Total pages in book: 238
Estimated words: 231781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1159(@200wpm)___ 927(@250wpm)___ 773(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1159(@200wpm)___ 927(@250wpm)___ 773(@300wpm)
I shot my eyes up. Are you kidding me?
Maisie Vos hung over the railing of the bleachers, feigning a look of surprise before breaking into a laugh.
“I thought you were the trash!” she explained, jogging down the bleachers and rounding them to approach me. “I mean, you clear our trash at school, so I thought you’d help me out here. That’s what I meant. Sorry.”
Air poured in and out of my lungs, but I still couldn’t catch my breath. She did that on purpose.
Elle stopped at my side, gaping, while others tiptoed around us, laughing under their breaths. A couple of guys followed Maisie, all seniors at my school, and I wanted to spew every dirty word in the book at them and their stupid faces.
But I just swallowed it down, because if not, then they’d win. They’d know that they mattered.
This was just my weekly reminder that I wasn’t one of them.
“What’s going on?” Will said, coming through the crowd with his shirt still hanging over his shoulder.
Maisie bit back her grin, while the two guys she was with made no effort to hide their amusement.
Will looked me up and down as the soda dripped off my clothes and flute, and then he turned his narrowed eyes on the two guys.
“Cover me,” he gritted out.
They stopped laughing, and I watched as Michael, Damon, and Kai took up position, surrounding Will as he stepped up to Hardy Reed and Silas Betchel.
The two boys straightened, looking suddenly uncomfortable, and no one said anything as the Horsemen shielded Will’s body from our view.
What…?
I looked around Michael to try see what was happening, but all I could catch was Will staring into Silas’s and Hardy’s eyes, doing something with his hands, but I couldn’t see what.
Then, Will froze, blinked once, and I heard it. The steady stream, almost like something was being ripped in a slow, constant line.
A wicked smile spread across Damon’s lips as Silas squeezed his eyes shut, and Hardy’s chest moved up and down faster as he turned his head away and cursed under his breath, “Son of a bitch.”
But whatever Will was doing, they stood there and took it.
After a moment, Will shifted again, never breaking eye contact as the Horsemen backed away and Silas and Hardy came into full view.
The whole place erupted in hoots and laughter.
My eyes fell, seeing the streams of piss wetting their jeans all the way down to their shoes, and Maisie dropped her eyes, heat rising to her cheeks as everyone made fun of her boyfriend standing there in a mess.
I clenched my teeth. They weren’t fucking laughing now.
Will bent down and swiped the cup off the floor and tossed it in the trash, but before he could meet my eyes, I spun around to leave.
The muscles in my throat ached as I struggled to keep back the tears.
But someone shouted behind me again, “Emmy, here.”
I tensed, but then a cheerleader rushed up and dug inside her backpack, taking out some clothes and handing them to me. Band came here in our uniforms. I didn’t have anything to change into.
I was tempted to toss it back at her and choke on my pride, but Martin would drill me if I came home like this.
I nodded once in thanks. “I’ll bring them back Monday.”
And I made my way for the bathroom to wipe up and change.
My chin trembled, everything threatening to spill over, and I didn’t know why. Stuff like that had happened before. It was no big deal. It wasn’t like it happened all the time.
I could’ve shoved Maisie if I wanted to. Yelled at her, maybe. Definitely bit back a little.
This time I just wanted to run. I didn’t want anyone to see me, like I was so embarrassing I wanted to erase myself from people’s memories and cease to exist.
Just disappear.
I cleaned and stashed my flute, changed clothes, and stuck in my earbuds, carrying my instrument and bag to the bus. It was an hour drive back to Thunder Bay, and I wished I could damn-well walk it.
Hanging my head, I charged toward the back of the vehicle, slid into an empty seat, and dumped my case and clothes on the floor. I held my phone in my hand, my playlist on Teenage Witch as I stared out the window.
People passed me, quiet and not a snicker to be heard, because Will Grayson had cast his net, letting them all know I was off limits.
It was actually okay. Scared or not, most of them weren’t going to sit down next to me anyway. They never did.
The bus filled up, and I waited for the seat next to me to dip, but as the doors closed, the lights dimmed, and the engine started, I remained solo.
I chewed the corner of my mouth to hide the tremble. What did I care? What did it matter that I’d been humiliated again? What did it matter that he saw that in the gym?