Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
“That sounds good,” Renee smiles at me.
“Thanks, but no thanks, Kayla,” I say, standing up and giving her a dirty look.
I lead Renee out to the car. Once we’re inside, I apologize to her quickly.
“What was that all about?” she wonders.
“I think a few different things were going on back there,” I sigh.
“Kayla has a thing for you, huh?” She rolls her eyes. “I wanted to slap her teeth out.”
I laugh, “I’ve suspected she’s had a crush on me for some time, but I’ve never been interested.”
Renee smiles before she leans over to kiss me, but I push her back gently.
“We have to put some distance between us, Renee.”
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“If we’re not careful, people are going to start to talk. Did you notice how everyone in that diner was looking at us?”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks, Kane.”
“Rey, this town is small. Talk spreads really fast. I’m an older guy with a younger girl… and you have a father who will be crushed if he knows what’s been going on between us.”
Renee sighs. “What are you saying, Kane?”
“I’m saying this can’t go on forever. That’s why I want you to go away to school… because if you’re here, I can’t stay away from you,” I explain.
She smiles wickedly at that. “Good to know.”
“You’re really incorrigible, you know that?”
“I like to think of it as one of my better qualities,” she winks at me.
I can’t help but laugh at her attitude about the situation, even though I’m terrified this will all end badly somehow. Someone is going to get hurt, or most likely, all of us will.
19
Renee
Standing in my cap and gown, waiting to walk out onto the football field, gives me a sense of relief. I’m actually done with high school! I finally get to close an annoying yet important chapter of my life.
Chastity runs over to me and hugs me. I hold onto her an extra-long time, knowing that in a couple of months, I won’t get to see her as much. She’ll be living in the dorms at Columbia University and will be making new friends. She says she’ll come back home every weekend even though her mom’s cancer is in remission, but I know she’ll get caught up in college life.
“We did it, Rey!”
“I’m not surprised you did it, but what a miracle it is for me!” I laugh.
“Oh, stop! You were a terrible student, but you’re too smart for anyone to hold you back,” Chastity assures me.
“Thanks.”
“Well, I have to go find my place in line. I’ll see you after the ceremony.”
After Chastity leaves, the coordinator announces we’ll be heading onto the football field now. The sun shines in my eyes as soon as I step outside and walk to my seat.
I imagine Kane in the stands watching me. I can feel his gorgeous eyes on me, and I hope he’s proud of me. I swallow, thinking about Kane. I feel flushed and my mouth is dry as I stand outside in the June warmth.
Swallowing again, a queasiness overwhelms me, causing me to sit down before it’s time for my class to do so. I know the sick feeling I have has nothing to do with the heat or my thirst; it has to do with the pregnancy test I took this morning.
I’m going to have a baby, and I have no idea what to do. Kane and I never used protection. Maybe that was stupid of us, but I can’t feel that way since I’ve loved every moment of my time with Kane. I especially don’t regret making a precious baby together. The truth is, I didn’t feel despair when I saw the pregnancy test results. I felt excitement and love… and like being a mother is the future I’ve been looking for.
My main concern is the two men in my life. What on earth will I tell Daddy? What will Kane want me to do? Will he be excited?
I need to talk to him as soon as possible. He always makes things better. Kane brings logic and reason to every irrational situation. He’s a take-charge kind of person, and he’ll be there for me like he always has been.
I know Kane cares about me, but I still don’t know if we would be fooling around if I hadn’t been blackmailing him all of these months. Has Kane even thought about a future with me?
I can tell he’s trying to push me away, and the last thing I want him to think is that I’m trying to trap him with a baby. Maybe I won’t tell him about the baby right away.
It’s time I tell Kane how I really feel about him. I need to tell him I want to be with him, whether my father approves or not.
“Renee Linwood.”
The principal calls my name, and I snap out of the daze I’d fallen into before marching up the steps to receive my diploma… or actually, the rolled up piece of paper they’re presenting me with for the ceremony.