Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88080 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“I see it,” I offer. “You think she’ll ever break up with him?”
Penny’s features darken. “Right. As if the all mighty Ryan Cunningham would allow that. Oh, heavens,” she drawls, “what will the other policemen think if Papa Cunningham’s son gets dumped by the school’s queen? What a scandal!”
“Why do they even care?” I mumble, irritated over the whole situation.
“Same reason they cared back home. The popular people have to mate with each other. It’s some weird evolutional bullshit. Makes the merry world go round.”
“Hmph.”
She laughs and it’s not a usual sound from Penny. “I’m the grumpy one, not you. They really have your panties in a wad today.”
“I hate that Jordy treats me like a kid.”
“You are a kid.”
“Shut up. I am not.”
“You’re literally seventeen, Roux.”
“I lost the opportunity to be a kid when my mom decided heroin needed her more than her children,” I bite out. “I grew up a long time ago. Not all of us have a rich daddy we can bat our lashes at to get what we want.”
“Right. You’re an adult. Totally sold me after that toddler fit you just threw.” She smirks. “Seriously.”
I hate when she’s right.
“Have you ever wanted someone you’re not supposed to have?” I ask, frowning.
She laughs. “I once had a sex dream about the black Hoodlum.”
“You had a sex dream about Terrence?” My eyes are wide with shock.
She rolls her eyes as she sits on my bed. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Fine. Tell me about how it was then.”
“He was fucking some blond chick on the bleachers while I was playing basketball. They were being so noisy. I kept missing the baskets and I was so pissed at him. I’d just stormed his way, ready to throw the damn ball at his face, when a little kid came running out of nowhere. I got distracted helping the kid walk down the steps. When we reached the bottom, the blond chick was gone and Terrence was up there watching me.” She shivers. “Kinda creepy, huh?”
I nod. “That’s not technically a sex dream, though.”
“There was sex in it. I was there. It was a dream.”
“Hmph.”
“You’re full of those today,” Penny says, her stare roaming over me. “Are you crushing over Jordy?”
I wince at her words.
This thing with Jordy is so much more than a crush. It’s not unrequited, either. It’s bone-deep. Maddening. Burning through my veins like liquid fire. I can taste the want for him on my tongue. The buzzing need vibrates continuously through me.
It’s not a crush.
It’s an annihilation of my emotions.
“Oh,” Penny says with a frown. “You’re in love. Gross.”
“Love’s not gross. Your brother’s in love. So is your mom. Probably Charlotte too.”
Penny lies back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Hollis and Roan are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s gross watching Mike maul Mom, but she laughs a lot, so I tolerate it.” Her gaze hardens. “Charlotte isn’t in love with Ryan. She’s scared of him.”
I tense at her words. “You think she’s scared of him?”
Penny sits up on her elbows, giving me an exasperated huff. “He’s a controlling bastard. Of course she’s scared. Charlotte has always been…trusting. Ryan is the type of guy who exploits that sort of thing.”
“Can you tell your parents? Maybe they’ll make them break up.”
“You already tried, remember? And look where that got you. My parents are scared too. After what went on with Hollis, Mom is trying to be the superhero parent and Daddy is trying desperately not to fuck up again with one of his kids.” Penny lets out a dry laugh. “Charlotte will be stuck with that douchebag until he dumps her for someone else.”
“I wish she would talk to me,” I murmur. “I could try and reason with her.”
“It’s not her you have to reason with.”
Ryan is who we need to break it off.
And he’s having too much fun being her puppet master.
“Everything will change soon, though,” Penny says in a cryptic tone.
“What? Why?”
Her blue eyes glitter. “Daddy’s moving here.”
“What? Seriously? Garrett’s a big-time surgeon in Vermont, though.”
“He’s tired of it, he said. He wants to be here. To open his own family practice so he can be closer to us.” Her lips curl up into a wicked smile. “Daddy can only tiptoe for so long. Once he sees how Ryan treats her—I mean really sees—we won’t have to worry about Ryan dumping her. Daddy will make it happen.”
“She’ll hate him,” I remind her.
Penny shakes her head. “There’s a lot you don’t know about my dad. He’s connected. It doesn’t matter where he’s at, he is connected to everyone who’s important. Watch. Within a month of moving here, he’ll be playing golf with the mayor and rubbing elbows with the police chief.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh. Daddy will destroy Ryan and he won’t know what hit him.” She smiles victoriously. Then, her smile falls. “Why do you think Mom bailed? She won’t admit it, but I think she was worried Daddy would turn the whole town against her.”