In WILD CARDS, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick would rather be
anybody else, anywhere else but when he gets kicked out of
boarding school he is forced to live with a stepmother he
can hardly stand and living in some small town Illinois.
Ashtyn Parker only wants one to be able to leave that small
town, after her boyfriend betrays her. Ashtyn must come up
with a new plan, a plan that evolves Derek.
I have been a huge fan of Simone Elkeles, ever since her
perfect chemistry series and have pretty much been waiting
for this book the minute I heard she was writing something
new. I really enjoyed WILD CARDS, this story takes two very
different but similar people together and forces them to
help each other whether they want to or not. Simone Elkeles
has a very unique writing style, one that really captivates
you and draws you into much more than just the story. I
loved the characters of Derek and Ashtyn, I feel like they
both were betrayed by people that they loved and were
basically giving up on the whole concept of love but
sometimes love as a way of blossoming where its least
wanted.
Overall WILD CARDS is a great story that kept me
hooked from the moment I read it, I'm so glad Simone Elkeles
has released a new book and I can't wait to see what else
she has in store for this new great series.
After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek
Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy
stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things
quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to
move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s
counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last
thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family
drama.
Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care
about leave without a backward glance. So when her older
sister comes home after abandoning her ten years earlier,
with her hot new stepson in tow, Ashtyn wants nothing to do
with either of them. Then she comes up with a plan that
would finally give her the chance to leave, but it requires
trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to
break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line
to try and get the future she wants?
Excerpt
Getting caught wasn't part of the plan. Pulling off a prank
so epic that it'd be talked about for de cades was. I'm
standing with five of my friends in Headmaster Crowe's offi
ce listening to him rant for the past hour about how our
latest prank embarrassed not only him but the trustees and
teachers of this "prestigious boarding school" as well.
"Anyone want to fess up?" Crowe asks.
Jack and Sam are freaking out. David, Jason, and Rich are
trying to hold back their laughter. I've been called into
the headmaster's office more than a few times since I
transferred here, so this is nothing new to me.
During finals week at Regents Preparatory Academy in
California, seniors pull a prank on juniors. It's tradition.
This year, the seniors managed to put blue dye in our
showers and removed all the lightbulbs from the common areas
of our dorm. It was only fair that we returned the favor,
but on a bigger scale. The seniors had been waiting for us
to raid their dorm, and you could tell they were on edge all
week. They had lookouts posted at all hours, ready to defend
their territory.
My roommate, Jack, came up with the brilliant idea of
greasing three baby pigs from his uncle's farm and letting
them run loose in the senior dorm. Sam said we should let
the pigs run loose during graduation instead. I admit it was
my idea to number the pigs . . . 1, 3, and 4. It took six of
us to pull it off . The processional music was our cue to
set the pigs loose.
I thought we'd gotten away with it, too, until all of us got
summoned into Crowe's offi ce an hour ago.
Crowe's assistant, Martha, peeks her head into the office.
"Mr. Crowe, number two still hasn't been found."
The headmaster growls in frustration. If Crowe weren't such
a dick, I'd tell him to call off the search because there is
no pig number 2— that's part of the joke. But he's the
kind of guy who doesn't give a shit about the students. All
Crowe cares about is making sure everyone knows he's got the
power to hand out detentions and fire teachers at his whim.
I've seen him abuse that power more than once during the
past year.
"I did it," I blurt out, exaggerating my Texas drawl because
I know Crowe cringes at the thought of a redneck attending
his precious school. More than a few times he's called me
out for saying "reckon" and "y'all." I reckon I did it just
to annoy the guy.
Crowe stands in front of me. "Which of your buddies here
helped you?"
"None of 'em, sir. I did it all on my own."
He shakes his fi nger at me. "When your father hears about
this he will most certainly be disappointed in you, Derek."
My spine stiff ens. My dad, otherwise known as Commander
Steven Fitzpatrick, is on another tour of duty. He's in a
submarine for the next six months, completely cut off from
the rest of the world. I briefly wonder how my new
stepmother, Brandi, is doing now that my dad is deployed.
Our setup is perfect. I live here until I graduate, and my
dad's new wife lives in a rented house near the naval base
with her five-year-old kid she had with some exboyfriend.
News of my pig stunt isn't likely to reach my dad. And if
Crowe thinks I'll be disappointing Brandi, that's a laugh.
Crowe hunches his shoulders and gives me one of his many
practiced scowls that make him resemble an ogre on steroids.
"You expect me to believe that you stole one of our school
vans and transported four pigs to the graduation ceremony,
greased them up, and set them loose all by yourself?"
I glance at my friends and signal for them to keep their
mouths shut when I realize that more than a few of them are
about to fess up. No reason all of us should get in trouble
just because Crowe lacks a sense of humor.
