Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Nuala paused, her shoulders slumping, and my heart clenched for her. Teenage girls could be brutal. I was lucky Gwyn and Lydia were so chill—and that I didn’t have any brothers for them to lust over.
Nuala’s eyes grew shiny, and I reached out to squeeze her hand. “I’m sorry, hon. That sucks so fucking much. You didn’t deserve that.”
She sniffled. “It’s fine. There are other people at school I can be friends with. It’s just hard starting over.”
“I promise you, you’re going to be better off without them in the long run. Like you said, you want friends who can think for themselves, not blind followers. And besides, you have me to hang out with for the rest of the summer. And I’m sure there are a bunch of girls at your school who’d love to be friends with you when you go back in September.”
“You’re right. Thank you for listening to my sob story. I promise I wasn’t trying to make you feel sorry for me.”
“I would never feel sorry for you. Aside from a few poor choices in friends, you have an amazing life and a great family.”
She gave a watery smile. “They are pretty great even if Derek can be a little overprotective.”
“Hey, didn’t you promise me a tour of the town? Go grab your things, and let’s go.”
Finally, she smiled fully. “Okay, so long as we get to discuss your crush on Rhys. The guy deserves a bit of good news after that accident at work. His poor face, it looks so painful.”
Huh, so that was the story he’d told everyone. A work accident. “There is no crush,” I insisted.
Nuala grinned playfully as she stood from my bed and went to the door. “Sure, sure.”
I slumped back, bringing my hands to my cheeks. I felt flushed. Nuala and Derek now both knew about me liking Rhys, and it was only so long before it somehow got back to him. The last time someone found out I had a crush on them was Tommy Kean in fifth grade, and that had been mortifying, not to mention unreciprocated. I could only imagine how embarrassing it would be for this to get back to Rhys and for him to have to let me down gently.
Ugh, why did I even open my big stupid mouth?
***
I didn’t bump into Rhys again until the following day when I’d had my second shift at the hotel. One of the other kitchen staff put me through two hours of health and safety training before leaving me to wash dishes with Rhys. Aside from a brief nod, we mostly worked in silence. I’d been assigned a locker, so I hadn’t needed to store my things in his this time, which was a relief because broaching the silence between us was proving tough.
Not to mention, working in the kitchen was an endless stream of dishes, mopping up spills, and collecting trash. I knew Rhys worked more hours than I did because, like last time, he was already there when I’d arrived. I wondered where he found the energy. Or maybe he’d built up a tolerance.
I was pretty sure my ears were going to be ringing with food orders and “Yes, chef” all night after I clocked out.
I still worried about what was really going on in Rhys’ home life. During our walk about town, Nuala had mentioned again how awful it was that all those boxes fell on him in the hotel storage room, which was how she’d been told he’d gotten his bruise. I wasn’t certain I believed the story, especially not with how he’d reacted when I’d noticed the injury. If the bruising was from a simple accident, he would’ve just said that instead of clamming up. No, I had a feeling whatever was going on with his father, it wasn’t good.
I’d lost my own Dad two years ago, but I still thought about him every single day. Thinking of Rhys’ situation, I considered myself lucky I’d had a kind, loving father who’d do anything for me for sixteen years.
Studying Rhys, I wondered if opening up to him would encourage him to do the same. It wasn’t that I was trying to be nosy or interfere, I just wanted him to know I was prepared to listen, be a non-judgmental ear if he needed it. Keeping things all bottled up wasn’t good for a person in the long run. And sometimes, it was easier to talk to someone who didn’t know you that well. He could confide in me because, by the end of the summer, we might never see each other again.
I felt strangely sad thinking it. I’d never been a fan of endings, even though they were unavoidable in life.
“I’m a little worried about my mom,” I said, and he glanced at me before returning his attention to the dirty dishes. “She’s been calling me a lot,” I continued. This wasn’t exactly true. She’d been calling me once a day, sometimes twice, but I could afford to exaggerate a little. “We haven’t ever been away from each other for this long, and I’m scared she’s going to be lonely.” This was true. I was worried about her being alone.