Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 105306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 527(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 527(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“He’s a guy,” Winnie repeats. “Maybe we shouldn’t be stereotyping?”
“Why are you defending him?”
Winnie’s mouth opens and closes. “I’m not defending him! I’m just saying—you don’t know he’s a cheater. You don’t know this is his way of breaking up with you. I think this is your knee-jerk reaction. Maybe once you call him to talk, you’ll—”
I laugh again. “Oh no. No, no, no, I am not calling him. Are you out of your mind? No.” I say it again and again, wanting to hear none of this. My hands slash the air like an air traffic controller to illustrate my no-ness.
Winnie holds her hands up. “I get it. I know.” She pauses, choosing her words carefully. “I know you’re upset, and I can’t imagine how pissed off and hurt you are, but maybe you shouldn’t jump to conclusions?”
Is she being serious right now? “If this were Rookie, you would be dragging me out of here to light the fraternity house on fire, but not before lighting his grass on fire and calling him out on social media.”
She shrugs, a small smile bending her lips. “True, but this is you we’re talking about. That’s not your style. You’re the sensible one in our relationship.”
The sensible one.
The responsible one.
Both reasons why Dallas chose me.
I go to class, I rarely party, I never do anything stupid or that I’ll regret.
What a pity. All that impulse control has done me no good up to this point, has it? All it’s led to is a boy taking advantage of me and making me look like a damn fool to everyone on campus.
Humiliating.
Crushing.
Demeaning.
“I thought he was trying to help his reputation, not ruin it,” I mutter to myself.
Winnie catches it. “What do you mean he’s trying to help his reputation? What’s wrong with it?”
“His, um, agent wanted him to look more friendly, be seen out with someone…not like this blonde.” I point to her phone. “This is the exact opposite of what Eli wanted for Dallas.”
“Who’s Eli?”
Jesus, have I told her nothing? “Eli is his agent.”
Winnie shakes her head. “The fact that you’re dating someone with an agent blows my mind.”
Yeah, mine too. Except… “Looks like I’m not dating anyone—again. Two boyfriends in one month? Wow, I’m really winning at life here.”
“Stop it,” my friend chastises. “Knock it off right now. You couldn’t have predicted this, and like I said—maybe it’s not what it seems.”
“I’m sorry, Winnie, I wish I agreed with you, but pictures speak louder than a million words.”
She tilts her head. “Haven’t you learned anything from the tabloids? Celebrities are always getting fucked over because some asshole photographer sets them up. Maybe that’s what this is.”
I shake my head insistently. “That’s not what this is.”
“You can’t know for sure until you talk to him.”
I’m not talking to him. He had his chance, and he blew it.
I am now going to be a laughingstock after he had the paparazzi breathing down my neck and every student on campus staring and whispering about me behind my back.
“Be smart about this, Ryann.”
I don’t understand why she wants me to hear him out. Is it because deep down she’s like every other fame-grabbing girl on campus?
“I think I need to be alone.” I need to think.
I don’t want to see that picture, don’t want to hear about it. I’m terrified to check my phone, confident I’ll have a million messages I don’t want to see or read, dreading the night to come.
Winnie:
How are you doing? I haven’t heard from you in hours…
I’m hiding.
Did you make it back to work?
Yeah, but they were cool about me coming in late. Ben gets it…
Ben? BEN WAS COOL?
Yes. I mean, obviously he heard about the drama and saw the picture, so I feel like he was kind of expecting me to call in sick.
Obviously he’s seen the picture.
Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.
Don’t be sorry, it’s facts.
Have your parents called?
Yes, a few times, but I don’t want to talk to them because I’ll just have to listen to my mother lecture me about dating a football player.
How would she know what it’s like dating a football player?
Idk, she reads a lot of romance novels I guess…
The million-dollar question: Has Dallas texted you?
Texted. Called. Tried to video-chat me, texted, called…
At least he’s trying
I mean, of course he’s trying—he was caught red-handed kissing someone on his porch.
We don’t know that’s what he was doing.
Winnie, I love you, but sometimes you see everything with rose-colored glasses…
Ryann, I love you, but sometimes you have to have a little more faith in humanity.
When don’t I have faith in humanity?!
You automatically assumed the worst!
The evidence is pretty damning, Winnie…
Like I said, hear him out. Let him talk.
I’m not ready to hear him out yet.
All right, well, you know I’m here for you.
Also, I gotta go. Ben’s being cool, but he’s not that cool.