Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 85453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
I trip over my feet when we reach the corridor under the bleachers. I’m not having a hard time matching Cash’s long strides. It is from spotting Gabriel standing at the exit, looking ruffled. He must have sprinted around the stadium, and the reason for his unusual burst of eagerness has me as keen to grill him as Cash wishes to dodge him.
“McKayla—”
“Not now, douche face.” Cash steps us around Gabriel before making a beeline for the dormitories on the far side of the campus.
I almost swoon over his eagerness to get me alone, but Gabriel makes the ripple less notable. “It’s important.”
His confession doesn’t slow Cash down in the slightest. If anything, it doubles his strides.
“It’s about your parents.”
That whips Cash around in an instant and has him so up close and personal with Gabriel, I’m confident he will recognize the flavor of his toothpaste. “You say another fucking word about my father, and I’ll put you in a grave.”
Gabriel looks scared. Rightfully so. Cash isn’t joking. His grip on my hand assures me he has what it takes to snap Gabriel’s neck.
“I wasn’t talking about your parents—”
“This time.”
Gabriel shifts his eyes to me before he continues like Cash never interrupted him. “I was talking about hers.” He licks his lips before disclosing, “You missed your monthly check-in last night, so your mother called Professor Walters.” He shifts his eyes back to Cash. “I told them to try your number, but…” He shrugs like Cash is overplaying their dislike.
Cash doesn’t buy his nonchalant response. “But…”
“Your cell isn’t working.”
“Because it went into the pool when I dived in to save her.” My eyes dart between Cash and Gabriel when Cash sneers out, “Unlike you.”
He was there but didn’t help?
That proves I was only seeing him as Dolby. He was only ten, but he would have never left a girl in need.
Gabriel makes it seem as if our study group in class is more one-on-one than they are. “Professor Walters knew we hung out, so he asked me to pass on a message.” After ensuring his comment doubles the tick of Cash’s jaw, he discloses, “You need to call your parents. It’s urgent.”
“So urgent you had to wait until after the game to tell me?” I sound as peeved as I feel. He gawked for almost an hour, but not once did he signal that he needed to speak with me until it appeared as if the Hawks were going to lose.
Frustrated, I turn my back to Gabriel which shifts Cash’s focus to me. “Can I borrow your cell?”
My annoyance peaks when he shakes his head. It doesn’t linger for long. “As douche canoe said, my cell isn’t working. It was in my pocket when I jumped into the pool after you.”
“You can use my cell.” With students piling out of the gymnasium, I would have preferred the offer to come from any voice bar the one it did.
Regretfully, beggars can’t be choosers.
After breathing out my annoyance, I spin back to face Gabriel. “That will be great. Thanks.”
I regret the niceness of my tone when he stupidly points out, “Professor Walter included the number in his message.” The message he is referencing shows it was sent two hours ago. Right around the time he entered the stadium and waved at me.
“I know the number.”
After dialing a landline number I know by heart, I squash Gabriel’s phone to my ear, then pace away from the stadium to ensure I can hear my mother.
To anyone not responsible for eighty percent of the state’s wheat and corn production, her news wouldn’t be classified as urgent. But to my family, it is horrific.
“I need to go home,” I advise Cash and Gabriel at the same time. After returning Gabriel’s phone to him, I shift on my feet to face Cash. “I’ll forward your study plan to Professor Ren tonight. If you have any issues, I’m sure she can help you.”
“Don’t worry about my grades. What’s going on with you?”
It is stupid for tears to well in my eyes, so I won’t mention them. “A massive stormfront is about to cross the state. If we don’t harvest now, they’ll lose the crops, so it is all hands on deck for the next couple of days.”
Cash is lost, but Gabriel clicks on remarkedly quick. “Do you need help? I’ve commanded a harvest tractor once a year since I was ten. I know what I’m doing.”
He does, and that is one of the points I liked about him the most.
He had a country upbringing like me.
“I don’t—”
Cash shocks me into silence. “I’ll come with you.”
His offer doubles the output of my heart, but it won’t conceal the truth. “But you need to study. Your next exam is for twenty percent of your overall grade. You don’t have time to cut corn.”