Temporary High

Running On Empty #2

by Colette Ballard

The side of his mouth quirked up as he studied me. "I think I might be fallin' in love." I picked up his keys off the bedside table and tossed them to him. "That makes one of us." He clutched at his heart in mock pain. Then his perfect red lips formed the word, "Liar." Seventeen year-old Kat Chandler has been called worse, but she’s worked hard to make amends for past mistakes and gain control of her life. So she isn’t about to be thrown off her game by some Harley-driving bad boy who’s just moved to town. Luca is mysterious. Aloof. Frustrating . Kat can’t stand him; she can’t seem to stay away from him either. But she's forced to reassess the company she keeps when she finds herself being blackmailed by her mom’s con artist ex-boyfriend. Fresh out of prison, Cross has reappeared to collect a debt--Kat’s debt. His demand? Three grand in three weeks or else his stay won’t be temporary. He even offers a suggestion on how to get the cash--and it involves Luca. Desperate to keep Cross out of her life and the people she cares about safe, Kat devises a plan that will cost her more than just money. She will have to give up control, her hard-won integrity, and possibly the only guy she’s ever fallen for.

Genres: Young Adult

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2016

About the author

Colette grew up on a dairy farm in rural Kentucky. She survived the high school experience back in the day when Aqua Net was bought in bulk and mullets were cool. That’s also when she realized that her constant daydreaming wasn’t a curse, but a useful skill—one she used like a lethal weapon to combat her frustration over the haunting question: What does the alphabet have to do with math anyway? Unfortunately, her ninja daydreaming skills only increased her desire to write—not her algebra grade.
After surviving the hairstyles and torturous math classes of her high school years, she wandered a bit—even moving to the farthest northwestern corner of the United States, then to the farthest southeastern corner. She finally settled in the one red-light town she started in, where she continues to live today with her husband and three children.