Sentence Sneak Peek - Still Sucks To Be Me

Still Sucks To Be Me by Kimberly Pauley

The first sentence from each chapter of Still Sucks To Be Me, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

 "I, Mina Hamilton, am officially dead."

"I'm not, as a general rule, a very teary person."

"Serena drops me off around the corner from George's place once she does a drive-by and sees that his car is there."

"George drops me off at the roach hotel (okay, so maybe it isn't exactly infested, but it sure looks like it could be) and I have my only piece of luck of the day."

"I have to say that flying is a totally different experience as a vampire than as a regular person."

"Mari!"

"I've been running through the countryside (I don't technically need to exercise, since the muscles are there no matter what I do, but at least it makes me feel like I'm doing something) or camped out in my room for the last three days while Mom and Dad play the Happy Neighbor game."

"We get to Lonnie's and I start to get out of the truck under my own power."

"So," says Cameron, the mystery vampire guy, "you must be one of the new VRA victims that we've been hearing about."

"There's an ancient-looking wooden bar in the middle of the room with a pudgy bald bloodtender (Ernie, I'm guessing) behind it."

"As soon as there is enough daylight that there might be stores open (ha, if I can find any), I tell Mom it's time to go electronics shopping."

"Dad is in a complete tizzy when we get back."

"Praise the Internet gods!"

"I'm watching yet another stupid cat video when I hear dad singing off-key in the shower, which mean's he's deliriously happy to be getting ready for work AND I'm nearly late for my first day of school."

"I try texting Serena on the way home, but I don't get a response."

"The teachers at Cartville are all okay, but none of them are anywhere near as interesting as Ms. Tweeter was with her crazy costumes and props."

"We have to drive almost an hour away to get to our first shape-shifting class."

"The next day, I decide to skip lunch."

"I'm getting really worried about Serena."

"Mom comes rushing back after a few minutes."

"The Council building is in what must be the oldest parts of New Orleans."

"We finally get ready to duck out of the little Council after party sometime around midnight, mostly in deference to Serena, who is totally about to drop."

"As soon as Eugenie is done signing Serena in (and mercifully not making any comments on Serena's whacked-out hair), Henny hones in on Serena like a homing pigeon."

"Mom is waiting at home for us when we get back from school."

"Serena doesn't snap out of it until we're on the way back to my house."

"The next day at school is pretty much a repeat of Serena's first day, except for me trying to run interference with the gossip hounds (which totally doesn't work) and Serena making it worse by making up even more crazy stories about herself and telling them to whoever asked (like the one about how she was found as a baby by her parents in the bush while they were on African safari)."

"Grady won't stop hinting that I go to homecoming with him."

"I run home, just barely catching myself from running too fast in front of Eugenie."

"Dad finally gets my message and calls while I'm filling George in on all the details about Serena and Raven and everything else (well, okay, except for Grady and Cameron).

"So Operation Foil the Goth officially kicks off the next day."

"George insists that we both escort Serena to her next vampire session because (a) she needs protection, (b) this is our only chance to hang out together without any adults around (we're doing the stakeout thing and sitting in the car), and (c) did you notice (b)?"

"George and Serena and I are still discussing --okay, arguing--about the best way to get Raven or Cameron to give up John and Wayne and the whole Carter-Talon thing when we get home."

"Uncle Mortie tells Mom to tie Dad to the couch until he gets here and not to let anyone do anything crazy."

"Did I mention that today happens to be Friday?"

"Serena wakes up around three and we spend about two hours getting ready."

"Henny pulls me all the way down to the field where everyone else they called (including Kacie and Grady and even Lonnie Pratt in his football uniform) is already assembled."

"Rav--" I start to say in a stern Southern accent."

"I start piecing together my Carter girl shape-shift as I'm running."

"Mina!"

"George is waiting for me outside the door to the house."