jennifer Honeybourn, Lydia Albano, Alex Evansley, Olivia Hinebaugh, and Katy Upperman for the extra support. You have all been so impactful on my journey as an author.
To my friends who constantly support me behind the scenes in ways I’ll always be grateful for: Matthew Nagorzanski, Stephanie Tabor, Talya Miller, Stormy Smith, Allie Windergerst, Jorge Hernandez, Catherine Orr, Matt Cooper, Larissa Wilming (photographer extraordinaire!), Jessica Batastini, Kaitlin Wilkerson, Will Pruyn, Tay Ross, Laura Bucklin, Sydney Johnson, Caitlin Enlow, Jess Peterson, and someone I’m sure I’m forgetting (please don’t hate me).
But most of all, this book is for a younger Maggie who I wish could see herself for how truly beautiful, inside and out, she was. I think she’d be pretty proud.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maggie Ann Martin, author of The Big F and To Be Honest, hails from Des Moines, Iowa but moonlights as a New Yorker. She earned her BA in English and Journalism from the University of Iowa, the most welcoming literary community in the world. When she is not writing, you can find her binge-watching TV shows or passionately fangirling over fictional characters on the Internet. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Maggie Ann Martin
A Swoon Reads Book
An imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
swoonreads.com
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at [email protected].
First hardcover edition 2018
eBook edition 2018
eISBN 9781250184740
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