Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
“See you later, Drew.” He patted my cheek—hard—like the condescending prick he was, then he cut back through the cafeteria of students focused on me. Screw him and his perfect face.
I turned back to my tray, and Diane and Nora gaped at me.
“Holy. Shit,” Diane breathed. “That was, like, the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I grabbed my sandwich and picked off the browned lettuce. “He’s an asshole,” I mumbled.
An asshole. And a problem.
One I needed to quit and intended to—in monumental fashion.
7
Bellamy
Music thumped through a busted stereo in some run-down house on the outskirts of Dayton. A couple of the girls had stripped down to their bras and panties, while guys pounded back cheap beer. And what was I doing? Typing out a text to Drew.
Me: So, what was it you were planning to do, baby girl? Use your daddy to get me blocked from Ivy League schools?
Baby Girl: A magician never reveals her secrets...
I fought a smile.
Me: Just so you know, I’m really fucking scared.
“Bell!” Hendrix shouted from across the crowded room, grinning like an idiot while he pointed at Betty Newman, topless and dry-humping the arm of the couch. “Guess who's plundering booty tonight?” The guy was an idiot… and for some reason, the girls lined up for it.
I drained the rest of my soda, checked my watch, then pushed up from the couch. Mom left for her second shift at work in an hour, which meant I had to have my ass back so my little brother wouldn’t be alone with my shithead dad. Hendrix rounded the corner, his arm around Betty, who still had her tits out.
“Hell no, man.” I grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him away. “I don’t have time for your dick to go on a conquest. I’ve gotta be home to watch Arlo.”
Hendrix shot a smile to the girl waiting by the stairwell. “The way she blows on that tuba, I can be done in five minutes flat, Bell...Come on.”
There was no arguing with him. He was like a dog with its dick out, which meant I was wasting time. If I had to leave him, I had to leave him. “I’m going to my car, and If you’re not out there by eleven thirty-three, I’m leaving your ass.”
Hendrix glanced at his crotch. “Your time has come, my little warrior. We’re walking the plank and diving straight into a brown star tonight.” Then he made a beeline to topless Betty waiting by the stairs. Unbelievable.
My phone buzzed.
Baby Girl: You’ll see.
Typing out a response, I wove my way through the party, past a kid puking in a potted plant.
Me: Can’t wait. XX
Drew was cute, like a kitten attempting to sharpen its claws on my jeans. My bet was she would try to spread a rumor that I had a small dick or try to turn the Barrington football team against me—which had been done years ago, but why would she know that?
I made it halfway through the overgrown yard before a patrol car stopped at the drive. The kids loitering outside fled like cockroaches, dropping their beers and shouting Five-O before they hurtled themselves over chain-link fences. Amateurs.
I shook my head and kept walking. I hadn’t drunk a drop, and having a dad who was an ex-cop, I knew the police couldn’t do anything without probable cause.
The vehicle squealed to a stop, the flashing lights bouncing off my car as Officer Bivens climbed out. Followed by dickhead Jacobs who’d arrested Zepp.
“‘Sup fuckwads,” I mumbled.
Bivens frowned, slipping his thumbs through the belt loops on his uniform. “That silver Civic yours, West?” Bivens had been on the task force with my dad. He knew damn well the car in front of him was mine.
“Why?”
“We’re gonna need you to open it.” Jacobs grinned.
I threw a smirk back at the arrogant bastard, flipping my keys in my hand. “Got a warrant?”
“No.”
“Then fuck off. I have to go home to watch my brother.”
Another patrol car marked K-9 Unit pulled up and blocked the drive. A sinking feeling settled low in my stomach when a sniffer dog hopped out of the back, tugging on its leash as it headed straight for my car. Then lost its shit, pawing and barking.
“And I’d call that probable cause.” Jacobs held out his hand.
I had no choice but to drop the keys into his waiting palm. My pulse threatened to pick up. I watched the officers walk to my car and shove the key into the lock.
Sure, the car probably reeked of weed, but I wasn’t stupid enough to leave shit in there. The adrenaline building in my veins subsided. Jacobs could knock himself out. There was no way anything would—
“Got some dope here, Jacobs.” Bivens popped up from the open door and shined his flashlight at the plastic baggie dangling from his fingertips.