Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 107944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 540(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
“Good night, Hailee,” Dad stated sternly, yet I knew his cold heart had thawed a little. If anyone was good at softening up my tough father, it was Hailee.
After Dad shut the front door, I hurried back to my bedroom and slid into my desk chair to make it appear as if I was working on my homework. It only took a few minutes for Dad to stand in my doorway holding the container of Hailee’s cookies.
He furrowed his brow and kept the hard look in his eyes. His shoulders were lower than before when he scolded me, and he looked a bit more relaxed—which didn’t say much. My father’s form of relaxation appeared like someone stressed out to the core.
He nodded once. “You’re still grounded. Do you understand me? No television, no cell phone, no internet.”
“Yes, sir.”
“But it might be best to avoid the apology at this time. Focus on your studies. You’ll need your grades to be good for the year. Plus, we want your image to stay unstained for your acting career.”
And that, folks, was how my father apologized.
“Yes, sir.”
“And don’t go causing any trouble for Hailee, you hear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And keep protecting her.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just not with your fists.”
“Yes, sir.”
He wiggled his nose and looked toward my bedroom window. “No climbing out of the window, either.”
The ultimate punishment for me. I was now unable to open my bedroom window to sneak over to Hailee’s and vice versa. I couldn’t even open my window to talk to her, which felt like the biggest punishment.
He cleared his throat. “Our choices in life have consequences. Think about that the next time you use your fists instead of your brain.” He turned to walk away.
Feeling brave, I called out to him. “Can I get a cookie?” I asked, knowing exactly how good Hailee’s baking skills were.
And with one word, he replied flatly as he continued his descent from my room. “No.”
The following week, I met Hailee at the bus stop where she held the straps of her backpack. We’d hardly communicated over the past few days, due to my punishment.
“How long are you grounded?” she asked.
“For five more days, but I don’t have to apologize to Carlton, thanks to your cookies. Speaking of cookies…”
She smiled as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a container for me. “I figured your dad wouldn’t share with you, so I made you a new batch.”
“That’s my girl.”
We took our seats on the bus.
“Hey, Aiden? Thanks again for standing up for me,” Hailee said, leaning her head against the slightly frosted window.
“I hate the fact that he thought he had the right to say that crap about you because you didn’t want to give him another chance.”
“I saw a phrase for that online. It’s called S.D.E.”
“S.D.E.?”
“Small dick energy.”
I snickered. “Makes sense.”
“Which would mean that you had B.D.E. for how you stood up for me.” I glanced up at her and saw her cheeks flushing over with nerves. “I’ll let you assume what that stands for.”
12
Hailee
* * *
After the interaction Carlton had with Aiden’s fist, he didn’t give me any more trouble. And as the weeks passed, the popular kids got bored with him, and he went back to his previous social standing.
Then there was the newest issue at hand—my newfound crush on my best friend.
After the house party he threw for me and the punches he also tossed around in my honor, I couldn’t get him off my mind. Even sitting beside him on the school bus as he yapped away about any and everything as he drew was a bit too much for me. I felt uncomfortably sweaty whenever he’d look my way, and those blue eyes locked with mine.
Had his eyes always been that blue? Had he always made me feel this way?
Over the past few weeks, we celebrated our eighteenth birthdays together. As I blew out the candles on my cake, I wished that I’d stop feeling the feelings I’d felt for Aiden. When Aiden blew out his candles, I’d made the same wish.
It didn’t work.
I’d only felt more feelings for him.
Would the butterflies I had for him pass over time?
Of course, they would. It was just a silly, passing crush.
Nothing more, nothing less. I was fine. Totally fine.
No, no, no, no, no.
My heart was beginning to beat out of order when Aiden approached me at the bus stop. It’d been behaving odder and odder each day that passed whenever he showed up.
What was that smell?
Was that Aiden? Why did he smell like that? Did he always smell that good? It was like he was soaked in the universe’s favorite cologne, and it was making me insane. His scents were overwhelmingly delicious, like a baked citrus scone on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I wanted to bathe in Aiden’s scent. Oh yes, I wanted to swim in a pool of his aroma and dip my pillows in the same smell so when I fell asleep, I could dream of him and breathe him in against my pillowcases.