Superhero High
T.H. Hernandez
Published by: Soul Mate Publishing
Publication date: July 5th 2018
Genres: Adventure, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Sixteen-year-old Annarenee Stevens is the sole member of her family without a super power. The only time she feels powerful is in the pool. With her sights set on swimming for U.C. Berkeley, she’s ready to win it all at the State championship and secure her future.
When the government unexpectedly ends the secret Genetically Enhanced Asset (GEA) program, Annarenee is uprooted from Dayton, the only home she’s ever known, and relocated to San Diego with all of the other GEA families. Queen of her public school, Annarenee is just another zero at Superhero High, a school without any sports teams.
With the end of the program, her hero older brother now needs a college education, too, meaning the only way Annarenee is getting into Berkeley is on a scholarship. Her dream is slipping through her fingers, no matter how tightly she clings to it. To make matters worse, super hot superhero, Ren Gonzalez, is paying too much attention to her. The kind of attention that has Ren’s ex-girlfriend intent on making Annarenee’s life even more miserable.
But when heroes begin disappearing, zeros and heroes will be forced to team up in order to solve the mystery. If they don’t kill each other first.https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=5c9f152ab4&view=fimg&th=164391b5525e3ff0&attid=0.7&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9RL8uPeWLs4DPl4f6a4cS1hD5GKAmjlIuTjOMLFDh-6aKUqH0CrL6GPcq7oIO6luHwHm8ywJSBMleZvmlkRhGW9FnZ9EAbYim-SxURX-aF847DQmH2lV4nV_o&ats=1529973571718&rm=164391b5525e3ff0&zw&sz=w4248-h2418
—
EXCERPT:
Smith slides in beside me and drapes his arm around me, kissing the side of my head.
Ryan glances over his shoulder before backing up. “You guys are coming tonight, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Smith answers for both of us.
The drive to my house is less than five minutes. On the way Smith leans in and whispers in my ear, “Anyone going to be home?”
I shake my head then wonder if I should have lied. Smith’s been hinting more frequently that he wants to have sex. We’ve been dating for three months, but unlike Smith, I’m not ready. Call me old-fashioned, but I want my first time to be special. I like Smith, he’s cute, popular, and funny, but I’m not in love with him. Plus, I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t keep secrets from the person you share the most intimate part of yourself with, and I’m keeping a huge secret from Smith.
We pull up in front of my house, and Smith and I hop out, grabbing our stuff from the back.
“I’ll call you later,” Ronny yells as Ryan roars off.
I wave as they turn the corner and disappear, nerves twisting in my belly as Smith takes my hand. I glance at him, my gaze drawn to his crystal blue eyes beneath messy-wild blond hair. Smith moved here last summer and rapidly became one of the most popular guys in our class. He’s always tan and his body is cut, a result of time spent in the pool or surfing in his native Florida. Every single girl in our school, and possibly even a few with boyfriends, would be thrilled to have my problem. I need to figure this out soon before he decides he’s tired of waiting.
Smith guides me up the walkway toward the porch, and I wonder how far I can let him go this time before I put on the brakes.
Our front door opens and two men dressed in black suits, white button-ups, black ties, and sunglasses exit our house. The taller of the two seems to size me up behind his dark lenses before he nods and passes. I turn and watch them get into a black Escalade parked across the street.
My brother, Noah, cruises up and parks his vintage blue Mustang convertible in the driveway. He climbs out, his eyes glued to the SUV as it pulls away from the curb.
Smith snorts. “What are the Blues Brothers doing here?”
I don’t share his humor and instead turn toward my brother, eyebrows raised in silent question.
Noah shakes his head, and inside my own head, I hear, “I don’t know, they were blocking me.”
A chill runs through me starting in the pit of my stomach. It’s not unusual to get a visit from the Men in Black, but my parents should be at work, and Noah should still be at his school for another couple of hours. Something is wrong.
“Don’t panic, AR,” Noah says in my head.
I turn to Smith, “Um, I’ll call you later, okay? Pick me up at eight?”
He leans in and kisses my cheek. “Sure. Wear something sexy.” He smiles and waggles his eyebrows.
“Douchebag,” Noah says only to me before heading inside.
Author Bio:
T.H. Hernandez is the author of young adult books. The Union, a futuristic dystopian adventure, was a finalist in the 2015 San Diego book awards in the Young Adult Fiction category.
She loves pumpkin spice lattes, Game of Thrones, Comic-Con, Star Wars, Doctor Who marathons, Bad Lip Reading videos, and all things young adult, especially the three young adults who share her home.
