Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“I can show up early and perform magic.” She flutters her fingers in front of her face.
“But you’re coming with Mom and Dad, right? We can just pick an outfit now and I’ll do my best with your tutorials for this.” I point to my face.
“Sounds good. Take me to your closet.”
Half an hour later, my meet-Chase’s-parents outfit is chosen, and I have four makeup tutorials to watch.
I sit my ass in my chair and finally, finally finish the short story for submission for the creative writing course next fall. The next step is to have it edited, but at least it’s drafted. You can’t fail if you don’t try, but you can’t succeed either.
Since I’m on a roll, I tackle an English assignment before I finally hop into my newest chapter. I have new messages from my fic bestie.
@therealophelia
Tell me university is better than high school.
@legagornsandwich
Hands down a million times better. Everything okay?
@therealophelia
Just the struggles of being the new girl in senior year. I want to fit in, but it’s hard when all these people have been together for the past four years.
@legagornsandwich
That really sucks. At least in university we’re all in the same position, brand new, meeting new people, finding friends who are exactly like us.
@therealophelia
Fingers crossed I get into Tilton next year.
@legagornsandwich
It would be so cool! We could fic together!
@therealophelia
That would be amazing!
@legagornsandwich
The literal best. And you can finally meet all my friends and my boyfriend!
There’s a knock on my door.
I hop up from my desk and check the peephole before I throw it open. “Hi, sexy boyfriend.”
Chase grins and bends down to kiss me. “Hi, sexy girlfriend. You ready to grab dinner?”
“Oh crap. It’s that time already? Just give me a second.” I rush back to my computer.
@therealophelia
It would be so cool to have more than one friend on campus when I start university.
@legagornsandwich
Totally! My BF just showed up. Heading out for dinner. Chat later?
@therealophelia
Sounds good! Have fun!
“Who’s The Real Ophelia?” Chase asks as I exit the chat and close my computer.
“She’s my online bestie. We’re both obsessed with LotR,” I explain.
Chase frowns. “How did you two meet?”
“Through fanfic. We read the same fics, and she beta reads my chapters most of the time before I post them. She’s a senior in high school.”
“How do you know that? Have you met in real life?” Chase presses.
“No, but we talk about school all the time and she’s currently reading all the same books I did in my senior year of high school.” I slide my feet into my Docs and pull the laces tight.
“What if he’s a forty-year-old dude? He could be a high school teacher who’s catfishing you.” Chase’s eyes go wide.
“That’s all kinds of problematic for so many reasons. And she’s not a forty-year-old dude. She talks like a teenager, not like a forty-year-old trying to talk like a teenager.” I pat his chest. “You’re being paranoid. It’s cute, but also unnecessary.”
“Just promise if you decide to meet in person that I can come with you.”
“So you can be my bodyguard?” I shrug into my bomber jacket.
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Sure thing.” I push up on my toes and kiss the bottom of his chin. “You’re cute when you’re being all protective.”
“You mean fierce and alpha, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
Chase checks his phone. “Brody and a few of the guys have a table already. They can save us a couple of seats if you want to join them? Or would you rather it be just us?”
The only way to fit in with his friends is to give them the chance to get to know me and for me to get to know them. “We can join them.”
His smile widens and his thumbs fly across the keyboard. “Cool.”
We leave my room and he laces our fingers together. We pass Barbie and Annabelle who give us tight smiles. They’re still banned from the hockey parties at Mac’s and they’re definitely not happy about that.
I remind myself that they don’t matter. It’s better to live life scared than not live it at all.
CHAPTER 25
CHASE
“Look at how neat this room is! And it doesn’t even smell like running shoes!” Mom says with genuine pride. She elbows Dad in the side. “Don’t you agree? Doesn’t it smell nice in here?”
“Yup. Smells great,” Dad agrees.
They showed up a good half an hour before anyone else. I took them for coffee in the cafeteria before I brought them up to see my room so Brody had time to shower and get his own shit together.
“Are you boys having fun being roommates?” Mom asks Brody.
“It’s been great,” Brody replies. “Couldn’t ask for a better roommate.”
Three nights ago, he wasn’t singing that tune when he came back from the library earlier than expected and I was pounding Cammie into my mattress instead of hers. She was mortified and highly apologetic. He reminded me that we had a door hanger for such purposes and maybe I should use it next time, or just have sex in my girlfriend’s room, since she doesn’t have a roommate.