Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 87766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“You had my number too, you know,” I point out. “And I thought since it wasn’t a date I didn’t have that next day time limit.” She laughs again, and that sound! “Or maybe I didn’t want to overwhelm you,” I admit. “Baby steps.”
“Baby steps,” she giggles. “There are no baby steps to being friends.”
Light wind on her end rushes into the phone, and it’s not fair of me to feel crushed whenever she says friends, but fuck it, I am.
“What can I do to make you not hate me?” My voice is low and pleading. “Tell me and I’ll do it.”
“I… I don’t know,” she sighs. “You broke my heart.”
Just leave the machete in me. I know I deserve to hear that every day for all of eternity, but I had reasons for everything I did. Not to mention, she was only eighteen!
“I let you live life the way things were supposed to be,” my voice trails off.
I don’t even think about how to continue that mantra. I’m selfish. It’s who I am, and I can admit that to a fault. Plain and simple, I’m a selfish son of a bitch for wanting Luci Cunningham the way I do.
“You broke my heart,” she repeats.
“Let me fix it,” I whisper.
“I… can’t,” she sighs.
I take a deep breath, moving the phone to my left hand as I pull at my forehead.
“Do you wish when I saw you coming out of the office I walked away?” I don’t realize I’m not breathing until I hear her voice.
“No,” she answers. “It was good to-”
“Please don’t say get closure,” I interrupt.
“I was going to say it was good to see you,” she lets out a small laugh, and so do I, although mine is more a sigh of relief than anything else.
The bell rings, and I all but groan over the fact that I have to hang up. “Can I call you later?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” her voice saddens. “I don’t know if I can do this talking to you every day thing.”
“I understand.”
We hang up, and I reluctantly head to my classroom.
After school, I go for my usual run around town. I’m dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt, and my shoes slush against the melting snow while I attempt to ignore the crazy stares. Honestly though, everyone really should be used to this by now. I do it almost every day, and yes, even in the winter.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I fish it out without losing any speed.
Deb wants to know if I want to come over for dinner, and I type back hell yes. Anything is better than another frozen meal, or a failed attempt at cooking anything edible.
I finish my run before hopping into a hot shower, and before I know it, I’m pulling into the driveway of Deb’s small cottage home, parking right behind Matt’s expensive car that doesn’t belong.
I never gave back my key from when I lived here, and it’s halfway in the lock when the door suddenly opens.
“That’s it, I cancelling the wedding!” Deb shrieks.
“Come on, Mom and Dad can’t be that bad.” I walk inside and my mouth starts to water, already smelling the food.
“They want to throw the engagement party at the club,” she sighs. “If I have to have one, I want it to be small! Not something at their country club!”
“Well-” I interject, but it’s no use.
“She keeps calling me about china patterns and orchids,” she yells. “I didn’t even know what type of flower an orchid was until yesterday!”
“Well-” I try again, but am at a loss.
“I want to invite people from the school without giving off the impression that my parents are members of a place that costs $60,000 a year just to join! That’s more than most of these people make in an entire year,” she heaves. “It’s not me!”
“Well…” I cough. “You do know your fiancé is driving around in a $100,000 car, right?”
“Ugh!” She throws her hands up while storming into the kitchen. I follow her, shaking the hand of my childhood best friend, and her fiancé, Matt. It’s still extremely odd to think that he likes my sister, my annoying, bothersome sister. After all the years we tried to avoid her.
“What’s up?” Matt nods in my direction. “Did you ever finish that tile you were doing in your bathroom?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “No thanks to you, asshole.”
“These hands are used for typing up court cases, not manual labor,” he holds them up.
“How are you going to survive here?” I shake my head.
“I do what I do for love,” he smiles at Deb, and I already feel queasy. “Maybe if you did the same, Holly would still be around.”
“Hey now,” Deb interrupts. “Both of you. Matt, that wasn’t nice, or fair.”
“I’m sorry,” Matt apologizes to Deb before turning to me. “That wasn’t right. I was just trying to be funny.”