Poor Florida Cracker
by Chelsea Falin
Genre: YA Coming of Age
Sissy Collet and her siblings have grown up with neglectful parents, impoverished, and bullied by their small town. When they finally get their chance to break free, they take it - despite having the odds stacked against their favor. With nothing except a half-cooked scheme and an old beater, they set off without a set destination in the hopes they will finally be free of the baggage holding them back. Will Sissy get her happily ever after? Or will she never be anything more than a Poor Florida Cracker?
Excerpt #1
Jesse said nothing as he disappeared into the bedroom to
change. He returned shortly wearing only frayed jean cutoffs that had seen
better days. Neither of my brothers wore shirts unless necessary. I couldn’t
blame them. If it hadn’t been inappropriate, I would’ve gone shirtless, too. As
it was, I wore a pair of denim shorts and a light blue spaghetti-strapped tank
top that was faded and worn with age.
The hot, humid Florida weather was unbearable, even for
natives. We had no air conditioning to help take the edge off, so we made do
with a few circulating fans and open windows. The heat emanating from the stove
wasn’t helping. I was drenched in sweat.
“You go to school
today?” I avoided looking my brother in the face and shook my head to say I
hadn’t. School was to be avoided at all costs. There, I was the victim of
heartless bullying and dropping grades. It was the epitome of my own personal
hell. “You need to go to school. At least try, y’ know? Else child services
will be back.”
I didn’t answer, fixing my attention on the food. Jesse let
out an exasperated sigh, knowing it was useless to argue and walked outside.
From the kitchen window, I saw him sitting beneath the only tree in our measly
backyard plot. Resting his head against the trunk, Jesse bent his knees close
to his chest and closed his eyes. I bet it’s cooler out there, I thought.
Excerpt #2
When our parents passed out drunk, Jesse and I crept in to
steal their cards. I was glad they were actually home. The room was dark. The
only light shined through the dirty, curtain-less window. My parents were
loudly snoring mounds stretched sideways across the lumpy full-sized bed. Piles
of clothing made dark, shadowy mountains in the corners.
We checked the nightstand. There was nothing besides some
change and a half-empty pack of Marlboro Reds. The pile of clothes on the
ground also proved fruitless. My mother’s purse lay sprawled in a corner.
Inside was a five-dollar bill, her bank card, and the food stamps card. I took
it all.
My father still wore his pants. Lying on his stomach, the
mound his wallet made in his back pocket was visible. Jesse pulled it out. My
father jerked in his sleep as the wallet came loose. My heart jumped into my
throat. Jesse and I became statues. We held our collective breaths for thirty
seconds that felt like an eternity.
Jesse hastened to grab my father’s bank card and some
crumpled ones from the wallet. He returned it to our father’s back pocket and
we tip-toed from the filthy bedroom.
Chelsea Falin is the 25 year old independent author of well over ten titles. She began writing with intents to publish in 2006, at age 16, and finally published in 2009, at age 19. Chelsea writes in a variety of genres, including but not limited to: romance, young adult, comedy, cooking, poetry, and dramatic fiction. Professionally, Chelsea is also a freelance blog/article writer, web designer, and book blogger.
In her personal life, Chelsea is the mother of a six year old daughter. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, fishing, hiking, biking, traveling, and spending time with her friends or family.
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