Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 33586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
***
MELANIE (2 years later)
My heart was beating uncontrollably in my chest. Somehow I knew that I was on the brink of something big. I had no idea what, but my sixth sense warned me that something monumental was coming. Mom would say I was being fanciful, that my imagination was running away with me again, but I knew.
I crept down the hallway not sure why it was exactly that I was being so quiet, but something, some instinct told me to be as quiet as I possibly could. He and I were alone in the house so I knew that whatever it was it had to involve him, and that was fine by me.
I liked when it was just us, though I never really let on. I’d be mortified if he ever knew just how much I was growing to like and depend on his company, those little snippets of kindness he’s always showing me whenever he’s around.
I don’t know quite what I expected, but never in a million years would my first guess have been what I saw. It started out innocent enough, I could hear Nick’s baritone as he sang in the shower. The corners of my lips twitched because he was horrid. I clapped my hand over my mouth to squelch my squeal of laughter that always embarrassingly ends in a snort, and it was a good thing I did.
I think I stood there transfixed for all of two minutes before my feet got the message to move. Just in time too or I would’ve had a lot of embarrassing explaining to do. As it was, I made it into my room in the knick of time and jumped under my covers willing my heart to calm down.
That day set off a chain of events in my life that would stay with me forever, like the ever-burning flame of Olympus.
***
NICK
I wonder where the hell owl went? I’ve been home for a couple days already, and other than the first day when she was a little more sociable than usual I haven’t seen her. I had some of my old crew coming over to hang since my place was closest to the water, but I was looking forward to spending some time with her.
I’d actually missed her when I went away, and found myself sending her stupid shit I think she’d like when I found something on line or some shit. She was still shy with everyone, but I noticed that in the last couple of years, on the rare occasions that I made it home, she was a lot more open with me.
The crew started showing up, along with a couple girls that I had my eye on. At nineteen I was even more pussy hungry than I was at seventeen and sixteen, and after the school work was socked away, I was on the hunt. Not that I had to do too much of that, because word of mouth is still the best promo, and chicks love to talk. I’m still selective with my shit though, and I try not to make a pig of myself, but damn college is a whole other world.
I finally saw her when we were headed down to the water. “Hey owl, where were you?” Why the hell was she blushing and trying to disappear? Damn, it must be the company. I forgot how much she hates being around strangers. I was actually torn between keeping my plans and ditching them to hang with my owl.
“Hey Nick who’s the strange bird?” One of the chicks made that remark and the others chimed in. Are people really that fucking inconsiderate? I hope to fuck I never was. I looked over at the ass and tried glaring her into silence, before turning back to owl.
“Hey don’t mind her what’s wrong?” She shook her head and refused to look at me when I walked over. I could see that she was upset but she’d been acting strange before this so something was up. “The rest of you go on, I’ll be right there.”
Giselle or Gabrielle or whatever the hell her name was came over and attached herself to my arm, making owl take a step back. “What’s with the hair?” She reached out and tugged on a spiral of owl’s hair. “Eww, it’s like dog wire.” The rest of her friends thought that shit was funny, I didn’t.
“What the fuck are you doing? Don’t touch her.” I pushed her hand away roughly and got between the two of them. No one was more surprised by my outburst than me, but I didn’t like the way she seemed to cower from the other girl.
“Chill Moretti it was just a joke.”
“Ha-ha get the fuck out of here.” She wasn’t looking so pretty anymore, at least not to me.