Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37217 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
“I’m going to beat him to a bloody pulp,” I say. “I’m going to put the fear of God into him.”
"You can't do that. He'll go to my father if you lay a hand on him, and you’ll be cut. You’ll be lucky if you don’t catch an assault charge. Beating him up will solve absolutely nothing. In fact, you’ll be making a martyr out of him and handing him the QB1 job—”
“Right now, I don’t care about football. I don’t care about being the starter. The only thing I care about is what this piece of shit is trying to do to you. To us.”
She looks at me with a complex mix of emotions in her eyes. I don’t know how to interpret them all, but the one thing that’s clear is that she feels safe… and that she’s grateful for it. Leaning down, I place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“I’m sorry, Carter—”
“Stop. This isn’t on you. This is on Ryder. Period. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for.”
“Why is he doing this? Is he just that intent on getting one over you?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think it has anything to do with me.”
“Then what? Why is he doing this?”
“Ryder is a punk who’s been told how special he is his entire life. He’s used to always getting what he wants. But you said no to him. You didn’t give him what he wanted, and he didn’t like that. Not one bit. This is him finding a way, no matter how pathetic, to get what he wants. This is how he wins. He gets you, and I no longer stand in his way.”
I’m no psychologist but as I speak, the more right it sounds. I think maybe there’s some small bit of revenge in this since I got what he wanted. But I think that’s minor. Secondary. I believe the driving force behind it is, I believe, his petulant and childish need to get his way. To get what he wants. This is all about his selfishness. About his entitlement. About his belief that he’s special and is entitled to whatever he wants.
“I’m sorry, Carter.”
“Shush. Like I said, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Nothing.”
“What are we going to do?”
I rack my brain, trying to figure a way out of this mess. There’s no solution that doesn’t end with me potentially being cut for defying my coach’s order and having a relationship with her. I stare into her eyes and feel the emotions swirling around inside of me. I feel them coalesce around my heart, and it’s at that moment when the answer comes to me.
“Come on,” I say. “I know what we’re going to do.”
15
CAMI
When the knock sounds on my door, I nearly jump out of my skin. I look at the clock and see that it’s eight on the dot. Of course, he’s on time. The acidic taste of bile burns at the back of my throat. I take a deep breath, count to ten, and then let it out slowly, trying to settle my nerves. It doesn’t work.
“Come on, Cami. Get it together.”
The knock on the door sounds again, heavier and more insistent this time. I swallow hard and try to force myself to move but remain rooted to my spot. I can’t recall ever being this scared in my entire life. Ryder knocks again, already getting impatient.
“Come on. Let’s get this over with,” I mutter.
Clearing my throat, I walk down the short hallway and open the front door. Ryder is leaning against the door, his hands in his pockets, that cocky grin pasted on his face.
“I was beginning to think that I was going to have to go see your daddy,” he says.
Rolling my eyes, my face etched with disgust, I turn and walk away from him, stepping into the middle of the living room. My heart jumps into my throat when I hear the door close behind me, a feeling of doom descending over me when I hear him engage the lock. His footsteps are heavy on the hardwood floor, and when I turn around to see him leaning against the wall, I fold my arms over my chest and stare at him, not bothering to hide my contempt.
“I thought I told you to wear something sexy for me,” Ryder says.
Dressed in a pair of leggings and a hoodie, I stare blankly at him. “This isn’t going to happen, Ryder. I’m not going to do it.”
“Yes, you are. And do you know how I know?”
“How?”
“Because I have a feeling you care about Carter. Like … a lot. And I know you’re not going to be the reason his career ends. You’re a good person, Cami. And because you care so much about him, you’d never be able to live with yourself.”