Teen Confessions #5

A fourteen-year-old girl spends three years transforming herself—hitting the books, shedding her braces, gaining confidence—all to catch the eye of Dud Lumley, the most popular boy in school. When she finally gets her chance to dance with him at the Victory Ball, everything she's worked toward hangs in the balance, but an unexpected moment of clarity forces her to reconsider what really matters.

A young woman engaged to the wealthy Jim Sellers finds her orderly life upended when Peter Cantrell, a drifting stranger, arrives asking for work—and persistently appearing at the worst possible moments. As Pete stays on at her father's farm, Marcy discovers that the charming, spontaneous man she's been dismissing might actually be the romantic ideal she's always dreamed of, forcing her to question everything she thought she wanted.

A shy nineteen-year-old haunted by her own nervous stumbles decides to start fresh in a new town, taking a job and hoping to finally find confidence—only to discover that what she really needs isn't a change of scenery, but permission to stop being so hard on herself. When a supportive coworker named Mike shows her kindness after an embarrassing mistake at work, and her aunt pushes her toward an unexpected opportunity, she begins to discover that poise might not be something she has to force, but something she can actually learn. "Humiliation" traces one young woman's journey from paralyzing self-doubt toward finding her footing, both literally and figuratively.

A young woman falls headlong for her brother-in-law when she comes to stay with her sister and Dan, only to have her confession of love firmly rejected—but when Dan's charming younger brother arrives for the summer, she discovers that sometimes the heart finds its way to unexpected places. This tale from *Teen Confessions* explores how a teenage crush can blind you to what's really in front of you, and how quickly feelings can shift when you're finally ready to see clearly.