Sasha: The Wallflower (The Wallflower Series Book 1) Read Free

presence of the opposite sex and had a way of embarrassing herself beyond repair whenever she came across or had the opportunity to speak with a crush. She had hoped in college that she would be able to grow out of her awkwardness but it only seemed to get worse. Her confidence fell as she encountered and compared herself to the beautiful women that encompassed the college campus. She had never considered herself to be overly attractive but she had thought to a certain extent that she was at least not ugly. But, given her severe lack of suitors, Sasha had grown to believe that maybe she was unattractive according to today’s standard of beauty. Her brown skin was neither caramel nor the glowing chocolate complexion she saw advertised every day on television. Her hair was long but it had only become manageable when she had decided to get dreadlocks.  However much she took care of them, they were still considered an ‘ethnic’ hair-do and was often deemed unattractive compared to the flowing straight or curly locks of her friends.
    Wallowing in self-pity, Sasha felt the familiar sting of tears begin to cloud her eyes. She had devoted herself to her studies since childhood to make up for her physical setbacks. But as she neared graduation, it seemed more and more like an empty achievement.  While her friends had love lives full of promise and intrigue, hers was like a dry, humid desert. And it seemed that she would have to continue living vicariously through her friends.
     
    The day of the barbeque, Sasha stood with Jaelynn and a few of Jaelynn’s acquaintances drinking soda when she spotted Teagan enter the backyard with Dmitri in tow. Her friend wore a red fitted lace dress that contrasted sharply with her pale skin but she looked amazing…and so did Dmitri. Sasha eyed him hungrily as he strutted behind Teagan in jeans that molded to his thick thighs and a light green V-neck sweater. The sleeves were bunched at his elbows and the opening at the neck revealed a dusting of chest hair. He looked like he had just rolled off a male fashion magazine. Sasha gulped, unable to tear her eyes away.
    “Oh, look who showed up?” Jaelynn stated nastily, clearly still upset about Dmitri’s rejection.
    Teagan made her way over with a bright smile on her face. Her blue eyes shined in the sunlight as she came closer, holding onto Dmitri’s forearm. “Hi, Jaelynn! Congrats on your new house!” She squealed, reaching over to give a friendly hug.
    “Thanks,” Jaelynn stated simply. Her eyes made their way to Dmitri. “It’s nice to meet you again. Your welcome to any of the food. My brother is cooking up some burgers here, and there are some chips and other snacks at that table,” she pointed to her left.    
    “Why, thank you, Jaelynn. I must congratulate you on your new house, as well. If I had known this was a housewarming party, I would have brought some sort of gift. My sincerest apologies.” He smiled down at Jaelynn warmly.
    Sasha watched in surprise as the frown on Jaelynn’s face immediately disappeared at the sound of Dmitri’s voice. “No worries,” she heard her say. “I’m just happy you are here. I had such a good time the other night.”
    Teagan took the opportunity to interrupt by grabbing possessively onto Dmitri’s bulging biceps. She stroked them, smiling up at him flirtatiously. “That’s just Dmitri for you. He has a way with the ladies.”
    “You give me too much credit,” he stated simply.
    “Come on, let’s go get something to eat!” Teagan then dragged him over to the table filled with snacks and leftover hamburgers.
    Jaelynn watched them leave with a twinge of jealousy. Feeling that she was being watched, she turned to find Sasha eyeing her inquisitively. She rolled her eyes and said, “What? He is too sexy for his own good. I still can’t believe he chose Teagan over me, though!” She sighed. “Oh well, plenty more fish in the sea, right?”
    When Sasha didn’t answer, she asked,