I nod. "I acted alone, sir. But technically I didn't steal
the van. I borrowed it." There were three pigs and it took
all six of us to pull it off , but I'm keeping that info to
myself. I wait for him to slap me with detention and order
me to wash floors or bathrooms or something humiliating.
What ever. Detention during summer session will be a piece
of cake since less than 20 percent of the school population
stays on campus.
"The rest of you gentlemen are dismissed," Crowe declares.
He takes a seat in his big leather chair and picks up his
phone as my friends file out. "Martha, call Mrs. Fitzpatrick
and inform her that her stepson has been expelled."
Wait! What?
"Expelled?" I practically choke on the word. What about a
warning or detention or suspension? "It was a harmless prank."
He carefully hangs up the phone. "Expelled. Actions have
consequences, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Despite numerous warnings
about your cheating, drug use, and pranks, you have again
disobeyed our rules and proven yourself unworthy to be a
student at Regents Preparatory Academy. Obviously this also
means you will not be invited to rejoin us for your senior
year."
I don't move or say anything. This is not happening. I can
count a dozen other students who've gotten caught pulling
pranks and have escaped without so much as a warning. I
accidentally left my notes on the floor during a test and
Mr. Rappaport wrote me up for cheating. And the drug
accusation . . . okay, so I went to a party with a few
friends and came home wasted. I didn't mean to puke on the
statue of Regents' founder after I found out someone slipped
XTC into my drink, and I sure as hell wasn't the one to post
pics of me puking on the school website. A certain senior on
student council was responsible for that one, although he
never got caught because nobody would accuse a guy whose dad
donates a crapload of money to the school every year.
"Since you've already finished your finals, I'll be lenient
and allow you to receive full credit for your junior year.
As a courtesy to your father, I'll also grant you
forty-eight hours to remove your belongings from campus." He
starts writing on a piece of paper, then glances up at me
when he realizes I'm not moving. "That will be all, Mr.
Fitzpatrick."
Lenient?
I walk to the junior dorm as the absurdity of my situation
sets in. I'm being kicked out of Regents and have to move
back home. With my stepmother, who lives in her own,
clueless world. This is bullshit.
My roommate, Jack, is sitting on the edge of his bed,
shaking his head. "I heard Crowe say you got expelled."
"Yep."
"Maybe if we all go back there and tell him the truth, he'll
rethink—"
"If your dad finds out, he'll make your life a livin' hell.
The other guys'll be in the same boat."
"You shouldn't take the fall for this alone, Derek."
"Don't sweat it," I say. "Crowe had it in for me. This just
gave him the excuse he needed to kick me out."
A half hour later Brandi calls. My stepmother's heard the
news from Crowe and will drive the three hours from San
Diego to Regents tomorrow. She doesn't yell or lecture me or
act like she's my mom. Instead, she says she'd try to
convince Crowe to change his mind about expelling me. As if
that's gonna work. I doubt Brandi was a member of her high
school debate team. I don't have much faith in her
persuasion skills. To be honest, I'm not even sure she
graduated from high school.
In the morning I'm still figuring out what the hell I'm
gonna do when campus security knocks on my door. They have
specific orders to escort me to the headmaster's office
immediately.
As I walk across the quad with campus security flanking me,
I'm all too aware of whispers from students I pass. It's not
often someone gets expelled. I walk up the stairs to the
front office, where photos of former students who became
famous athletes, astronauts, congressmen, and business gurus
are proudly displayed on the Wall of Fame. If it were two
years ago, I might have imagined my own picture on the wall,
but not anymore.
When the door opens to Crowe's office, my eyes focus on the
woman sitting in front of his desk. It's Brandi, my dad's
wife of eight months. She's fourteen years younger than my
dad (which means she's twenty-five, only eight years older
than me). Her orange stilettos match her oversize orange
earrings dangling down to her shoulders. Her dress looks two
sizes too big, which is definitely out of character. Every
time I've seen her she's worn tight-fitting, low-cut outfits
like she's about to go clubbing. She looks out of place in
this office full of mahogany and dark leather.
Brandi glances at me when I walk in, then returns all her
attention to Crowe. "So what are our options?" she asks as
she fiddles with her earring.
Crowe closes the folder on his desk. "I'm sorry, but I see
no options. Heinous crimes involving animals are not
tolerated at Regents, Mrs. Fitzpatrick. Your son—"
"Stepson," I correct him.
Crowe regards me with disgust. "Your stepson has finally
crossed the line. First, I'm told he's quit all
extracurricular activities. Next, he's been rumored to
attend parties with alcohol and drugs. That's in addition to
the cheating on tests and defacing school property with
vomit. Now this prank with live farm animals. We've been
patient with Derek and sympathize with the challenges he's
faced in recent years, but that does not excuse delinquent
behavior. We have a duty at Regents Preparatory Academy to
mold our young students into productive citizens and future
leaders who are responsible for their community and
environment. Derek obviously no longer wishes to be part of
that proud tradition."
