Girls with Rebel Souls

Chapter 1 1
Lennon Rose has a boy locked in the trunk of her car. I feel like I should be more surprised, honestly. I'm understandably horrified, of course, but not entirely shocked considering how she has changed since leaving Innovations Academy. How we've all changed.

The sun beats down on my arms, my skin growing hot while beads of sweat dot my hairline. Lennon Rose and I stand in the driveway of the small cottage while Rosemarie and Leandra wait inside-eating cookies. I brush away a bead of sweat as it drips down my temple.

Outside the cottage, I'm surrounded by a garden of exotic and poisonous flowers-surrounded by their intoxicating scent, their threat of danger. But right now, nothing in this world feels more dangerous than the girl in front of me.

I swallow, and the sweet taste in the air tickles my tongue, numbs my lips. I focus again on Lennon Rose. When I do, she smiles brightly.

"What have you done?" I ask. She feigns offense.

"Mena, it's what he deserves," Lennon Rose replies, standing taller. "He hurt you. He's hurt others. He shouldn't get away with it."

"I understand that," I say, glancing at the trunk as Garrett Wooley whimpers inside, "but the authorities were going to handle this. Garrett and his friends were exposed. The police-"

"You think the police would have investigated local-boy-Garrett's numerous heinous acts?" she asks curiously. "How about the courts? Tell me honestly: Do you believe these boys would have seen any real repercussions? Probation? Not jail time, not with a future like his to protect." She bangs on the roof of the trunk, startling me. "You know I'm right," she adds fiercely.

Thing is... I do know she's right. The chances of Garrett or any of the other boys facing punishment for their behavior are low. Meanwhile, the girls at Ridgeview Prep have been harassed out of school, targeted online. Their bodies and self-esteem have paid the price, but the boys... well, the boys have their whole

Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Program series. Originally from Utica, New York, Suzanne moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She is a novelist and an English teacher, but not always in that order. Suzanne is also the author of Girls with Sharp Sticks, All in Pieces, Hotel for the Lost, and several other novels for teens. Visit her online at AuthorSuzanneYoung.com or follow her on Instagram at @AuthorSuzanneYoung.