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)
He had tears rolling down his cheeks from either rage from the others or from his love for me. Maybe it was a mixture of both. Aiden didn’t cry often, and he didn’t cry easily, so the fact that he felt safe enough to show that side of him in front of me made me feel so much joy.
I wiped his tears before leaning toward him and placing my forehead against his. “You’re my best friend, Aiden.” My mouth was millimeters away from his. My heart was racing faster and faster, pounding wildly against my rib cage. I leaned in, brushing my lips against his. “And I’m in love with you.”
15
Aiden
* * *
As Hailee and I pulled up to our houses, we had a nice surprise waiting. Two sets of parents sitting on their front porches with looks of annoyance plastered on their faces.
“Oh boy. Do you think we got caught?” Hailee asked.
I put the car in park. “Judging by the way my father’s nose is flaring, all signs point to yes.”
Hailee tilted her head toward me with a big smile on her face. “We are about to be grounded for life.”
“Yep.”
“Worth it?”
I laid my head against the headrest and grinned. “Worth it.” I squeezed her hand before we both climbed out to face our punishments. We went our separate ways, and even though I knew Hailee’s parents might’ve been a little tough on her, I was certain my father would take the cake on the rage factor.
I already felt my panic rising as I walked over to my parents. “Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad.”
“Don’t ‘hey, Dad’ me. Why weren’t you at school today?”
“I…um, well…” I stuttered, feeling like an idiot because finding words always seemed hard whenever I was confronted by my father. “We, uh—”
“Spit it out,” he ordered.
“Maybe we should move this inside,” Mom said, walking over to me. She glanced down the street at our nosy neighbors. Then she placed a hand on Dad’s shoulder. “Inside, Sam.”
He grumbled, and the three of us walked into the house.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “How did you even find out?”
He pulled out his cell phone and held it in front of our faces. “It turns out when your son is a celebrity, people take videos of him and post them all over social media. Plus, news flash, if your kid is missing from one period, the school calls and notifies the parent,” Dad barked, his veins popping out of his neck. His irritation was high, and my unease grew with each passing second. I shouldn’t have gone to the movies that day. Even though it was the best day of my life. Even though I felt free for the first time in a long time. Even though I was in love with Hailee Jones, and she loved me, too.
Holy shit, she loved me, too.
Still, I shouldn’t have gone because I let him down.
“Plus, what about that audition you were supposed to film and submit last night?” he asked me.
Oh, crap. I forgot about that. I scratched at my hair and muttered an apology. I felt sweat building at the brim of my forehead. My mouth parted to speak, but no sounds were produced. I felt frozen in a sea of anxiety, unsure of what to do or say next.
Mom noticed my panic and placed a gentle hand on my arm. “Go to your room. Your father and I will discuss your punishment, and we will go from there.”
“You’re being too easy on him,” Dad warned.
Mom shot him a harsh look. “And you’re being too cruel.” She turned to me. “Your room. Now.”
I did as she said. I went to the bathroom and let out a heavy sigh as my panic attack escaped from my chest where it had been sitting. “I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay,” I repeatedly told myself as my heart pounded against my chest as if it were trying to escape. “I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay,” I said again, trying to add calmness to the wildness of my thoughts. Dad looked at me as if he hated me. He stared as if I was the biggest disappointment in his life.
How did I forget to send that audition in? How did I drop that ball? He was going to be so pissed at me for that. I was trying my best to be what he wanted me to be. I was trying my best not to let him down. But today… I needed today. I needed to feel like I could be me for a little while and not who my father wanted me to be—him.
I splashed water on my face, feeling on the verge of vomiting. I hated how shaky my body felt as the panic rippled through my nervous system. I hated how it felt as if every inch of me was seconds away from shutting down. I hated how my mother could see how close I was to the edge and pull me back, but my father didn’t notice my struggles. He couldn’t see me.