Sample Sunday | Love at First Clash
Hey, lovers!
The Rose Hill series is set to release this Friday, October 20th. ♡
Prepare for the love with the excerpt below:
After you enjoy the sample, check out the insight blogs on Poet Blake & Zane Young. ♡
(this sample is lightly edited and may be subject to change before publishing.)
Zane Young“Hurry up and tell me about the teacher,” my sister, Zion, said.
“Poet,” I corrected and murmured.
“Oh, you got it bad already.”
“Zi, head on home and enjoy your night. I already sent you the money you requested on Apple Pay to cover your Shein cart for saving my ass today.”
“You’re into Ms. Poet real bad,” she continued, snickering under her breath. “I don’t remember the last time I saw you cheesing all hard like that.”
Sighing, I set the mop aside and leaned against the counter. “Aight, I know you won’t let this go until you get the information you want, so yeah. I’m into Poet. Been fascinated with her since the first day she walked in here six months ago. I thought it would pass, but I fucked around and dug deeper, checking into who she is and what she does...” I brushed my hand down my face. “All on Rose Hill High School’s website, reading about how she’s been teacher of the year and made the biggest impact on her students since she started working there. Even that wasn’t enough, though. I don’t think I’ll stop wanting to know more about her,” I came clean.
A big smile took over Zion’s umber brown face as she sat up on the couch and rested her head on her fists, staring at me like I was narrating one of those lovey-dovey books she always read and kept in her purse.
“What’s stopping you? Did you ask her out? Your first date should be at the car shop. Or maybe you should take her to get some driving lessons. I know there’s a backup camera on that Kia Sorento… with her non-driving ass.” Zion cackled, and I looked off to the side as if a camera had panned in on my expressionless mug. She’d never had any shame in laughing at her own jokes.
“All right, let me stop because I can see you already don’t play about Ms. Spoken Poetry,” she said, still playing. She couldn’t help herself if she tried, and I didn’t blame her. It was the foundation of our bond. “Give me the all-bullshit aside version before I go. What’s stopping you from pursuing her.”
“I don’t want to be given up on again,” I admitted, confessing that shit from the depths of my soul.
As soon as I spilled that truth, I remembered the blow to my gut and the arrow in my heart from my fiancée abruptly ending our three-year relationship. It’d been two years since she claimed we were better off as friends.
“Lauren did you a favor, Zane. That bitch gave up on herself, not you. That’s exactly how she ended up with two children from a nigga who apparently hates her from all the sad quotes she posts every day on Facebook. Women who don’t know when they have a good man don’t deserve them.”
I kissed my teeth. “Man, why do you still have her as a friend on there, anyway?”
“Because I knew it was only a matter of time before karma two-pieced her. And it hit quick. I got a front-row seat.” She shrugged, then whispered, “Stupid bitch.”
“You gotta chill and stop all that mean shit while my niece is growing in there.” I motioned at her stomach with a nod.
“Her mama’s crazy, and her father is overprotective. Being a little unhinged may be embedded in her genetic makeup, brother,” she said, then answered her ringing phone, beaming as she put it on speaker. “Yes, my love?”
“I’m outside. I already parked your car in the back. We’ll slide through and get it tomorrow,” Marquis told her. “Come on and stop playing with me so I can feed you and my baby. Where is Z at, and why did he have you working all day?”
“Baby, you did not have to—“
“All I asked her to do was come in and do the inventory for me because I was a day behind, Quis. She started working the front counter and bossing me around instead,” I shouted, cutting her off.
Marquis didn’t put any fear in my heart, but sister or not, I knew better than to test a man about his wife. I also fucked with how he loved Zion and didn’t play about taking good care of her.
“Snitch,” she mumbled. “I’ll be out in a second,” she sang sweetly before ending their call. At the beginning of their seven-year relationship, I used to turn my lip up at how she turned into putty in his hands. After realizing they loved each other with the same intensity and obsession, I minded my lonely business from then on.
Shaking her head, Zion got up slowly from the couch and grabbed her keys and purse. “I didn’t know that crazy man had a key to my car,” she fronted, high cheekbones on full display. Heading to the door with her hands resting on her baby bump, she said, “I think you should tell Poet the truth. That you’re the one who presented the idea to us about covering her bill, and you blamed it on Mom because you’re too pus—“
“Have a good night, Zi. I love you. Thank you for today.”
She laughed and waved, wiggling her fingers. “Anytime. I love you more.”
“And I know that purse looks bulky ‘cause you stole some pints of chocolate chip cookie dough. I’ma start taking that shit from your check.”
“Boy, please. My access to that bank account ain’t going anywhere. Make sure you mop in front of the door good. It’s sticky over here,” her spoiled ass said before leaving and locking me inside.
I glanced at my phone on the counter and then back at the mop, but the phone won me over. Grabbing it, I went to my text thread with Poet, where she’d texted me her name.
Zane: I still want to hear all about the ice cream party. Meet me at Mystic Meadows in twenty minutes?
It was a daring move, yeah. But I was a bold man who wanted to see her again, despite how much my pride and ego told me to chill on getting at her.
“Fuck it, let’s see what happens,” I said, then distracted myself with cleaning the shop as I waited for a response.
#end of sample#
Brookelyn and I are excited for you to indulge in these beautiful stories. You can check out her Sample Sunday on her website.
The Pinterest board for Love at First Clash is now live & you can also check out Love at First Clash’s playlist on Apple Music and YouTube.
That’s it for now, lovers. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for 10|20|23. ♡
As always, thank you so much for your continued support.
With love, ShanicexLola