Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
When my phone rings, my heart patters wildly. Except when I look down, I don’t see Dempsey’s name on the screen. I see his mother’s.
Is this how it goes down?
She’ll confront me over the phone after having a week to cool off her anger? This could be good news. Maybe not all is lost. There’s no doubt in my mind Nathan tattled to her. He’s always despised me because I’m a reminder of where Jamie came from. The gutter. His princess has a pet rat and he can’t stand it.
“Hello?” I croak out, the emotions from earlier still lingering.
“Sloane? What’s wrong? Is Kaden okay?”
Her concern is jarring. I’d been expecting a frigid greeting. Not the same, usual care she’s always shown me since we were pre-teens.
“I’m fine,” I say quickly. “Thai food. Spicy.”
“You hate Thai food,” she says with a chuckle. “You mean to tell me Aisha gets her way sometimes? Where was that generous heart when we were kids?”
Okay…so this is weird.
She’s being nice.
Maybe Nathan didn’t say anything to her.
Relief floods through me and I exhale sharply.
“She’s convincing,” I say lightly. “What’s up?”
“I won’t keep you long. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Great. Here we go.
“It’s about Dempsey.”
Bile creeps up my throat. I force myself to swallow down the nausea. “What about him?”
Don’t sound guilty. Don’t sound guilty.
“Tonight is his art expo. Did you know he’s the featured artist?”
What?
“Uh, no.” Honest answer. “That’s good, right?”
“Good? It’s wonderful. I’m a little heartbroken he didn’t invite us, though. I think he’s still upset about the car thing and us making him go to college. If it were up to that kid, he’d goof off all day playing pool and razzing Spencer.”
That kid.
Her baby boy.
Ugh.
“How do you know about it if he didn’t invite you?”
“The dean of the art department called. Said there weren’t any RSVPs for his family, aside from Gemma or friends. Todd was emphatic that this is an extremely big deal at PMU. It’s an honor and will propel his career as an artist. Of course I told him we’d be there. I’m a little miffed Gemma didn’t say anything either.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.” Pride swells in my chest. I have the urge to text him to demand to know why he didn’t tell me, but then that’d be opening the box back up. The same box I’ve been trying to keep closed all week.
“It’s a fancy event. If you need to borrow a dress, come over early and you can wear whatever you want.”
Wait.
Me?
“Huh? I wasn’t invited.”
She laughs. “Neither were we. You got him that iPad, seeing potential in him when no one else was taking the time to. I assumed you wanted to see him doing so well.”
“I, uh, do. Of course I do. I just…”
“I have clothes,” she reminds me.
“No,” I blurt out. “I have my own stuff. I’ll be presentable. Don’t worry.”
She sighs softly and then forces cheer into her tone. “Absolutely. We’ll pick you up then. I’ll text you later when I know the time for sure.”
I hang up the phone as Aisha exits the restaurant with to-go bags in hand. I’m really going to see him tonight? My heart aches at the prospect.
Seeing and touching are two totally different things.
Tonight, I’ll keep my hands to myself.
Looking is okay, though. That’s all I’ll ever be able to do.
I’m a plainly dressed rat beside Jamie. Even pushing into her late thirties, she’s gorgeous. Her sleek black dress fits all her curves and her hair is pulled up in a stylish way. Meanwhile, I’m wearing my ol’ trusty blue dress and barely managed to run a straightener through my hair before they arrived to pick me up.
It’s a reminder of how different I am than the Parks.
I’ll always be different.
Jamie grins at me over her shoulder. She lives for these events. She and Nathan are always going to parties and galas. I suppose being the most influential couple in town, it’s sort of expected of you. Jamie loves going, though. It’s not a chore for her. I think it’s a chance for her to be able to show this town that she crawled out of that gutter we came from and made something of herself.
Sometimes, it’s a little nauseating for those of us still trying to claw our way out.
One day soon, I’m going to invest in another couple of dresses. I’ve worn this same stupid dress more times this summer than I have the entire decade I’ve owned it. It’s past time for a wardrobe upgrade.
Cars fill the PMU parking lots and people dressed in black-tie attire litter the sidewalks. I follow behind the couple of the night, hoping to slip in and out unnoticed. This is Dempsey’s night and I don’t want to overshadow it with our…thing.
It’s a thing that just won’t go away no matter how hard I try to make it.