Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Valen pops up from the couch and springs toward me. “That took forever. Let’s see it!” Before I can stop her, she’s lifting my shirt, exposing my stomach.
“You little wuss!” she exclaims, laughing. “I knew you’d chicken out.”
I pull my shirt back down, walking up to the counter with the cash register. We still have to pay, so the jig is up.
“Fifty for you.” He points to Valen, and she digs into her purse for cash. “And it’s usually forty-five each, but I’ll cut you a deal since it’s your birthday. Give me fifty and we’ll call it even.”
“Wait.” Valen’s head snaps around. “You got two piercings? Where?” Her eyes scan my body.
“Somewhere where nobody can see,” I tease, widening my eyes at her. I hand Nate a fifty and a twenty for a tip…which isn’t exactly chump change for me, but it’s the least I can do since he gave me a deal. “Thanks again,” I tell Nate, changing the subject as I walk backwards toward the door.
Once outside, I’m relieved to find the cluster of cars has left. Valen jogs to her car and hops in, but I can’t exactly run, so I opt for slow and steady steps, and I see Valen’s mouth drop from the driver’s seat.
“You little rebel.” She laughs when I pull the passenger side door open. “Show me right now.”
I slide in and close the door before angling my body toward her. I curl my fingers around the hem of my shirt, quickly lifting it to my chin.
“Holy shit, they’re perfect,” she squeals. I drop my shirt, then face forward. “How bad did it hurt?”
“Bad,” I admit. “But it was quick. You?”
She angles the rearview mirror down to admire her nose. “Surprisingly not bad at all. My eyes watered, but that’s about it.”
Valen starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot and begins the drive back home. We talk some more, but all the while, my thoughts keep drifting back to Thayer and how different he is. He didn’t even wish me a happy birthday, and I know that’s insignificant, all things considered, but it’s just another reminder that my life has done a complete one-eighty. Last year, I had Danny, Thayer, and Holden. I had Grey. Now, I don’t have a single one of them.
Valen’s car slows, snapping me out of my thoughts. When I look up, I realize we’re pulling up to her house instead of mine. I glance over at her with a questioning expression.
“Sleepover,” she deadpans, as if the answer is obvious. “It’s your birthday. You’re not spending the rest of your night at home alone. We’re going to order pizza, get drunk, watch shitty reality TV, and then I’ll probably make you flash me one more time.”
I crack a smile. “I’m in.”
She cuts the engine, then dangles her keys in front of my face. “As if you had a choice.”
Shayne
“So I’ve been thinking,” Mom says, in way of greeting as I walk through the front door after school. She came home on Sunday with a grocery store cake, but other than that, I haven’t seen her much, and I haven’t brought up seeing her with that random guy.
“Well, hello to you, too.”
“Have you thought about getting back on the team?” she asks, not wasting any time getting to the point.
“Nope,” I say simply, popping the p. “But I can see you have.”
“I just think it would be a good idea. You’re still playing catch-up, and it will look good on your college applications.”
“I don’t know.” I was the captain of the volleyball team for the past two years. I used to play both high school and club before we moved to Sawyer Point, and I loved it. But for some reason, over the past year, I just…lost interest.
“Shayne,” she starts, tucking my hair behind my ear and smoothing out my flyaways. “I want you to have everything you deserve in this life. I don’t want you to have to depend on anyone. Ever.”
Her sudden serious demeanor catches me off guard. It’s just a sport. It’s not going to make or break my future. “I think you’re being a little dramatic.”
“If not volleyball, what about something else? Like student government? Or the debate team? I bet you’d be good at that—”
“Mom,” I say sharply, cutting her off. “I’ll talk to the coach, okay?” I say just to pacify her, even though I have no intention of actually doing it. Spending extra time with Taylor and Alexis isn’t exactly at the top of my to-do list. I’d rather join that aforementioned debate team.
“Thank you,” she says, smiling, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Not that my mom’s ever been the poster child for happy and carefree, but lately, I get the sense that she’s worried about something in a big way. And it makes me feel uneasy. I tell myself that she’s simply extra high-strung after two funerals in the past year and ending her relationship with August, but something tells me it’s beyond that. I make a mental note to call Grey and see if he has any idea about what’s going on with her, though I doubt he’ll be much help. I doubt he’ll even answer.