Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Someone knocks on the door.
“He’s here,” Samantha says. “Can you get that?”
I rise and walk over to the door. When I fling it open, I’m not at all surprised to see the man standing there.
“Hey, Tom.”
“Jordy.”
“What’s up, Tom?” Roan calls out.
Tom walks in and we finally begin our meeting.
Roux
Several weeks later…
He won’t give it a rest.
I could block his number again, but he’ll just call from a different one. Wes has gone through three different phones just to be able to text me. I’ve given up on blocking him and just respond to his poetry now. It’s still good. If I erase that day in the classroom where he went a little crazy, it’s almost like I have my friend back. I’m smart enough to know better. He’s clearly forgotten that day.
Wes: Do you want to go to Josie’s? She’s been sprucing the place up. Comfier couches and on Fridays a violinist comes to play. It’s amazing.
Me: Can’t. Been busy.
Wes: But I miss you.
I cringe and shake my head. I’m not responding to that because then he’ll have a little freak out again about how upset he was the day he realized I’d transferred out of his class. The last thing I want to do is rehash that. Again. I shove my phone in my hoodie and watch the clock. As soon as the bell rings, indicating the end of my last class of the day, I rush to my locker.
Tonight I’m supposed to watch movies with the guys. I love movie nights because Roan and Hollis cuddle up on the sofa while Jordy and I lie on the floor. No one seems to notice our nearness. We play it off being in a small room or having to share a pillow or blanket. Hollis and Roan are too busy sneaking kisses to worry over the fact I’m holding hands with Jordy under the blanket.
I’m grabbing some books from my locker and stuffing them into my bag when someone pushes me. I stumble a bit and then whirl around to see Ryan walking by. Charlotte’s hand is locked in his, but she’s so spaced out, I don’t think she even knows where the hell she is. Her parents have forbidden her to see Ryan, but they can’t exactly stop her at school.
“Asshole,” I gripe.
Ryan flips me off and calls me a skank.
I shoulder my bag and head in the opposite direction of Ryan and Charlotte. But that puts me walking past Wes’s classroom. I’m thankful the classroom has already been vacated and is dark. My phone buzzes, so I stop to check it.
Roan: Signing some paperwork for the attorney about Sebban. I’ll be there just as soon as I can. You okay to wait?
Me: Yeah. I’ll go sit under the tree near the parking lot.
Roan: See you in twenty minutes tops.
With a heavy sigh, I head outside. The wind is harsh and unforgiving today. I wish I’d worn a coat and not just a hoodie. It smells like snow is in the air. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, which means we’re in for a harsh winter. I make it out to the tree, leaning my shoulder against it. It’s cold enough that I pull my hood over my head in an attempt to stay warm. I send Jordy a few funny memes, knowing he won’t be able to look at them until his break time, but he’ll get a laugh.
“I thought that was you.”
The deep voice makes my blood turn to ice. The leaves crunch as Wes comes to stand beside me.
“I feel like you’ve been avoiding me,” he says, hurt in his tone.
No shit, asshole.
“What?” I croak out. “No way. Just been busy.”
“That’s what you always say.”
“Because I’m always busy.” I lift my head to look at him.
Wes is handsome, no doubt. He’s just a psychopath. Obsessive too. I wish he’d go bother someone else. I don’t know what his fascination is with me.
“Want a ride home?” he asks. “You shouldn’t have to stand out here in the cold.”
“Roan will be here any second,” I lie.
Unbothered, he steps closer, pushing my hood off my head. “There. I almost forgot what you looked like.” He laughs. “I mean, your social media pictures aren’t the same. They don’t really capture your smile or how your eyes light up.”
I retreat a step. “Stalker.” I say it in a joking way and he chuckles as though it’s a joke, but it’s not a damn joke.
He grabs the front of my hoodie, pulling me to him. I let out a squeal of surprise, my palms flying to his chest to stop myself from crashing into him. His hand finds my face, gripping my jaw so he can angle my face up to his. My heart stutters in my chest as I worry how far he’ll take this.