A Beginner's Guide to the American West ✓

introduction

i n t r o d u c t i o n

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The only correct response to heartbreak - and the end of high school - is a two week road trip across the United States with a bunch of strangers. At least, that's what must have been going through March Marino's mind when he drunkenly booked the trip after his relationship imploded. Now he's single and distraught, and nobody but his twelve-year-old sister even knows that he's bi and for the past two years, his best friend was a lot more than his best friend.

All March wants from his fortnight in America is to get away from home and to see the world, to throw his sorrow into the Grand Canyon and leave his heartbreak in San Francisco. He doesn't think about everything he left behind. Like an ex he still loves, and exam results that could decide his uncertain future. And he doesn't think about what he's got himself into, like spending hours in a van with a group of could-be friends, and sharing a tent with Arjun Sharma . . . who just so happens to set March's pulse on fire.

Juggling the shards of a broken heart and the flame of new attraction while exploring the national parks of the western U.S. - and reassuring his parents that he's ok - is a challenge March didn't expect. The next two weeks are going to be interesting.

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please note: this story contains spoilers for blue christmas, as march is featured in that book as a child

i've taken a bit of time away from wattpad. at first unintentionally, and then on purpose. the past month has, at last, been a great one for me writing-wise, since i started writing this story offline. the idea leapt into my head and wouldn't let go, so i wrote a first chapter. then rewrote it several times as i figured out the voice and style. this is a return to my farnleigh characters, but with a twist. the story is first person and set in america, and i am really enjoying writing it. shoutout to Soph (magicallycursed) for unlocking the key to this narrative and for being an incredible friend, always.

please let me know what you think! whether i post this story is totally dependent on your feedback so if you want to read it, please leave a comment to let me know. if this intro doesn't get much of a response, i will still write the book but i'll finish it offline, which will mean a longer break from wattpad, and this won't be posted, so don't keep your comments to yourselves!

i have already written over 36,000 words of this story so if you guys do want to read it, i have plenty of chapters to start posting a couple of times a week!

enjoy!

- lydia