A Pumpkin and a Patch

by Jennifer Peel

Thanks to him, I never wrote in my journal again and have a deep distrust of people, especially myself.

honestly valid bc wtf

They’d grilled me for hours on end to see where I had gained such knowledge. Uh, hello, a free trial of HBO.

LOL

saw the recognition in his caramel-brown eyes and the tiny smirk on his face. Really the one caramel-brown eye. You see, Reece wore a patch.

ok weird but i’m not mad

chocolate-red

brown red

The past year had been rough for my family, who own the biggest pumpkin farm in the state.

giving hallmark but in a cute way ya know. not a bad plot so far

Between the two men, there was enough arrogance in the room for us all to choke on—both their egos and Trevor’s cologne.

typical

“He’s the idiot. I mean, you’re the prettiest pumpkin in the patch. Literally.” She cracked herself up.

I rolled my eyes. “Not unless I get a lobotomy and forget all the trouble men are.”

nose like I was a freaking bloodhound. “I still have one good eye left,” I blurted without thinking, because of that dang scent of his. “I mean …” I’m an idiot.

GOODBYE GIRL WHAT

clasped my hands together, trying to avoid direct eye contact, but his gaze owned me like my thirty-year mortgage.

“I’m still going to make you like me.” “Good luck with that.” And heaven help me.

Dearest Ms. Peterson (Or can I call you Josie yet?), I’ve always wanted to be called Your Royal Highness, so I’m your man. When do we get started? All the best, Your Most Royal Highness

“But I get why you’re going to,” he beat me to the punch. “You just got out of a bad relationship with a man who lied to you and obviously didn’t deserve you. And for some reason, you’re embarrassed by the story you wrote. And you think by not liking me, it will help you continue to run away from that piece of yourself that was exposed to the world. It’s why you always hide from me, but really, you’re just hiding from yourself.”

“If you need to know exactly why I want to get to know you, here’s my list: You’re a little crazy,” he chuckled. “You’re passionate about everything you do, as far as I can tell. You’re talented and gorgeous. I can’t stop thinking about you,” he admitted.

My esteem for my dad always grew when I realized he was not blind to my mother’s craziness, yet he embraced it anyway. That was true love right there.

There were even older kids filing in, trying to grasp the last bit of childhood magic they could, even though they had no conscious knowledge it was slipping from their grasp.

“Maybe it’s time you believed in something again. Maybe start with yourself.” She walked off.

Her name was self-doubt, and she was terrifying.

“No, it’s not. Own the story. Own yourself. Don’t let anyone else tell you how to feel about yourself, except maybe me.” He nudged me with his shoulder.

I knew that, and I should have done more. You were right; we worried more about what we thought you’d done instead of worrying about you.

“No. I was thinking more along the lines of, kiss me, and see how important you are.”

“Why would you want to be thrown into the blender in order to mix in with the masses, only to get cut by the blades?”

“For years, I let others cut me with their words and insults, but I realized it was because they so badly wanted to be in the mix. When I finally learned it was okay not to be, it changed my life. From then on, I didn’t give a damn about what anyone thought of me.”

“Josie, you should always be the first person to stand up for yourself. I’m always happy to play backup for you, but the first step to getting out of the blender is to see your worth—and to realize you’re worth fighting for.”

“No. I thought maybe this place might speak to you, like it did to me. What you hear is entirely yours to learn.”

me. “I know you don’t want to think of yourself as a victim of bullying, but that’s the reality. It says right here, acknowledging it is the first step.”

girl what the whole book she talks about how she was a victim

That just goes to show that you should never compare your life to the one people portray, especially online. We all have our personal demons. Some are just better at hiding theirs.

“Get over there,” Kitty’s voice unexpectedly rent the air.

huh