BLU3B3RRY_XYZZ
Marie Antoinette Faubion never expected her exchange year in New Jersey to be easy. Between a new school, a new country, and a language she still occasionally trips over, she's counting down the days until she can go home.
Natalie Scatorccio never expected to care.
At Wiskayok High, everyone seems to have an opinion about Natalie-except Marie. The French exchange student doesn't know about her reputation, doesn't care about soccer, and doesn't treat her like she's already made up her mind about who Natalie is.
What starts as an unlikely friendship grows into something neither of them can quite name. Natalie finds herself teaching Marie how to drive, spending afternoons translating awkward conversations, and secretly learning French just to understand what Marie says when she thinks no one is listening.
As the year passes, every new word brings them closer together.
Then, after Nationals, a simple ride home turns into an unexpected road trip across highways, motel rooms, and late-night conversations. When they finally get home and Marie is ready to go back to France, things take an unexpected turn of events.
Because sometimes the hardest language to learn is the one that tells someone how much they mean to you.