Total pages in book: 185
Estimated words: 191421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 957(@200wpm)___ 766(@250wpm)___ 638(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 191421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 957(@200wpm)___ 766(@250wpm)___ 638(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” Jupiter agrees. “Not to mention, all the crap that you went through with the cops and the stupid, ignorant people.”
Wyn nods. “Same thing happened to Conrad. Because of my parents. My dad actually had him arrested.” She shakes her head. “I still can’t believe it. I still can’t believe that he was taken away like that. So we’re staying.”
Yeah, it happened while we were still at St. Mary’s.
While I wasn’t friends with Wyn or any of these girls except Jupiter back then, we did see a couple of guys arriving and taking Conrad, or rather Coach Thorne, away. Wyn’s dad used his influence to have him arrested for being involved with her.
So she does know.
And a tear streams down my cheek.
Both for myself and her, because now that I know how it feels, seeing the man you love being dragged away like that, handcuffed and bleeding… I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.
“Okay, thanks. I know that’s not… enough, but…”
“Shut up.” Jupiter gives me a side hug. “You don’t have to thank us. We’re best friends and that’s what best friends do.”
They all agree, and I tell them that I need to go to the bathroom to freshen up. But really, I’m going because I can’t get rid of the images from last night.
They come and go, see.
The flashes.
The fact it actually happened, every single thing that happened, is still surreal to me. It still feels unreal. Bizarre. Nightmarish.
An outlandish joke.
First that it was Lucas — yet again — who found us like that.
Apparently, he’d come over to talk to me because I’d sent him those two stupid texts a couple of days ago. My parents told him that I was sick in bed, and since they’ve always trusted him and liked him, they let him go upstairs and knock at my bedroom door.
Which he did, but I hadn’t heard.
And so he opened it to check on me.
When he found what he found, he alerted my parents, and my mom came running up. The fact that it was my mother and not my father who saw me like that, is probably the one consolation that I could take from this.
Then came the crying, the beating, the screaming while the whole world — or at least my whole world — watched, and Lucas dragging me inside.
And fucking telling me the truth.
Showing me his true colors.
I’m not sure who called 911 but whoever it was probably saved Lucas’s life, much to my dismay. Because before that, I was hell bent on killing him with my bare hands. I was hell bent on exacting revenge on Reign’s behalf.
On how for years, Lucas took advantage of him.
For years, he let Reign suffer. He let Reign be tortured and be agonized over the fact that he wanted me, his best friend’s girl. All the while spreading rumors about him. Lying about him to me.
But then as I said, I made a grave mistake going after Lucas like that.
So when the cops came, I did everything that I could to correct it. I did everything that I could to convince them that I loved him. That everything that happened was consensual. Everything that happened between us last night was so far from that ugly, horrifying word that Lucas was accusing Reign of, that I didn’t even know how anyone could’ve thought different.
How anyone could’ve thought that it was anything other than love.
I was loving him, and he was loving me even though he didn’t know it.
That was love.
It has always been love, this thing between us.
They still took him though.
And now I can’t get ahold of him. He’s not returning my texts. He’s not picking up my calls. An hour or so ago, my calls started to go to his voicemail.
Despite what my friends say, I think I know why.
I think he’s done with me.
He was done with me the night I told him that I loved him. He came over to tell me that, to prove to me that it was over. And just because everything went to pieces yet again, doesn’t mean that he’s changed his mind.
So yeah, it’s over.
And I think I’m dying.
I would’ve too. Standing here at the bathroom sink, staring at my pale and lifeless body in a pink dress, my trembling legs would’ve given in, and I would’ve dropped dead to the floor, if I hadn’t heard a knock at the door.
“Echo?” Jupiter goes, urgently. “Whatever you’re doing in there, which I know is not what a bathroom is used for since you know I’ve got those senses, you need to come out. Right now.”
I grip the edge of the sink. “I’ll be… I’ll be out in a second. I —”
“No, not in a second. Right now.” She even jiggles the knob. “Get out here. Right the fuck now.”
“She’s right,” Poe says, knocking at the door. “Get out here.”