Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 65683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
“Vaughan, there you are, honey. I was about to call you and see where you were. Dinner’s almost ready. Will you help me set the table?”
I nodded, helping her. I tried to have dinner at the house I grew up in a few times a month. The truth was, I was avoiding the pain in the ass who slept and lived in the room next to me. She still hadn’t realized that I had snuck into her bedroom after she had been asleep the other night when I forced her to have dinner with me. The little shit didn’t talk to me the entire meal and then slammed her bedroom door in my face when I wanted to call her out on it.
That was three days ago, and we hadn’t spoken since. I borrowed her planner, wrote down all the names and numbers of the students she was tutoring, and reimbursed them all their money. She needed to focus on her classes and not worry about someone else’s.
I knew she hated taking money from her fosters, which was why she was tutoring everyone and their mother. Now, I was her only student, and I planned to keep it that way. It was a war I knew better not to start, but fighting with her was always one of my favorite things. I liked the way she fought back, and I liked everything about her sexy-as-fuck mouth.
It always led to us making up.
We sat down shortly after for dinner, and I waited until my dad asked me his usual dinnertime questions.
“How is school?”
“Fine.”
“How’s the tutoring?”
“Fine.” God, could this be over already?
“I heard you’re getting tutored by that foster kid from the Hamptons.” He smirked and stared down at his plate. “Kind of like a Cinderella story, huh? She gets adopted and suddenly has the world at her fingertips, yet you’re getting tutored by her.”
Of course, he kept tabs on me.
My jaw clenched. “Her name is Tru.”
“She was always such a lovely girl. It’s hard to believe she was ever an orphan.” I thought he was trying to be nice, but it hit wrong, and I wanted to punch him for it.
My mom took a sip of her wine. “Vaughan could do better. He needs someone on his level.”
“I know, honey, but she was still lovely, don’t you think?”
I scoffed. “You guys do realize I’m sitting here, right?” They always did this, talking about me like I wasn’t in the damn room. “Can’t you wait until I at least leave to talk shit about people who are important to me?”
“Vaughan,” Mom coaxed in that voice she used when talking politics or trying to calm someone down. “We don’t mean it like that. We just want what’s best for you.”
“Are you for real?” I snapped.
“Vaughan, watch your tone,” Dad ordered.
Mom smiled, and Dad shook his head. Now was as good a time as any. I mean, it was already going to hell at this point anyway.
“About college,” I said, wiping my mouth with my napkin, bringing their attention back to me. “I’m able to understand the material thanks to her.”
They beamed.
“Once you get your grades up, you need to start applying to graduate schools.” Dad nodded. “It’s what we’ve always done. Everyone in this family has at least a master's, and while we’re proud of your football journey, it’s important to have an education to fall back on.”
I could have literally quoted exactly what he just said since he’d been shoving it down my throat since I was eight.
“I’m not sure I want to go to graduate school,” I confessed.
Both of their faces were void of any emotion. As expected, I shocked them, but the masks were still there, the same ones they wore for their friends. They simply stared while buying time to convince me to make a different choice. Their own son.
Fuck. The amount of time I actually tolerated this should be awarded. I hated it. There wasn’t any warmth, nothing.
I waited.
“Where is this coming from?” Dad asked, folding his hands in front of his face like he was trying to be sympathetic when I knew it was all for show. Look innocent, look submissive, try to be empathetic. Fuck that.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned this.” I leaned back and crossed my arms.
Their faces were the blank canvas I was used to, but I still couldn’t read them at all. They were either pissed or in “fix” mode.
“Well, this is the first I’ve heard of it,” Dad exclaimed too calmly, in fact.
I shrugged like it didn’t matter, like they didn’t matter, like my future didn’t matter.
I wanted to say it was because he never listened to me.
“You’re going to graduate school, Vaughan. End of discussion,” he snapped, locking eyes with me like all it took was him to use a lower octave, and I’d bend over and say thank you.