Fifteen Seconds

It takes fifteen seconds for a human to reach terminal velocity in free fall. Fifteen seconds for an accident to become a tragedy. The story on the news that morning had been about a man who's chute didn't open when he was skydiving. She was fifteen years old, and that still didn't seem long enough to end a life. Fifteen seconds was too small to be considered so much as a moment. Why should fifteen measly seconds stand up to a human life?

Emily Michaels is a seventeen-year-old misfit. Her two best friends, Miles and Jordan, are what keep her grounded. The problem? Having absentee parents means she's taking care of her little brother Cooper all by herself. And her friendship with Miles is tenuous at best after they almost slept together at Homecoming. Complicated? You can say that again.