Come Back To Texas by K.K. Hendin
(Twelve Beats In A Bar #1)
Publication date: August 18th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Everyone thought we’d be the ones who made it through high school. The ones who’d get married and stay married forever. The example of how young love can work.
We thought so, too.
Too bad life had other plans.
It’s been three years since Hayley and Nate broke each other’s hearts. Three years, and a lot has changed. Hayley’s a freshman in Bushwick University, and the only things keeping her sane are stress baking, and her a cappella group, Twelve Beats in a Bar.
Nate’s a Marine, stationed in Afghanistan. The only thing that’s keeping him sane is the last picture he has of him and Hayley, and the hope that maybe when the hell of deployment is over, he can find her again and apologize.
One explosion will change everything.
When a bomb kills all of Nate’s unit, leaving him missing a leg and eyesight in one eye, he’s sent back home to Texas. Texas, where he loved Hayley more than he could possibly imagine ever loving anyone else.
With seemingly endless amounts of free time and needing something to distract himself, Nate starts making YouTube videos, imploring Hayley to come back to him, and come back to Texas.
Hayley’s life is wrapped around the Beats, making sure she doesn’t flunk out of biology class, and babysitting Ohio’s smallest monster, Brandon. She doesn’t want to admit it, but she misses Nate more than anything.
It’s too bad she doesn’t know just how much he misses her, too…
Transcript, YouTube video uploaded by user ILoveHayley, entitled ‘Intro’.
-camera, probably a webcam, turns on to show a 20-something year old guy
sitting on a hospital bed. His face looks like he’s been through hell, his hair
sticking up and a bandage covering part of his forehead and one eye. There is a
faint sound of beeping, probably from various machines.
ILH: Hi, Hayley. This is kinda weird, but this is the only thing I can
think of. I don’t think if I sent a letter home anyone would send it to you.
Can’t blame them for it, but still. So, hi. I’m just going to babble into this
webcam, lookin’ like shit and hoping that maybe you’ll see this. So, I kind of
got myself into a little trouble while I was… away, which kinda explains the
shitty makeup I’m wearing.
ILH *laughs*.
ILH: I miss you, and I’m sorry I fucked up.
ILH *sighs*.
ILH: This video is depressing and fucking morbid. I know you’re not in
Texas anymore, but I think you ought to come back and visit. And not just visit
Austin like you’re just here for South by Southwest, but actually visit. Here’s
one reason why you should come back to Texas: Noreen just told me that at the
last county fair she was at, they were selling deep fried ham crackles, which
I’m sure they’re not selling wherever you are. Although you probably wouldn’t
actually eat them… remember when I dared you to try deep fried butter and you
ate nothing but vegetables for a week after? But I can’t dare you to eat deep
fried anything if you’re that far away. When Noreen finally lets me out of
here, we’re going to find ourselves a county fair and we’ll clog our arteries
with deep fried shit. And then figure out how to make deep fried sweet tea,
because I’m sure nobody’s done that yet.
ILH *pauses* *makes a face at the screen*
ILH: I’m gonna end this now because I feel like an idiot as is. I miss
you, Hayley May. Please come back to Texas.
The screen goes dark.
-End of transcript.
Author Bio
KK Hendin's real life ambition is to become a pink fluffy unicorn who dances with rainbows. But the schooling for that is all sorts of complicated, so until that gets sorted out, she'll just write. Preferably things with angst and love. And things that require chocolate.
She spends way too much time on Twitter (@kkhendin), and rambles on occasion over atwww.kkhendinwrites.blogspot.com.
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