I Am Girl Power Read online

  I snorted.

  “And you’ll be back for the wedding, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “See? Our friendship doesn’t have to die. In fact, it won’t die. I won’t let you kill it. I’ll keep this sucker alive even if it’s miserable. That’s how good of a friend I am.”

  She smirked, her arms folded across her chest.

  “But—”

  “There is no but. I’m not the others! We’re best friends. We’ll make it through. Don’t put their mistakes on me.”

  Hope welled up within me. Could Lexie and I still maintain what we had now? Could it be true? Oh, how I wanted it to be! One glimpse into her wide, determined blue eyes set me at ease. Yes, I thought. We could.

  And we absolutely would.

  “Okay,” I drawled. “We’ll still be best friends.”

  She scoffed. “Uh, yeah. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, Bailey. I’m like a friggin’ leech. Got it?”

  I grinned. “Got it.”

  Seeming satisfied, she reached for another kernel of kettle corn. Her eyebrows waggled. “And Justin? What about him? How have we not talked about him yet?”

  Feigning nonchalance, I grabbed another handful of popped corn. “What about him?”

  She rolled her eyes. “When are you going to date him?”

  “Who said I was going to date him?”

  “The gods of dating. They talk to me.”

  “Tell them they suck.”

  She tilted her head back and shook her fists at the sky. “Why are you so stubborn? You know what I mean! I know he’s been in touch with you. I caught you video chatting with him before we finished packing your closet last night. Don’t try to deny it!”

  I laughed. “Hiking plans, that’s all. This is critical stuff, Lex. I have to know what kind of hiker he is before I can even think about a date.”

  She pointed at me. “You still have to beat him up Custer Mountain, right?”

  “Obviously.”

  “Fine.” She sighed. “I’ll wait for your love story to come together. But I’ll be very impatient.”

  “Yeah, me too.” I leaned back against the headrest. “Start the movie! Only Gerard Butler can croon about the music of the night.”

  “My pleasure,” she said, clicking the computer with a wicked grin. “My pleasure, indeed.”

  About the Author

  Katie Cross grew up in the mountains of Idaho, where she still loves to play when she gets the chance.

  If she’s not writing, you can find her traveling, working as a nurse, trail running with her husband and two dogs, or curled up with a book and a cup of chai.

  To learn more about Katie, visit her website.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Rights and Disclaimers

  Dedication

  I Am Girl Power

  1 • Sterile Breaks

  2 • Come Home

  3 • Your New Kingdom

  4 • Somehow

  5 • First Day

  6 • You Are Girl Power

  7 • The Right Time

  8 • Hear Me Roar

  9 • Not Your Fight

  10 • Sinking

  11 • Escaping

  12 • Tests

  13 • Closure

  14 • Complete Chaos

  15 • A Little Breather

  16 • Desperate Measures

  17 • Some Pride

  18 • Inadequate

  19 • Dead Serious

  20 • For the Best

  21 • It’s My Word

  22 • Responsibility

  23 • Best Friends

  What’s Next?

  About the Author