Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 76710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“One time, I was in there for over a day. Lo stayed at her friend’s house, and I’m pretty sure my mom forgot about me. I didn’t have a TV or anything, and I’d sung every song I knew to pass the time. My stomach was growling, and the sun was going down, so I started cleaning up the room, looking for something to eat.”
I press a kiss to his chest, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
“I didn’t find anything to eat, but I did find that book. I think Lo must’ve brought it home from school or something,” he muses. “Anyway, I read the whole thing in one sitting, which I thought was impressive as hell back then. Lo unlocked the door the next morning, and she never left me alone again after that.”
“I hate your mom,” I whisper.
“Me, too.” Jess yawns. “I read it all the time after that. You know that poem in there? ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’?”
I nod. I’ve never read the book, but I’m familiar with the poem.
“Nothing perfect and beautiful can last forever. It resonated with me, even as a kid. After being disappointed so many times, you’re bound to lose hope in everything.”
We’re both quiet for a while, lost in our own thoughts, until eventually, his breathing starts to even out, turning into soft snores.
* * *
“ALLIE!”
I turn at the sound of my name to see Dylan standing there, hands in his front pockets, looking contrite. I haven’t talked to him since the night at The Lamppost, and I’m still mad at him for provoking Jess. Hunter and Caleb came into Blackbear yesterday, and I gave him the twelve-hundred bucks Victor gave me, telling him to divide it amongst themselves. When they asked why I didn’t want it, I gave them a very watered-down version of what happened. And by the look on Dylan’s face, they filled him in on it.
I keep walking toward the parking lot at school, but he jogs over, falling into step next to me. “Albert, come on. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You needed me—”
I pause, facing him. “What I need is for you to explain,” I say, cutting him off. “Why did you provoke Jess like that? That was a fucked-up thing to do.”
“I know.” He chews on his lip ring.
I shake my head, exasperated. “That’s it? Do you, like, have feelings for me or something?” The words sound so stupid out loud, but that’s the only thing that makes sense.
“No. Yes. No,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “Fuck, I don’t know. I thought I did. But I think I was just fucked up over someone else and didn’t want to admit it.”
“That makes zero sense,” I say, bewildered.
“Trust me. I know. The song thing was just me being a dick, but for the record, I still don’t think he’s good enough for you.”
I tighten my grip on my backpack straps, turning to walk away, but Dylan grabs my arm, stopping me.
“But he protected you when I couldn’t. So, I guess he’s not a complete piece of shit.”
“I’m not going to stand here and listen to you talk about someone I lo—” I snap my mouth shut, clenching my teeth together before I can finish that sentence. I didn’t mean to say it. I didn’t even mean to think it, but the thought kept repeating in my head as Dylan spoke about him.
“I have to go.” I turn back around, stopping short when I see Jesse standing a few feet away, eyes trained on Dylan. His jaw is set hard, arms folded over his chest, but he’s too far to have heard anything.
“What’s he doing here?” He nods his chin toward Dylan when I get within hearing distance.
“He came to apologize.” Sort of.
Jess continues to stare daggers at Dylan, and I’m afraid he’s going to cause a scene on campus, but he surprises me by grabbing my hand, and leading me to his truck.
An incessant buzzing breaks through my consciousness and I slap a hand out to wake Jess, coming up empty. Hearing the shower running, I groan, sitting up to silence his phone. What is he doing up so early? The buzzing stops just as my fingers make contact. I start to pull away, but I hesitate when a message appears, my hand hovering over the screen.
1616 E. Shea Blvd. Same time as last week.
I frown at the screen as dread unfurls in my stomach. This is it. This is the piece to the puzzle I’ve been waiting for. I chew on my thumbnail, feeling conflicted. I didn’t mean to pry, but now that I’ve seen it, I can’t pretend I haven’t.
I hear the water cut off and I quickly grab my phone from the nightstand next to his and snap a picture of the address. A freshly showered Jess walks out just as I stuff my phone between my thighs. He stops short when he sees that I’m awake, towel tied low around his waist, wet hair slicked back away from his face with a single rogue strand falling into his eyes. My fingers itch to reach out and touch it.