Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
I was sure of it.
Chapter 12
Nova
“Nova!”
I turned at the sound of Bird’s voice and smiled as he came rushing inside the pancake house, waving what looked like a stack of mail in front of him like a flag.
“What’s up?” I asked, rounding my little pedestal so I could meet him in the lobby.
“You got a letter,” he said, out of breath as he shoved it at me. “Two actually.”
“What?”
“Your school. You got the letter from your school.”
“Oh, shit,” I murmured, looking down at the envelopes in my hands. They were small. Thin. Did that mean I hadn’t gotten in? I had been pretty sure that I’d get a spot, but a little feeling in the back of my mind had told me not to be completely sure.
“Open it,” Bird ordered, staring at me.
“Bird,” I hissed, looking over my shoulder. “I’m at work.” I tried to shove them back into his hands. “Here. Take them. I’ll read them when I get home.”
“No fucking way,” Bird practically shouted.
“Shut up,” I muttered through my teeth.
“I rode my fuckin’ bike all the way here,” he replied, lowering his voice. “Open the letters!”
“Fine.” I looked over my shoulder again and searched for my manager, finally finding her at the other end of the restaurant, watching us. Pointing toward the door, I tilted my head to the side. She frowned and nodded.
“Let’s go,” Bird ordered, dragging me out the front door.
We’d barely made it around the side of the building before I found myself sliding my finger under the flap, carefully ripping open the top of the letter. I stared.
“I got in,” I said softly, glancing up at Bird.
“You got in,” he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. “Yes!”
I laughed, my stomach swooping with excitement as I looked back at my letter. There was a website I was supposed to go to in order to get more information, but I was welcome to register for the classes that started in the fall.
“What about the other one?” Bird asked, nodding toward the second envelope.
“Who cares,” I replied happily, making him snicker. I opened the second letter. I’d gotten into both schools.
“We need to celebrate,” Bird announced. “Go tell them you’re shitting your pants and have to go home.”
“I am not telling them that,” I shot back, wrinkling my nose in disgust.
“Well, tell them something!” He was practically hopping up and down. “This is huge! We need to celebrate!”
“You’re the best brother ever,” I replied, grinning at him.
The beauty school I was going to wasn’t anything fancy. It was the best one in our area, sure, but it wasn’t impossible to get into, just a little harder than the others. In a few years, Bird would get into a fancy Ivy League school on the East Coast—and this definitely wasn’t that—but he treated it like they were the same thing.
“Come on!” He said, grabbing my hand and swinging it around wildly. “Let’s go! Blow off work. Who cares?”
“I still have to work,” I reminded him, pulling my hand away and shoving playfully at his chest. “But I’ll ask if I can have the rest of the night off.”
“Yes!” he yelled. “I’m going to try and stuff my bike into the back of your car.”
“It’s never going to fit,” I called over my shoulder as I started toward the door.
“Bet me.”
I shook my head and went inside to talk to my manager. Lying didn’t seem like the best way to get out of work, but I was surprised that telling her the truth actually worked. She sent me off with a hug and a grin, telling me to celebrate for her too. It was really fucking weird, but I happily raced to get my stuff so I could leave. When I got outside, Bird was sitting smugly in the front seat of my car and his bike was disassembled and stuffed into the back seat.
“I locked my car,” I said flatly as I climbed in beside him.
“There’s locking and there’s locking,” he countered.
“No, there’s only locking,” I replied, staring at him. “Did you break into my car?”
“I didn’t break anything,” he said defensively. “And look, I’m all ready to go and you don’t have to wait on me.”
“Stop breaking into cars,” I ordered, staring at him.
“Cars, plural?” He grinned at me. “Or just yours?”
“Do not break into anyone else’s cars.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m serious, you little criminal.”
“I only break into yours,” he conceded, lifting his hands in surrender. “And Nana’s when she locks the keys inside.”
“Pop never should have taught you how,” I grumbled, putting my key into the ignition.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said happily, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m too smart to get caught.”
As I drove out of the lot, I swung at him, smacking him with my free hand as he laughed hysterically and tried to dodge me.