When not visiting the imaginary worlds inside her head, T.H. Hernandez lives in usually sunny San Diego, California with her husband and three children, a couple of cats, and a dog who thinks he’s a cat, affectionately referred to as “the puppycat.”
You can find her online at http://thhernandez.com
GIVEAWAY!
Superhero High by T.H. Hernandez Playlist
- Luck by American Authors
- Lampshades on Fire by Modest Mouse
- Catch Me Now I’m Falling by The Kinks
- Something Just Like This by Chainsmokers and ColdPlay
- Hate Me by Blue October
- So Alive by the Goo Goo Dolls
- Waiting for Superman by Daughtry
- Fade Into You by Mazzy Star
- The Underdog by Spoon
- Superhero by The Script
- Hey Girl by Ingram Hill
- Just Breathe by Eddie Vedder
- Hero by Chad Kroeger
Excerpts
Excerpt #1
Smith slides in beside me and drapes his arm around me, kissing the side of my head.
Ryan glances over his shoulder before backing up. “You guys are coming tonight, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Smith answers for both of us.
The drive to my house is less than five minutes. On the way Smith leans in and whispers in my ear, “Anyone going to be home?”
I shake my head then wonder if I should have lied. Smith’s been hinting more frequently that he wants to have sex. We’ve been dating for three months, but unlike Smith, I’m not ready. Call me old-fashioned, but I want my first time to be special. I like Smith, he’s cute, popular, and funny, but I’m not in love with him. Plus, I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t keep secrets from the person you share the most intimate part of yourself with, and I’m keeping a huge secret from Smith.
We pull up in front of my house, and Smith and I hop out, grabbing our stuff from the back.
“I’ll call you later,” Ronny yells as Ryan roars off.
I wave as they turn the corner and disappear, nerves twisting in my belly as Smith takes my hand. I glance at him, my gaze drawn to his crystal blue eyes beneath messy-wild blond hair. Smith moved here last summer and rapidly became one of the most popular guys in our class. He’s always tan and his body is cut, a result of time spent in the pool or surfing in his native Florida. Every single girl in our school, and possibly even a few with boyfriends, would be thrilled to have my problem. I need to figure this out soon before he decides he’s tired of waiting.
Smith guides me up the walkway toward the porch, and I wonder how far I can let him go this time before I put on the brakes.
Our front door opens and two men dressed in black suits, white button-ups, black ties, and sunglasses exit our house. The taller of the two seems to size me up behind his dark lenses before he nods and passes. I turn and watch them get into a black Escalade parked across the street.
My brother, Noah, cruises up and parks his vintage blue Mustang convertible in the driveway. He climbs out, his eyes glued to the SUV as it pulls away from the curb.
Smith snorts. “What are the Blues Brothers doing here?”
I don’t share his humor and instead turn toward my brother, eyebrows raised in silent question.
Noah shakes his head, and inside my own head, I hear, “I don’t know, they were blocking me.”
A chill runs through me starting in the pit of my stomach. It’s not unusual to get a visit from the Men in Black, but my parents should be at work, and Noah should still be at his school for another couple of hours. Something is wrong.
“Don’t panic, AR,” Noah says in my head.
I turn to Smith, “Um, I’ll call you later, okay? Pick me up at eight?”
He leans in and kisses my cheek. “Sure. Wear something sexy.” He smiles and waggles his eyebrows.
“Douchebag,” Noah says only to me before heading inside.
Excerpt #2
“No running!” I yell at the boy who’s on his latest attempt to make cannonball history.
He slows his approach slightly before picking up speed again just before launching himself into the pool with a spectacular spray. Two girls in the splash zone scream and put their hands up to fend off the water, which is pointless considering they’re already drenched.
The kid pops up, shaking his head, water flying off the tips of his hair, further dousing the girls.
I blow my whistle and point at him, crooking my finger to let him know we need to talk.
He heads over to my chair and looks up at me with a sheepish grin that no doubt drives tween girls to fits of giggles. Not going to work on me.
“You need to sit out for ten minutes.”
“What? No!”
“Yes. I told you three times not to run.”
“But I can’t slip and fall,” he whines. “If I start to lose traction, I can levitate myself before I eat pavement.”
I roll my eyes. The Red Cross did not prepare me for lifeguarding superheroes. “There are other kids around here without that ability. If you run, they’ll think they can, too.”
He crosses his arms and mumbles a “fine” before slinking off and plunking himself down on one of the chairs.
