Praise for The Oracle of Dating
âThe Oracle of Dating is, without a doubt, the cutest book Iâve read so far this year, and a fantastic start to a new series!â
âLaurenâs Crammed Bookshelf
âI absolutely ate up this light, amusing tale of romance and friendshipâ¦. Read it for a positive spin on girl friendship, for the spunky narrator, for some smoking sexual tension (hey, this is Harlequin, after all!) that doesnât cross the line, and, of course, for a tale of first love.â
âKinnelon Library Teen Blog
âThe Oracle of Dating is a quick, fun read with a witty lead character.â
âThe Lip Gloss Chronicles
âItâs fun, wonderfully lighthearted, and the whole Oracle element puts an entirely new twist on the typical young adult romanceâ¦it even gives some pretty insightful and useful dating advice.â
âObsessed!
âAn adorable read. It took me back to the best moments of high school, made me feel the romance and just took me out of life for a while.â
âMy Reading Room
Happily ever after is meant to last forever, right? Well, my happily ever after lasts five months, three weeks and two days. Then Jared drops a bomb.
âI need to take a step back, Kayla. I have to figure some things out right now.â
I stop listening after the âstep backâ part. I feel like Iâm sinking through the floor. Jared is the one, isnât he? This canât be happening.
Heâs watching me. âYouâre not saying anything.â
âIâm chewing my pizza so I donât choke.â
âOh.â
I swallow my food. Keep it together, I tell myself. Having a public meltdown will only make this worse. âWhat do you want me to say?â
âI donât know. Just that you understand.â
âI donât.â
I donât and I donât want to. Why canât this be any other Saturday night at Colonnade Pizza? I mustâve misheard him. He canât be breaking up with meâ¦. God, heâs so beautiful, with his curly dark hair falling over his forehead, and his blue eyes so tortured. Heâs talking again. âEver since I didnât get that scholarship to art school, Iâve had to think about what Iâm going to do with my life.â
âI get that, but how does that lead to you dumping me?â And then it hits me. He mustâve met another girl. The familiarity between us, the ease of us knowing each other so well, no longer excites him. Before he can answer my question, I throw it out there. âIs there someone else?â
His eyes widen. âDidnât you hear anything I said?â
âOf course I did. Iâm just asking.â
âYouâre the only girl and thatâs the truth.â He sighs. âIâve been too into you these past few months. I havenât been focusing enough on my art. If Iâd put more effort into my portfolio, I mightâve gotten that scholarship. I was counting on it, and now Iâm not sure what Iâll do. This is an important time in my life and Iâve been spending more time thinking about you than my own future.â
Heâs talking, talking, blah, blah, blahâ¦
And all Iâm hearing is that Iâm being dumped.
âKayla, are you okay?â
My eyes fill up. My throat is closing. Iâm either discovering a new food allergy or having my heart broken. âIâmâ¦surprised, thatâs all.â
âIâm not saying this is permanent. I donât know.â
Iâll wait for you, Jared. Iâll give you time. Whatever you need. But I canât say it. Pride doesnât let me. âYouâre making a big mistake, donât you see that? Iâm not just going to wait around for you. Itâsâ¦insulting!â
He shrugs helplessly. That look in his eyesâitâs killing me. He looks sad, and I have a sneaking suspicion itâs for me.
Dumping me is one thing. Pitying me is another. Heâs so crossed the line.
âMaybe itâs better if it is permanent,â I say, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. âTeen relationships only have a thirteen percent chance of being long-term anyway.â
âThatâs the Oracle talking, not you.â
âYeah, well, weâre one and the same. Iâm going to move on, Jared. Iâm not going to sit around waiting for you.â
He nods gravely. âI understand.â
I blink. Can he let me go just like that? After spending half a year with him, after telling him I love him, this is humiliating. Didnât he promise to love me forever? What about that?