Breakaway

Damn you, Liam MacArthur.

My vision has adjusted to the darkness, and I can see his face more clearly now. He’s frozen in place, dark eyes intent.

“If you won’t go out with me,” he says, “don’t go out with anybody else. Okay?” He grabs my hand and squeezes it. His palm is calloused.

“Look, it’s not you that’s the problem.” I try to take my hand back, but he threads his fingers through mine. “It’s me.”

He steps closer. “How about I kiss you? That should convince me it’s not going to work.”

“You’re only interested in me because I’m not interested in you,” I tell him. “If you kiss me, you won’t find me nearly as fascinating.”

He brings his face close to mine. “Close enough to a yes.”

Jessie McIntyre, 17, starts her last year of minor hockey-and high school-with loads on her mind. Her AAA team is short a head coach, her future plans are unclear, and some of her teammates aren’t impressed with her new role as team captain. On top of it all, her little sister is making some lousy decisions while Jessie’s parents seem unaware. But, hey, should Jessie be critical? She’s made some pretty bad ones herself-especially when it comes to guys.

Breakaway is Book Three in the award-winning #jessiemachockeyseries. Power Plays (Book 1) won a Moonbeam gold medal and was a finalist for the Saskatchewan Book Awards, Snow Willow Awards, and BC Young Readers Choice (Stellar) Awards. Face Off (Book 2) was a recipient of a Moonbeam silver medal.

Author Biography

Maureen Ulrich was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan but grew up in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. She started writing horse stories when she was eleven and historical fiction during her high school years. In 1976, she returned to Saskatoon to attend university and graduated in 1980 with an education degree. Her first teaching assignment was in Lampman, Saskatchewan, and she has pretty much lived there ever since. She has been writing plays for young people since 1997. Two titles – Sam Spud: Private Eye (2007) and The Banes of Darkwood (2010) are available through www.samuelfrench.com. Maureen has also written and produced several professional adult productions – Snowbirds (2015), Diamond Girls (2016-2018), and Lords of Sceptre (2018-2019). Souris Valley Theatre in Estevan SK produced her full-length musical Pirate Heart (2018), scored by the incomparable Ben Redant. In her free time – of which there is not a great deal – Maureen loves to read and write, travel, knit, hang out at rinks and ball diamonds, golf, ski, and ride her motorcycle. Please visit her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or maureenulrich.ca.