Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Chapter 36
I wake in the early hours of Friday morning to the sound of my phone’s familiar buzz somewhere in Colton’s room. I pull myself out of his arms and prop myself up onto my elbow, feeling the welcoming, raw burn from my lady bits. It was a big day with Colton yesterday and it was hours before we finally dropped into bed and crashed.
Usually, that wouldn’t be an issue but after the exhaustion of the day that I’m probably going to refer to as hell day, I probably could have used those extra few hours of sleep. I don’t regret it though, being back here in his arms just feels so right. I should never have walked out the way that I did. It’s as though I didn’t have a hold of my emotions at the moment. Everything is setting me off, every small conversation has me in tears, every normal reaction is intensified.
We skipped right over dinner and it shows in the way that my stomach instantly grumbles but it feels far too early to even consider getting out of bed and making myself breakfast. Especially when I have this warm bed right here with Colton’s welcoming arms wrapping around me. Who could resist?
My phone dings again and my head whips around in the dark room, searching it out. In the thirty seconds that I've been awake, I’d already forgotten the reason that I woke in the first place.
I drag myself out of bed, hating the feeling of the cool night air brushing against my skin as I slip out from beneath the warm blankets. Colton groans, feeling around the bed. “Where are you going?” he grumbles in a sleep-filled tone, opening one eye and watching as I traipse across his room.
“I’m just grabbing my phone,” I say on a yawn, scooping the offending item up from the floor, just where I left it when I came upstairs after talking to Mom and instantly pulled my clothes off in favor of a scalding hot shower. My phone had been in the back pocket of my jeans and that’s exactly where it stayed.
With my phone in hand, I trudge back to bed and slip in the blankets beside Colton where he instantly falls back into a deep sleep, more than content having me in his arms. I curl into his side and as I unlock the screen of my phone, my eyes begin squinting against the harsh light. There’s nothing quite like staring at a phone in a dark room. It’s one of the worst feelings, it’s right up there with stepping on a lone lego.
My eyes slowly adjust to the brightness and as I look over my notifications, I find that my phone must have been going insane all night. There are missed calls and texts from all the boys sure enough having heard of my betrayal against Nic but I can guarantee that they haven’t heard the full story. Milo has been checking in, bored in his small hospital room, and even the girls have been wondering if I’m back, but what woke me was the familiar sound of incoming emails.
I hardly ever get emails unless it’s bullshit spam and promotional stuff that I accidentally signed up for while trying to win a competition, so the fact that I heard that same ping at least four times had my curiosity peaking. Who would even be emailing me now anyway? That's insane. I don’t think I’ve even given my email address out to anyone. I’m pretty sure that the last email I got, that wasn’t Colton demanding I unblock him and wasn’t from Bed, Bath, and Beyond’s latest catalog, was when Colton’s account sent out a notification that I’d gotten a pay rise, and even then, I haven't actually read it. It still sits in my inbox waiting for me to do something with it.
I press on the little email icon and open the app to find the usual mess that is otherwise known as my inbox. There are four new emails, all from unknown senders but the subject titles more than have my attention. These are my student loan applications. I applied to as many as I could that fit my criteria and staring at them now, my stomach sinks.
Why would all four applications come back at the same time? That doesn’t seem normal.
My tongue pokes out and rolls over my suddenly very dry lips as my thumb hovers over the first email, absolutely terrified of reading what’s inside.
If this isn’t what I need it to say … I’m fucked. What am I going to do? I have to get this. I can’t be that girl who doesn’t go to college and doesn’t get my life together. Going back to Breakers Flats isn’t an option for me, especially now. I need to make something of myself. I need to make myself, my mom, and my father proud. Besides, my only other option is to have Mikhail Russo come and claim me as his own. I'm sure that would make my father ecstatic.