Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
“Damn.”
“Okay then.”
Allie lunged for me, I ducked, reached back, and caught her hair. Bracing myself, I yanked her entire body down to the floor. Hard. Once she was down, I kicked at her shoulder, pushing her over so she was on her stomach and then I knelt on her back, a hand pushing her face into the floor. “Going to stop or should we keep going?”
There were more yells behind me. I was hoping someone was holding Jessica back because she was still screaming at me.
Allie was struggling, trying to get up.
I tried to kick out one of her hands so she couldn’t use both of them to push herself back up.
“You bitch!”
“You’re the one who came at me first.”
Her head twisted to the side, but I held it down, locking my elbow in place. “Don’t fuck with me.”
“What the hell?” Skylar shoved in and began pushing at my shoulders. “Get off her.”
I was resisting until I felt the fight leave Allie and then I stood back. Skylar got between me and Allie, her eyes wide and bulging out. Zoe was crying in the corner, and Skylar frowned at her before her jaw hardened.
Allie was getting up. She was okay, still glaring at me.
Skylar let out a ragged breath. “What happened?” She turned to me. “These are mine and Zoe’s friends. They’ve been over here multiple times and have never gotten into a physical fight. I know them. I don’t know you.”
I felt people behind me.
Ignoring them, I said, “Your friend was a colossal bitch to me. Like I’m going to take her taunting me, insinuating that I have an eating disorder.” I leaned around her, saying to Allie, “I hope to God you don’t actually know someone who does have an eating disorder. You don’t mess with that shit and for your knowledge, I don’t have one but fuck you for trying to shame me.”
Skylar’s attitude changed drastically at hearing me.
She whipped around to Allie, her mouth almost falling down. “Is she serious? You did that?”
Allie took a step back, running a hand through her hair, but she raised her chin up. “What? Like she doesn’t have one–”
Skylar began yelling, “You can’t do that.”
“Oh, come on–”
“MY LITTLE SISTER HAS AN EATING DISORDER!” Skylar was visibly shaking.
Zoe stopped crying and moved in, touching Skylar’s arm. “Baby,” she said in a soft tone, moving even closer, her body touching Skylar’s.
At the touch, Skylar’s eyes closed and she drew in a sharp breath. When she opened them again, she hissed, “I agree with my roommate. Fuck you, Allie. Fuck you. You have no idea the torture that goes with fighting an eating disorder.”
Allie quieted. “Katie has one?”
It was clearly the wrong thing to say to Skylar because she drew in another breath. “Get out.”
“She–”
“I’ll deal with my roommate, but right now, get out before I put hands on you. You don’t mess with eating disorders. You just don’t do that.”
Skylar started to turn toward me, but I already had my hands up. “I’ll leave. You don’t have to kick me out–”
“Stay,” her voice was low and guttural. “We can talk later when things are calmer.” She pushed through the guys, going down the hallway.
Zoe remained behind, looking from me to Allie, then to the kitchen before hurrying after Skylar.
There was a moment of quiet before Wade moved in. “Okay. Time for you to go.” He was talking to Allie, who looked ready for round two, but she clamped her mouth shut and went back to the dining room. A moment later, she reappeared with her backpack on and started toward me.
Hands touched me, moving me to the side. I was shuffled back as Miles and Gavin both stood between me and her. Just as both girls got to the front door, it opened. They fell back a step as a group of guys came in.
“Hey.” The first guy, AJ Atwater from the hockey team, had a wide smile. It fell as he took in the girls’ expressions and scanned the rest of the room. The music from the video game was still playing in the background, but everyone was either frozen or standing still. “Uh, what’s going on?”
He was followed by Marcus Keys.
Wes Barclay.
A fourth guy came last.
It was Cruz.
6
MARA
Pizza/study night turned into pizza/study/video game night.
After everyone settled down, I returned to the table and was studying with Gavin and Miles on either side of me. They’d not left my side the whole night, and the rest of the guys took notice. The girls too, because more girls had come. At this point, it was a free-for-all of who was connected to who. Then again, that’s how most parties were. We had football players, mostly still playing FIFA in the living room. Wade knew some guys who turned out to be from the wrestling team. The hockey guys were in the kitchen, eating, because they had their practice number three for the day. Those guys were ravenous.