Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 86158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“A friend,” I replied, instantly. “Your friend.”
“You’re a fucking narc,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s what you are. I told you I could handle it.”
“You weren’t handling it,” I countered. “You were just accepting it.”
“He hasn’t done anything wrong!”
“Why the fuck is that asshole goin’ to the coffee cart at all?” Draco asked furiously. “I know he was told to stay the fuck away.”
I looked Charlie over as she tried to formulate a reply to Draco’s question, and I was suddenly furious.
She was wearing a tank top with a pair of cutoff jean shorts that were so short and frayed that the pockets hung out the bottom. On any other day I would’ve taken a moment to appreciate the beauty of those shorts, but I couldn’t see past the massive bruise that took up her entire thigh.
“Why the fuck don’t you have a bandage on your leg?” I asked, my voice level.
Charlie’s head turned slowly in my direction and I knew it was the wrong thing to say.
“Because I had to take a motherfucking shower and Molly said that letting the wound get some air was totally fine,” she said, talking slowly like I wouldn’t be able to understand her otherwise. “Not that it’s any of your goddamn business.”
“Damn, Charles,” Draco said with a hiss. “That looks painful.”
“You know what’s painful?” Charlie asked through clenched teeth. “Having your father pull up on his Harley and sit outside your work, watching. All fucking day. Not visiting or getting coffee or making himself useful—watching.”
“Bet that asshole didn’t show up, did he?” I asked.
“No,” Charlie snapped. “He didn’t. Which was two sales less than I had yesterday and it doesn’t even fucking matter because my dad can’t sit outside the shop every goddamn day!”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Kara asked, watching Charlie with her arms crossed over her chest. “You know what a menace that guy is. You should have told someone.”
“I told Bishop!”
“And now you’re bitching him out because he told someone else,” Kara pointed out. “When we all should have known to begin with.”
“That’s rich, coming from you,” Charlie replied shortly.
“Careful,” Draco warned her. “You’re not even mad at Kara.”
“You’re right,” Charlie replied. She looked at Kara. “I’m not mad at you.”
“Well, I’m mad at you, you idiot,” Kara shot back. “You should have said something. That asshole lost his job. You know he isn’t going to take that lying down.”
“He hasn’t acted like it affected him at all,” Charlie replied.
“Just because he hasn’t done anything yet, doesn’t mean he won’t,” Kara said. “You know that. You remember when my parents were kidnapped. You know shit doesn’t always happen right away. Sometimes it festers first.”
“He’s not going to fucking kidnap me,” Charlie said, throwing her hands in the air. “He’s annoying and a blowhard and he asks me out constantly—he’s never once done anything that freaked me out.”
“Stalking me wasn’t enough?” Kara asked.
“I’m not you,” Charlie replied stubbornly.
“What does that mean?” Kara said quietly.
“You’re soft, Kara,” Charlie replied, not unkindly. “You’re quiet and kind and—”
“An easy target,” Kara said flatly. “Is that where you’re going with this? Because I don’t tell the world to fuck off constantly, I’m an easy target for assholes.”
“Kara,” Charlie breathed, her voice apologetic.
“You’re my best friend, Charles,” Kara said flatly. “And when he couldn’t get to me anymore it sounds like he went to the next best thing.”
“Ouch,” Charlie replied.
“Don’t act offended,” Kara snapped. “You know what I mean. What better way to continue fucking with us than to start bothering you?”
“He’s not bothering me,” Charlie replied. “That’s what I’m saying! He’s just coming through for coffee and then he leaves.”
“He doesn’t come when Kara’s there,” Draco said, his voice low. “He come when anyone else is working?”
Charlie paused. “Well, no,” she replied. “But—”
“You’re not stupid, Charlie,” Draco barked. “Don’t act like you are.”
“Fuck off.”
“Jesus,” Kara said quietly. “I thought we were done with this asshole.”
“It’s never done with guys like that,” Draco muttered. “They just get quiet for a while before popping up again like herpes.”
Charlie opened her mouth and Draco lifted a hand to stop her from speaking. “No, I don’t have herpes and you’re not funny.”
“I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation,” Charlie said, looking over at me. “I came home to rip Bishop a new one.”
“Why aren’t you at work?” Kara asked.
“I closed up for the day because I didn’t have any customers.”
“What? None?” Kara asked. “Not even the after-school crowd?”
I saw something flicker over Charlie’s expression, but it was gone in an instant.
“No one was coming in with my dad glaring at every car that passed by,” she said, without missing a beat. She looked at me again. “I have you to thank for that.”
“If you’re expectin’ me to apologize, it’s not gonna happen.”
“Of course it isn’t,” she said, shaking her head. “Because you’re a man and it doesn’t even occur to you that I didn’t fucking ask for your help and you ignored the fact that I told you it wasn’t a problem.”