The Tattered Gloves

Book excerpt: From USA Today bestselling author J.L. Berg comes a poignant story about young love that will stick with you long after the last page. Head down. Don’t look up. Never make eye contact. Those were the words I lived by growing up, the words that protected me in a house where men frequented, but did not stay. But, even with all the rules and warnings, I couldn’t keep them all away. I couldn’t keep him away. Hoping to leave behind the shattered life of my past, I find myself in a small town, with an aunt I’ve never met and at a school I loathe. But soon I learn, not everything in this world is as black and white as I’ve determined. Sometimes those we are so quick to judge need a second or third time to make a first impression. And often, there are friendships and even love—real love, waiting just around the corner, if we are brave enough to take that first step. Am I brave? Or will I hide behind these tattered gloves of mine forever?