I roll my eyes.
"Can't you just assign him community service or have him,
like, write some kind of apology letter thingie?" Brandi
asks, her bracelets clinking as she taps her brightly
polished fingernails against her purse.
"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Fitzpatrick. Derek has given me no
choice but to expel him."
"By expelling him you mean, like, he can't come back for his
senior year?" A speck of sunlight shines on her wedding
band, a stark reminder that she's married to my dad.
"That would be correct. My hands are tied," Crowe tells her,
which is a complete lie. He makes the rules and changes them
on a moment's notice to suit his needs. I'm not about to
call him out. It won't change anything, so why bother? "The
decision has been made," Crowe continues. "If you'd like to
appeal to the board, most of whom witnessed the debacle
yesterday at the graduation ceremony, you're free to fill
out the appropriate paperwork. Although I warn you the
appeals pro cess is lengthy and a positive outcome is
unlikely. Now if you'll excuse me, we still haven't located
one of the animals that your stepson let loose and I have to
do some very extensive damage control."
Brandi opens her lips in a last-ditch eff ort to persuade
him, but closes them with a sigh when, with a flick of his
wrist, Crowe motions for us to leave his offi ce.
Brandi follows me back to my dorm, her stilettos clicking on
the sidewalk. Click, click, click, click. I didn't notice
back in the office, but she's definitely gained weight since
I last saw her. Doesn't she care that everyone is staring at
her and her ridiculous outfit and big blond hair with overly
long extensions? Knowing her, she probably doesn't even
realize the scene she's causing. My dad sat me down before
he announced they were getting married and said Brandi made
him happy. That's the only reason I haven't completely
written her off .
"Maybe," Brandi says, her cheery tone carrying across the
quad, "this is for the best."
"The best?" I give a short laugh as I stop and turn to her.
"What's the best about it?"
"I've decided to move back to Chicago to live with my
family," she says. "Since your dad's gone for six months, I
figure it's the best thing for Julian. He'll be starting
kindergarten in the fall, you know." Brandi gives me a big
smile.
I think she expects me to jump up and down clapping in
excitement at her big relocation news. Or smile right along
with her. None of those things are about to happen.
"Brandi, I'm not movin' to Chicago."
"Don't be silly. You'll love it in Chicago, Derek. They've
got snow in the winter, and in the fall the leaves are,
like, the coolest colors—"
"Come on," I say, interrupting her Chicago-is-all-that
speech. "No offense, but we're hardly family. Y'all can move
to Chicago. I'll stay in San Diego."
"Yeah . . . about that . . ." She bites her bottom lip. "I
canceled the lease. Another family is moving into the house
next week. I was gonna tell you, but I knew you had finals
coming up, and since you'd already planned to stay on campus
all summer I, like, didn't think it was urgent."
A feeling of dread settles in my stomach. "You're sayin' I,
like, don't have anywhere to live?"
She smiles once again. "Sure you do. In Chicago, with me and
Julian."
"Brandi, come on. You don't honestly think I want to move to
Chicago for my senior year." People move from Chicago to
California, not the other way around.
"I promise you'll love Chicago," she gushes.
No, I won't. Unfortunately, there's no one I can stay with
in California. My dad's parents are dead and I heard my
mom's dad died a while back. My mom's mom . . . well, let's
just say she lives in Texas and leave it at that. No chance
in hell I'm living with her.
"I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Not really." Brandi shrugs. "Your dad left me responsible
for you. If you can't live at the academy, you'll have to
stay with me . . . in Chicago."
If she mentions the word "Chicago" one more time I think my
head might explode. This is not happening. I hope I'm living
in some kind of realistic nightmare and I'll wake up any minute.
"There's one more thing I haven't told you," Brandi says as
if she's talking to a toddler.
I rub the back of my neck, where a knot is starting to form.
"What?"
She puts her hand over her stomach and says in a
high-pitched, excited voice, "I'm pregnant."
No. Fucking. Way.
She can't be.
I mean, it's physically possible, but . . . the knot on the
back of my neck is throbbing in earnest now, threatening to
burst out of my skin. This is definitely a nightmare.
I want her to tell me she's kidding, but she doesn't. It was
bad enough my dad married the bimbo. I expected him to
realize eventually that marrying her was a mistake, but now
. . . a baby permanently seals the deal.
I'm gonna be sick.
"I wanted to keep it a secret until you came home for the
Fourth of July," she explains excitedly. "Surprise! Your
father and I are expecting a baby, Derek. I think your being
expelled is a sign that we're all supposed to be together in
Chicago. As a family."
She's wrong. My being expelled is a sign, all right, but not
that we're supposed to be together in Chicago . . . it's a
sign that my life is about to implode.
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