“You should wear red more often,” says a low, sexy voice. I twist around and stare down into a pair of blue-green eyes. He’s grinning up at me, making him somehow even more attractive. “It’s definitely your color.”
Don’t smile, don’t smile, don’t smile. Oh hell, I’m smiling. “Your girlfriend doesn’t like you talking to me, you know.”
He leans his shoulder against the frame of my chair. “Here’s a little secret not too many people know—I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“I’m pretty sure the blonde I saw you with last week thinks you do.”
His grin only broadens. “She used to be my girlfriend, but she’s not anymore.”
“Interesting,” I say, because I don’t know what else to say. Is he being honest with me? It’s hard to tell. I study his face, trying to figure out if he’s only saying what he thinks I want to hear. I mean, she might’ve been a bitch to me, but she’s gorgeous. And why wouldn’t she be staking her claim on him? If he was my boyfriend, I’d be doing the same thing.
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“What?” I forgot what the hell we were talking about.
“Why is that interesting?”
Oh shit. “Umm . . . I . . . uh, it was just something to say. It’s not interesting, or boring, it’s nothing.” I shrug in a way that I hope conveys how completely uninterested I am.
“Hey, Ren, quit wasting time with that zero and get over here,” says the dark-haired muscular boy that was with him the other day.
I glare at the boy, unsure how he knows who I am and whether or not I’m enhanced. A fight in the pool catches my attention and I blow my whistle, yelling at the group of boys to knock it off. When I turn back, Ren has joined his sister and the boy, although Lexie isn’t with them. Perhaps he was telling the truth.
Not that it matters anymore. Now that I’ve been outed as a zero, Ren Gonzalez won’t be wasting any more of his time on me.
Excerpt #3
Ren hands me the syllabus and we go through them together, with me highlighting some he should read and letting him choose some others. When I’m done, I hand the paper back to him and catch him staring at me, or more accurately, staring at my mouth.
Oh my God, is he . . .? No, he wouldn’t. My throat goes dry and I swallow hard. I should get up, but the thought of Ren’s lips pressed to mine keeps me from moving. My breathing escalates to the point that he must notice, and my hands curl and relax at my sides.
His gaze lifts to mine, and the vulnerability in his eyes steals my breath. I’ve never seen this side of him. Not really. He’s been unsure, or nervous, but not this. Ren searches my face for something, and I’m pretty sure all he’s going to see is pure fear. Because if I kiss this boy, nothing between us will be the same.
My tongue darts out and moistens my lips before I can acknowledge that probably wasn’t the best idea. His pupils dilate before his eyelids drift closed. He leans closer, tilting his head.
Holy crap, this is happening, and I’m not doing anything to stop it. Which means I must want this. My breath catches as my eyes close, and I wait for the soft brush of his lips. The mattress dips next to me, and the heat from his body’s proximity radiates to my arm and chest.
His warm breath, minty and clean, dances close to my lips. I part mine slightly as he gets closer, waiting, wondering for a brief second if he’s about to tell me this is all a big joke or make fun of me. The scent of sandalwood and soap fills my senses, and rough whiskers rasp against my chin. I take in a sharp breath and . . .
“Ren, I need—oh, oh, I’m so sorry. Mom said you were studying, and . . .”
Ren pulls back from me so fast, he creates a breeze that ruffles my hair. When I open my eyes, he’s standing beside the bed, his hand on top of his head. “Hey, M, what’s up?”
Mattea’s eyes dart between us. She’s clearly agitated about something, whether from what she walked in on or something else isn’t apparent. “It’s Ian. He’s missing.”
Okay, something else. Good.
“What do you mean he’s missing?” Ren asks.
“I mean he was supposed to meet me an hour ago, but he never showed. No text, no call, nothing. That’s never happened. I called his mom and she hasn’t heard from him, either. She says he’s not at home and his phone’s offline.”
Ren glances at me, then back to his sister. “I’m sure it’s nothing, Mattea. His battery’s probably dead.”
“He’s never disappeared like this without calling. Something’s wrong. I know it.”
“Okay, I get it. What do you want me to do?”
I stand and grab my bag off the floor. “I should go.”
“Wait . . .” Ren’s lips part, as if he’s going to say something more, but he doesn’t.
“I’ll see you on Thursday.” Before I can say or do something stupid, I rush from the room. “Bye, Mrs. Gonzalez,” I call as I fly out the front door, not waiting for her response.
RiverMoose-Reads 