Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
My heart pounds the closer I get to him. It’s always like this. My breath quickens, hands get clammy, and my legs become a bit weak. Today, my reaction is for a different reason.
I heard from one of the other kids who lives in a trailer a few down from his that he was upset. That’s so unlike Aiden, and it has me jittery. I put the kid through an inquisition but got nowhere. He didn’t have any answers for me. It’s what led me to search for Aiden.
Now, fear and worry course through my veins as I imagine what could have happened. Aside from Aiden’s penchant for things to be a certain way, he’s a fortress. One not easily shook.
Taking a few steps, the wind hits my face as droplets of water start to fall from the sky. The farther I get, the harder the rain falls. I’ll be drenched—like a drowned rat—in no time.
Wonderful.
I’m almost there, close enough to make out a body leaning against the trunk of the tree. The branches of the large oak give little coverage from the water belting down from the sky.
It’s Aiden.
His face is buried in his hands.
Shit.
I rush toward him.
My dampened clothes cling to my body, but I don’t care. All that matters is finding out what happened and doing what I can to help. Just like he’d do for me. Like he’s done a million times in the past eight months.
Since the very first day that I got here, he’s protected me. Taken care of me. It’s my turn to reciprocate. To ensure he’s okay.
It’s obvious right off the bat that something terrible has happened. The pain etched on his face makes my chest ache, and my feet slow to a stop. I’m careful not to disrupt him. I’ll be here if he needs me, but I won’t press him right now.
Cautiously, I take a seat on the dirt ground next to him.
He doesn’t react. He doesn’t say a word and doesn’t look my way.
We sit in silence for a few painstaking minutes. My hands twist around each other as I try to remain quiet. When Aiden scoots a little closer to me, I interpret it as a sign that he’s prepared to talk.
I suck in a deep breath. “Aiden, what’s wrong? Why are you out here alone”—I lift my hand, and a raindrop hits it—“in the rain?”
Aiden turns toward me, his eyes red and filled with tears. It feels like someone punched their hand through my chest and grabbed my heart. At this moment, I know the thing I hate most in the world is the way Aiden looks right now. Broken.
He wipes away the tears hastily and lets out a heavy sigh. “Pip, I…” He stops mid-sentence, letting the unsaid words hang in the air between us.
I reach out and gently touch his arm. “You can tell me anything.”
He looks into my eyes and holds my stare. “I need to get out of here.”
I nod, feeling the bile rise in the back of my throat. “I know.”
This day was always going to happen. It’s what I’ve feared since getting to know him. The realization that Aiden Slate has so much to offer this world, and that one day, someone would recognize it, swoop in, and take him away.
“Things will be different. Our lives will change forever.” My own eyes start to well with unshed tears. “I don’t know what the future will hold.” His voice shakes.
“What do you want, Aiden?” It comes out in barely a whisper. The fear of what he’ll say eats me alive.
“You know my mom wouldn’t let me apply to college,” he says.
It’s her way of keeping him stuck here so she can drain him.
He can provide for her. He can pay the bills.
She’s a leech and Aiden’s her host.
“There’s this hockey game coming up, Pip. And well, this is it for me. This is my chance to break out of here. It’s my best shot at getting scouted by professional teams.”
I swallow the lump stuck in my throat. My body shivers at the thought of losing him.
“It’s the opportunity I’ve been dreaming of, but…” He hesitates for a moment, struggling to find the words. “She took all my money. I can’t afford the ticket to get there.”
“What?” I shriek, sitting up straight and forgetting about the rain and everything else he said, choosing to focus on the part about his awful mother stealing from him again.
“You know she—she doesn’t want me to succeed. She wants me stuck here for good.” He groans, head tilting back. “I feel like my dream is slipping away because of her. Because of money. It’s always money.”
My fingers grip the hem of my shirt. A nervous habit I’ve had for as long as I can remember. As I twist the material, I start to think.