First Leap

What should a student’s life look like?
Hard work, late-night parties, hanging with friends, maybe a cute girlfriend on your arm?

Well, not for Noah Ellis. He’s nose deep in books, the incessant clicking of his Qwerkywriter keys as he scrambles to finish his manuscript.

He works long hours at Green Gobbler, the little sleepy café in Hampshore. No friends—other than Jay and his girlfriend Jessi. No fun. The only thing that shakes up his inflexible routine is his return to the swimming team, an old passion he’s rekindling.

But then the unexpected encounter changes everything Noah has known when Bessy Miller, the stunning, almost dreamlike girl with brown hair and chocolate eyes, steps in to save him.

Jay stands frozen by my side in the hallway, while Bolt’s fist heads straight for my ribs. “Nice job, Oliver Twist,” he sneers. And then a voice—solid, smooth, and somehow a little bit divine—stops Bolt dead, his tight fist midair.

I’m pretty sure I forget how to breathe as I stare at her, my savior standing right in front of me.

The ache in my side? Unattended.