Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 72196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72196 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Bet that cop is sitting outside of the school again, pulling people over left and right for going a mile over the speed limit,” Evander muttered.
“Old man Crew is a douche, but people should know not to speed,” I pointed out, and started walking toward the building.
A feeling of unease swept over me.
I thought it had to do with the pick-up we were on. Little did I know that it had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the girls that I loved with all my heart only a few short blocks away.
Chapter 25
I hope that wherever my hair ties are, that they’re happy. That’s all that matters.
-Hannah’s secret thoughts
Hannah
I was still chuckling to myself about Travis’ reaction as I dropped TJ off at daycare.
The smile was still firmly in place even when I pulled into the drop-off line at the school.
The mothers were acting extra crazy today due to it being almost the last day of school for the kids, so they were taking extra time letting their kids off, and backing the lines up almost all the way out of the school into the intersection of the highway.
I was fourteenth in line—I knew, since I’d been counting since I got into the line—and was thankful that I’d dropped TJ off first.
While I’d dropped TJ off, I’d explained that the two days following today would be his last because his grandmother was going to be watching him from now on.
When I’d texted Travis’ mother for confirmation, she’d exuberantly replied with a resounding, ‘Yes, absolutely, a hundred times yes!’
Which reminded me, I had to call the bus barn and make sure that I rerouted the girls for next year, though I could probably do that with their teachers when they started school in the fall.
All of this was going through my head as I listened to the girls chatter incessantly in the back seat about what they were going to do from now on with all their free time.
Would they color in their workbooks? Would they try to figure out how to hit the ball harder next year for softball? Would their grandmother (yes, Reggie was now claiming Travis’ mother as her own grandmother) take them to the city pool the first day they were off?
“Just make sure you don’t wear her out too much, girls,” I told them. “She also has TJ now, so it’s not going to be easy for her to drop everything and do your bidding.”
The girls acted like I never even spoke.
Finally, after another ten minutes in the line, we pulled up to the teachers that were helping the kids out of the cars.
The doors opened, and then both girls started to yell when they couldn’t get the back hatch to open.
“Shit,” I growled, grabbing my purse. “Stupid car.”
The latch on the hatch was broken, and would only open if I had my keys directly next to it. I’d been needing to take it in for weeks now, but with no time to do that, and too much stress at my job and at home, I hadn’t found the time.
“Sorry, sorry,” I muttered to the teacher that was giving me an ugly look.
It wasn’t like I was the entire reason the line was backed up. Someone before me had to have made a mistake, too!
Regardless, I ignored the looks and pushed the button to open the hatch.
That’s when I heard the screaming.
At first, I was confused.
I was looking around at the exit of the school, wondering if a kid had tried to cross the road, and the cars hadn’t stopped to let them cross. It was so bad there. Sometimes I used to drop TJ off and walk the girls across the street. When I realized that the dumbasses in our small town not only didn’t follow the posted speed limit for school zones but also didn’t stop to let children cross the street, I stopped walking them and started running them through the lines.
It added twenty minutes to the day, but if it were safer, then I’d do it.
But after assessing the situation, and seeing cars still pulling out, I realized that the problem wasn’t down there, but up in front somewhere.
My eyes continued to move around the parking lot, looking around to see the sources of the screams.
And that was when I saw that the eyes weren’t pointed somewhere else. They were pointed at me.
At me…and my girls.
My girls had just gotten out of the car and were standing at my side.
My eyes darted around like an addict looking for his next fix, trying to identify the danger.
My hand was already pushing on Alex’s head, shoving her down hard to the ground.
Reggie, startled by this, dropped down to her knees, and I hissed at them.
I don’t know what I said exactly, but they obeyed instantly.