Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101796 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101796 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 509(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Sure, it’s good that I don’t have to see her during class today—it looks like psych is the only one we share—but she’s never far from my thoughts. I can barely hear anything happening around me for the noise in my head, like somebody kicked a beehive. It fills my ears, and nothing I do will stop it. I try to breathe slower, remind myself there’s nothing I can’t handle.
Nothing’s even happening right now—she’s not in front of me, and I’m not interacting with her or anything like that.
It doesn’t matter.
She’s in my fucking head. Like a worm that burrowed its way inside my skull. A worm with giant glasses and a heavy sweater.
“All I’m saying is, it’s been way too long since we had a party.”
Easton jams an elbow into my ribs—I was only half paying attention, lost in the anger still simmering under the surface, just shy of boiling.
Rubbing my side, I have to snicker at him. “Be a little more obvious.”
“I wasn’t trying to be sneaky. I’m saying, let’s have a party.”
“You say that like you’d be the one throwing it,” I point out, making his brother laugh from the other side of the cafeteria table at lunch. “Seems to me I would be the one throwing the party, since I always throw the kind of parties you’re talking about. So the right thing to do would be asking if we could please throw one at my house.”
Preston folds his hands under his chin and bats his eyes. “Please, Carter. Can we have a party at your house this weekend since your parents are going away?”
My parents.
All of a sudden, the sandwich and chips in front of me don’t look as good as they did before.
“I don’t know if that’s good enough,” I decide instead of reminding him to watch his language. The words he uses. They are not my parents. Dad, sure, but not Irene.
Saying some shit like that would only make me look childish and get my balls busted endlessly.
“But remember how great it was?” Preston sits back in his chair with a dreamy sort of look on his face. “Like Roman-orgy levels of great. So many pairs of tits bouncing in my face. So much pussy, just waiting to make my acquaintance.”
I’m trying to be serious, but I can’t help the laugh that bursts out of me. “It was pretty legendary.”
“Let’s keep the legend alive,” Easton urges, wearing a smirk because he knows how this is going to end. “Let’s take advantage of this opportunity. It’s kind of our responsibility to give our friends a good time, isn’t it?”
“Again, acting like you have anything to do with it. It’s my ass if Dad finds out.”
Instead of laughing, they exchange a look. “Do you think she would tell?”
She. Nobody has to use a name. Why the fuck can’t she disappear? We can’t even make plans without having to consider the unwelcome guest in my home. “It’ll be fine. She’ll lock herself in her room the whole time.”
“You sure about that?” Easton asks. “Just because she doesn’t want to be part of it doesn’t mean she won’t bitch about it later.”
Of course, he’s right. The fact that she doesn’t want to be a part of it might be even more reason to complain and get my ass in trouble. I can see it now, the way she would put on her whole little terrified victim act, even though there’s literally nothing for her to be afraid of.
Or is there? She wants to be afraid? I’ll give her plenty of reasons to be afraid if she crosses me.
“Don’t worry,” I mutter. “I’ll make it work. And if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay far away.”
“Tiana!” Preston waves over the top of my head, looking past me. “Party this weekend at Carter’s! Friday night. You know what that means.”
Well, it’s official now.
Tiana practically licks her lips when I turn to see her with a group of her friends, whose eyes light up before they giggle and nudge each other knowingly. “We’ll be there,” she confirms, giving me a long look before continuing through the cafeteria.
She’s kind of a necessary evil, always hanging around, but she has hot friends, so she’s not all bad.
And by the end of the day, everybody at school is going to know where to be on Friday night. The more I think about it, the better the idea sounds. I can use a release, that much is for sure.
Just one thing stands in my way.
No matter how confident I am in front of my friends, it’s a different story by the time I’m behind the wheel with the freak next to me. I can add snitch to the list of names I’ve given her in my head—I’m still bitter over that fucking phone call from Dad.