Total pages in book: 215
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
“What do you mean?” I ask, my tone lowering as I gape at her. “What happened?”
“Tarni and Shannan are what happened,” she says, a smirk on her lips as her eyes sparkle with silent laughter.
“Noooooo,” I breathe. “Spill.”
“Well,” she starts. “Without you there to take up all of their attention, Tarni’s been trying to claw her way to the top and Shannan caught wind of it. They’ve been at each other’s throats all week. It’s the funniest thing. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion.”
Digging my spoon into the half-melted ice cream, I shovel it into my mouth, groaning as the sweet chocolate chip hits my tongue. “That’s insane.”
“Right,” she says, before glancing at me, her lips scrunching with curiosity. “Speaking of school. I’m assuming you want this kept on the down-low?”
“Yeah, I don’t need their fake pity,” I say. “Mom spoke to Principal Daniels, and he shared it with my teachers so they will email me the work I’ve been missing, not that I’ve really been able to get it done. But as for the students . . . I don’t know. I feel like Shannan is petty enough to tell people that I’m faking it just to get attention, and I don’t want to have to deal with that right now.”
“You’ve got my word,” Hope says, making a show of zipping her lips and throwing away the key.
“Thank you,” I tell her with a small smile. “Now, quit holding back on me. I want to know exactly what Tarni and Shannan have been doing to each other.”
Hope laughs as a wicked grin stretches across her lips. “Girl, you’re not even going to believe me.” And with that, she dishes on all the dirt until we’re both laughing so hard it hurts.
She sits with me until the night staff comes in with my dinner, and she’s just about to gather her things when Noah FaceTimes me, only my brows furrow, checking the time. He’s supposed to be walking out to the field for tonight’s game. What the hell is he doing?
Quickly accepting the call, a beaming smile cuts across my face, finding Noah staring back at me from the sidelines of one of the biggest fields I’ve ever seen. “Hey Zozo,” he says, that deep purr in his tone making me miss him more.
“Aren’t you supposed to be warming up?”
“Baby, you know I can’t play without your eyes on me,” he says, earning a few elbows to the ribs from his teammates and a gag from Hazel.
I laugh and turn the camera around, letting him see Hazel and Hope in the room before turning the camera back to me. “I told her,” I tell him, knowing he’d want to know.
“I’m proud of you, Zo,” he says. “Now tell me you’re going to sit in your bed like a good girl and watch me kick these guys’ asses.”
I grin right back at him as he sets the phone up on a tripod at the edge of the field, moving it as far back as possible so that I can see the whole field all at once. “Nothing would make me happier,” I tell him. “But I swear, you better make it a good one. Otherwise, I’m telling Kelly that you’ve been sneaking back in after visiting hours.”
He gapes at me. “You wouldn’t.”
“Then give me a good game, and we won’t have to find out.”
Coach Sanderson hollers at the boys, and Noah cringes, glancing back at his team. “Shit, Zo. I have to go,” he tells me. “Don’t even think about going anywhere.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I tell him. “Go whoop their asses.”
“Love you, Zozo.”
“Love you, too.”
And with that, he’s gone, taking off at a jog to meet with his team as Hope appears beside me, scooching onto my bed, her gaze locked on my phone. “I’ve never seen a football game before,” she admits.
“Are you kidding me?” I ask just as Kelly strides in, her gaze falling to the screen as well, her eyes widening with interest—my only warning that my room is about to turn into the best party this treatment center has ever seen. “Then get comfortable. You’re about to witness something incredible.”
46
Noah
Zoey is fast asleep in my arms as we wait for Dr. Sanchez to return with the results of her final blood test. It’s been an exhausting five weeks, and if it was that shitty for me, I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it’s been for Zo. But she’s held it together, keeping a smile on her face despite wanting to cry.
She’s been telling me she feels like she’s getting stronger, but I know she’s lying. She’s exhausted—emotionally, physically, and mentally—but she’s not ready to give up. I think she’s been trying to manifest good results, willing it into existence, but we’ve all seen Nurse Kelly’s grim expressions. There should have been a change by now, some kind of indication that the chemotherapy has been working, but so far . . . nothing.