Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 68066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
I looked over at Cash who was now strummin’ on his guitar.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, catchin’ my dumbfounded gaze. “I stopped listenin’ when you started talkin’ ‘bout bleedin’.”
Shiloh and I laughed.
Boys.
They can kill spiders, but the second you talk about girly things, they’re out like a trout.
“If you’re worried I now love Jackson back or somethin’, you’re wrong. I don’t even like him, Cash. You should know that more than anyone.”
“Girls are weird.” He shrugged. “Remember, I got three older sisters. Giselle is the weirdest of ‘em all. How many years have her and your Uncle Mason been playin’ games wit’ each other?”
“Forever.”
“See,” he shrugged again. “Girls are weird.”
“Boys are way weirder than girls, Cash.”
“Facts,” Shiloh agreed, noddin’ with me.
“How do ya figure?”
“Cuz look at Jackson. Do you see this scar?” I pointed to my elbow. “I got this when he told me I couldn’t climb the tallest tree right outside this shed. Turned out, I could. I just couldn’t get down. Now these,” I pointed to my knees, “I got them cuz he said I couldn’t skateboard as fast as he could. Turned out, I totally can. I just don’t know how to stop.” I pointed to the scar on my hairline. “Now this one. You remember this one, right?”
“Yeah, we all got grounded for that one,” Cash answered, shakin’ his head. “I spent twenty minutes tryin’ to talk you out of doin’ it, and I still got in trouble.”
I put my hands on my hips. “I landed it, didn’t I?”
“Harley, you weren’t supposed to land it. When you BMX off a ramp into a lake, the bike stays out in front of you.”
“I know. I just forgot that part.”
“It cost ya four stitches and a month of us all bein’ grounded cuz that dickweed dared you.”
“Exactly!”
He squinted his eyes at me, confused.
“You’re provin’ my point.”
“How?”
“I have tons of scars from Jackson darin’ me to do somethin’. They’re all over my body, and every time I look at any of them, I remember how I got it in the first place. Don’t ya see? Do ya get it now? Scars are permanent, Cash. They don’t just go away.”
“You’re reachin’, Harley.”
“Naw uh.”
“Come on, Cash, you gotta admit. It kinda makes sense,” Shiloh chimed in. “He’s been obsessed with Harley since we were babies. How many times has your mom told us the story about Jackson tripping Harley when she took her first step? They even have a picture of him laughing about it.”
“More facts.” I nodded.
“You’re right about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Jackson does love you,” Cash agreed. “He just loves to hate you.”
“Maybe he thinks she’s his lobster,” Shiloh added, repeatin’ what her mom always said about lobsters. A lobster was your soulmate, cuz they mate for life. The thought of Jackson thinkin’ I was his lobster.
Well that...
I wasn’t prepared for.
“Oh wow,” I breathed out with wide eyes. “Jackson wants me to think about him forever cuz he wants me to be his lobster. Guys! Jackson is totally in love with me!”
Everythin’ was good for about a second until that sentence came flyin’ out of my mouth. I never wanted to eat my words as much as I did in that moment.
The person I least expected decided to walk right in and humiliate me even more.
Shoutin’, “You think I love you, Gremlin?!”
<>Jackson<>
“You think I love you, Gremlin?!” I called her out, stalking into the shed.
Harley instantly turned when she heard my voice, not backing down.
“How long have you been listenin’ to us?” she replied, locking eyes with me.
“Long enough to hear your fairytale story. So what, baby girl? I’m your Prince Charming now?”
“Don’t call me that.”
I never expected this turn in events when I walked over here to just be alone. I didn’t even want to come today, but Noah made me. This was the last place I wanted to be.
Around so much happiness, so much laughter, so much love...
When my life was none of those things.
I wanted to shut down, to run away, to just stop thinking about tomorrow. It was like a ticking time bomb in my mind.
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
Boom!
How much time did I have?
With my mom?
My dad?
My family?
My mind?
My memories?
My future?
Seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years...
My life came down to nothing but time. Grieving the loss of a person who was still alive. Knowing it didn’t end with her.
It had only just started.
Thinking solely of that, I zeroed in on Harley. Eyeing her up and down as I made my way over to her.
Rasping, “What if I do love you, Harley? What then?”
She jerked back, caught off guard by my question. Unexpectedly waiting for my next move. I’d beat her at her own game, I always did. But like anything with Harley, she would never surrender. It was what made fighting with her so amusing and addicting. She always stuck up for herself, no matter what.