Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
I clenched my jaw as I turned to deal with my lock, biting back the strong desire to check his ass into the wall of metal lockers. See what I mean? Fucker. I heard the lighthearted chatter as a few patrons entered, but I gave my full attention to changing my shirt before I grabbed my cell, closed my locker, and said a quick good-bye to my friends.
I scrolled through messages with my head down, pushed the glass door open, and stepped outside. I tossed my bag and my stick into the trunk just as my phone buzzed with an incoming text I hoped might lift my rotten mood. No such luck.
Hi Colby. I have good news! We signed a big client this afternoon. I’m going to need as much help at the office as possible. If you have any friends as smart as you in the econ department in need of part-time employment, send them my way. I’m happy to offer a referral fee as incentive. Hope you’re having a terrific day. Talk to you later! All the best, Harry
I read the novel-length text message twice and slammed the trunk, sighing in defeat. What a crap day. Between cheating classmates, obnoxious teammates, and overly zealous stepdads…I was done.
I wished I’d blown off school and gone to the beach. If I’d skipped class, I wouldn’t have gotten into that fight with Sky, and my day would have stayed on track. Maybe my bad mood wasn’t entirely his fault, but he’d started a craptastic domino effect that made me think it would be in my best interests to stay far, far away from Sky Jameson.
Over the next couple of weeks, I avoided Sky like the plague. I didn’t look at him when he walked into the classroom or sneak peeks of him across the aisle. I kept my eyes on the professor or on my paper, turned in my work in a timely manner, and got the fuck out of there…fast.
Unfortunately, whatever he’d started the day he borrowed that stupid pencil hadn’t gone away. I might not glance in his direction, but I felt his presence like a heavy blanket. My skin tingled and my heart accelerated like I was suddenly nervous or anxiety-ridden. Or…like I had a crush. And that was the part I didn’t get. I couldn’t have a crush. Not on a guy. I mean, maybe it was possible. But it had never happened before. And in T-minus ten minutes, I was pretty sure it would never happen again.
I completed my final exam with time to spare, double-checked my answers, and handed the test in. I spotted Sky in my periphery as I opened the door. If I hurried, I could escape without running into him. I rushed down the hallway, rounded the corner, and…bam! I ran into a professor carrying a stack of textbooks.
“Shoot. I’m sorry,” I said, bending to gather the books.
“Oh, that’s all right. I know how it is. Last day of summer school is a big deal. You know, back in my day…”
Oh boy. We had a talker. Professor Barrett taught advanced levels of economics. He had a shock of messy white hair and always wore short-sleeved oxford shirts that looked to be two sizes too big. I didn’t know for sure, but I thought he was in his midseventies. He was one of my favorite professors, known for his sense of humor and rambling stories. Which made him literally the worst person I could have run into ’cause any second now Sky was going to—
“Hey, Colby. Got a minute?”
Fuck.
I pasted a smile on my face, handed Professor Barrett the books, and turned to Sky. I aimed for passively friendly, but it was a total fail. My heart did that skip-and-flip thing, and my mouth went dry. I didn’t get it at all, and I didn’t want to analyze it. I just wanted to get away from him.
“Um, I’m kinda busy right now…”
Professor Barrett patted my shoulder and grinned. “I’m quite all right. Talk to your friend, Mr. Fischer. You boys have a nice day and enjoy your last two weeks of summer.”
Sky thanked the older man, then leaned against the wall and smirked. Or maybe it was a smile; I couldn’t tell with him. “Gee, I wonder why he thinks we’re friends.”
“Trust me, I didn’t spread any rumors. What’s up?” I asked, noting that his snug blue T-shirt made his eyes pop. I was pretty sure I’d never thought twice about that sort of thing in my life. But just before I freaked myself out, he did it for me.
“I heard you’re training me Monday afternoon, and I thought we should call a truce and maybe start over again.” Sky’s smiled widened as he offered his hand.
“Huh?”
Sky lowered his hand and squinted. “You’re training me for the job.”