Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Her hand grasped mine, holding it tight.
“You were right the first time. I buried my head in schoolwork and in Kash. And I’ve been getting to know my classmates.”
“Good.” She swiped at her cheek, sniffled, and still holding my hand in a cement grip, she looked out the window. “Good. They’re good kids?”
I knew what she was really asking. “They’re normal.”
They weren’t like Matt or Tony or Chester. Or Victoria.
“You need normal right now.”
“I’m going to the football game tomorrow.” I curved up a corner of my mouth. “That normal enough?”
She barked out a laugh, still not looking at me, my hand still in a vise grip. “You never went before. Good you’re going now. I’d like these classmates?”
I thought of Melissa. Liam.
“You would think Melissa was funny and you’d try to get me to date Liam.”
A second laugh barked from her. “Good then.” She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “And that’s not happening? You and this guy you think I’d want you to date?”
My smile turned soft. “No. It’s not happening. I love Kash.”
She closed her eyes, bending her head a little. “Right. You love someone whose grandfather is wealthy beyond wealthy and trying to hurt his grandson. He’ll take aim through my daughter, and I’m not okay with that. I’m not okay with that!” Her eyes opened and they were piercing me. “I didn’t keep you all my life without having a father only to have you smack in the line of fire. I am not okay with that.”
“Mom.” My throat was seizing. Emotions were clogging it up.
“I’ll leave him. You leave yours. We’ll go back to Brookley. The hospital’s waiting for me to decide if I’m staying or coming back. You can remain at Hawking, like the original plan, but we’ll forget them. We can still do it.” Her voice was trembling. Her hand was shaking. “We can still go back. Let’s go back, honey. Let’s go back to being normal.”
So I wasn’t the only one struggling with the changes.
But it was too late.
She saw the look in my eyes and closed hers again. Her hand let go of mine, and she faced the window. “Right.” Her head hung down. “Right.”
There were no other words that could take away what she saw in mine.
She was scared. She wanted to run, but I couldn’t. I loved Kash too much. I loved my siblings too much.
I scooted over to her, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her to my chest.
I cradled my mom like she was my child, and she wrapped an arm around me, hugging me just as tight. I rested the side of my head against hers, and as her eyes remained closed the rest of the drive, I was the one who watched the outside world passing us by.
THIRTY-TWO
On game day, I texted Melissa I was outside.
She wasn’t prepared for the vision she got when she came down to the SUV.
Me, in full Hawking garb. I was decked out in jeans, a gray Hawking hoodie with the maroon letters spelled out over the front, Hawking gloves, and a Hawking stocking hat.
Next to me was Kash, in jeans and a Hawking University black blazer. He had a Hawking ball cap on and pulled low, which made me swoon when I first saw him. The cap hid his eyes, but not that square jawline. And his jeans and blazer made me want to jump him. Kash was hot on a normal day, but he was sizzling dressed as a normal person. He even had a different posture, which I don’t know if he was aware of doing, but it worked. His shoulders were lowered a little, bunched down, so his athletic frame still made the mouth water.
Still so damned gorgeous.
And we weren’t alone.
Matt joined us, too. He went all out even more in Hawking apparel.
A maroon Hawking hoodie with the warm-ups that players wore before a basketball game, maroon colors and “Hawking” stretched up the side of his leg. He had a maroon stocking cap on, a Hawking maroon scarf wrapped around his neck, and he waved the Hawking colored pom-poms. Maroon-and-gray-colored fabric ribbons attached to two sticks of wood.
“Whoa.”
The front door of the SUV opened and Scott came out, looking similar to us except he was in jeans and a gray sweatshirt. No Hawking letters anywhere. He would blend in with everyone.
Fitz was dressed similarly, too.
“Well, get in.” Matt was impatient, waving a pom-pom at me. “We have a game to scope out, blend in with, and in no way at all draw any extra attention to ourselves.” He waved that pom-pom again, giving Kash a wicked grin. “Right, bud?”
Kash scowled at him, lounging back in the seat next to me. “Keep talking, Matt. I’m sure we can do something else to make you ‘blend.’”