Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
When he came into port, the marina bustled with activity. He waved as one of Blue Lobster Adventure boats cruised by, earning a “What the heck are you doing home?” from Speed as the boat motored past him. Sail waved again as the adventure seekers all turned to look at who Speed spoke to through the headset. Hopefully, Sail would be able to hang out with him and Wilson later, if he were still alive after confessing to his dad.
After securing the boat and making sure everything was closed up tightly, he disembarked and made his way out of the marina with his head down. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to people, he wanted to get home and get things off his chest.
Growing up, his friends always made comments about how they wish Jack and Pearl were their parents. Most kids found their friends’ parents to be better because of how said parents presented themselves.
Except for Jack and Pearl.
They were amazing people, parents, and community members. What you saw, was what you got when it came to them. Sail didn’t fear punishment. He feared the sheer disappointment his parents would feel at his failure. They had given him every tool to succeed, and he’d squandered it all away.
Sail also cared about how the people of Seaport would look at his parents. He didn’t care if the towns people had beef with him. They could pound sand. Sail only cared how they treated his family. They had far too much at stake and he needed to remember that.
As much as he tried not to look for Galvin, he found himself staring at the park benches to see if she was sitting there. He was very tempted to go back to Carter’s to see if she was working but he couldn't put off facing his parents any longer. Word spread quickly in a small town. Sail needed to be the one to tell his parents he was back.
Thankfully, he made it to the parking lot without running into anyone he knew. It was out of season, which mean the lack of tourist meant more locals walking around in what they referred to as “Local’s Summer.” Now was the time for the people of Seaport to get out and enjoy their lovely island, amazing beaches, and delectable restaurants.
Even though the island had less tourists, traffic hadn’t subsided, and Sail found himself tapping his fingers against his steering wheel impatiently. Of course, the one-way, single car roads weren’t helping matters. It wasn’t like he could pass the cars in front of him or turn up a side street because then he’d head in the wrong direction.
By the time he reached the end of the road where he could turn and drive toward his parents, his nervousness was at an all-time high. He should’ve never gone out on the water—even though that was where he felt calmest—and stayed home, sitting on the couch like he used when he knew the principal or one of his teachers planned to call and speak to his parents. They had a rule: tell us before we hear it from them. This usually meant a less severe punishment.
Sail had his fair share of waiting back in the day. As had his brothers. His was mostly for missing homework or the one time he punched some kid for harassing one of his female friends. Overall, the Carter boys were well behaved.
He pulled into the driveway and breathed a sigh of relief. No one was home, not even Tidal or Crew. Sail had asked they make themselves scarce to give him some privacy. The plan was to text them the “all clear” if he was still alive.
Yesterday, he cleaned the house. The boys had done a number on it, between the sand they didn’t brush off before coming into the house, to the party they threw. The latter blew Sail’s mind. Someone was likely to say something that would get back to Jack. Pearl would brush off any such comment because she thought her boys could do no wrong. Jack was no dummy. Probably because he had been a teen once and knew exactly how boys were.
Sail parked, made his way into the house, and gave it a once over to make sure nothing was out of place. The dishes were done, the floor swept, the laundry put away, and the garbage taken out. He opened two windows in the living room and two in the kitchen to allow a cross breeze, and the paced. Even if he wanted, he couldn’t sit. He had so much nervous energy coursing through his body, he felt agitated and on the verge of doing something dangerous.
You’re about to tell your dad you wasted his money and got kicked out of school.
The sound of shells crunching under tires had Sail’s heart racing and his palms sweating. Not in a good way, either. He sat down on the couch, then he stood and walked into the hallway, and then he considered going outside to help his dad carry their bags in. Nothing sounded right, so he stood in the hallway and waited for the front door to open.