Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Me: Fuck him. I love you.
I fire a text back because what else can I really say? She won’t leave him. I’ve tried to get her to a thousand times but she’s scared of him. Why, I don’t know. It feels like it’s about more than money.
“Who sent you that?” Ally asks with her eyebrows furrowed together. Probably because it’s newsworthy but I’m sure it’s some PI my mom hired to follow him. I don’t understand why she likes to pick at this wound. She knows what the PI will find and it will only end up hurting her. Maybe she does it to stockpile blackmail material. I could get down with that. The problem with turning something like this over to the tabloids is that it’s almost like burning down your own house.
“My mom.” I instantly regret saying it the second the words leave my mouth. It’s worse when I see the look of shock on Aly’s face.
“I’m sorry, Mel.” She leans into me. “If you need anything…”
“I don’t want you to punch my father in the balls but if I change my mind I’ll let you know.”
“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” She laughs, making me laugh too.
“The new girl punching a jock in the dick? Nope.” I’ll never forget that. No one had even seen that one coming. Ally had looked all sweet and innocent but she packed a good punch.
“Stop talking about my girl touching other men’s dicks.” Owen drops down in the seat next to Ally. Of course the teacher doesn't say anything about him just walking into a class that isn't his. The football team gets away with murder for the most part. We still have a few minutes before class starts. He kisses her cheek, whispering to her that he missed her.
Owen is one of the few guys that I like around here. Like Ally, he’s different. More so with the way he treats her. He’s not shy or embarrassed to show how much he loves her. In fact, I bet he’d paint it on the side of the school if he could. If it was up to him, they’d be walking around wearing some matching shirts. I’m sure it’s coming. I’ll make fun of them while secretly finding it adorable. They give me hope that not all men are assholes.
“Food?” I lean forward, having a feeling that’s why he’s stopped by. Ally is prone to skipping breakfast and Owen isn’t fond of this. As always, Owen pulls out something to eat, handing a sandwich to Ally and then to me. He is always bringing her something. I’m always stealing half of whatever it is, so now he grabs me something too.
I open it, taking a big bite of the bacon and egg sandwich. My mind should be on the test that I have today but all I can think about is my mom and what she is feeling right now. Thoughts of how I could make things better keep racing through my mind. She might be right. I need to keep my head down, get good grades and get into a good college. If I could graduate and offer my mom some financial security then maybe she might be able to free herself from my father.
I doubt my art will get me anywhere. It was also something my father refused to pay for me to go to college for. It looks like they will both be getting what they want for me in the end. Like I said before, what I want doesn’t matter.
Chapter 3
Brad
“Thank you for coming to class, Mr. Hayes,” Sarina Cruz, my honors advisor, says.
I don’t lift my head from my desk. “You told me you were going to recommend that I fail the term if I didn’t.”
“You’re required to attend unless you have a verified absence and even then you can only miss 10%.”
“My attendance is like 90%.” I know. I changed the records last night.
“We all know you hack into the system.”
Unlikely, given I don’t leave a trace other than changing a few grades now and then. Ms. Cruz says something about how I can’t be doing this all the time and that it’s a bad precedent for my future. I tune her out because I’m tired and I need a rest. I was up way too late last night and my body is sore from the workout I put it through.
“Are you listening to me, Mr. Hayes?”
“No,” I mumble into my arms.
“Brad!”
I open an eyelid. “When I was a freshman you said I could come here any time and relax from the stressors of being a gifted and talented student. So here I am, relaxing from the rigors of class.”
“You’ve only attended one today and Mr. Mariner reported that you slept the whole time.”