Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105815 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Maybe everything is crashing down on her.
I swallow thickly. I wrote her name in it, too, slowly, with painstaking care, being sure. My handwriting is crazy messy, and I prefer typing. I highlighted passages. I held it so much the color rubbed off the cover. I’m thankful the cab of the truck’s dark and she doesn’t notice as she sticks it back in the glove box.
I turn on my playlist. “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls croons from the speakers, a song about a guy who wants a girl to know who he is, where the truth meets the lies.
She leans her head back on the seat. “My favorite quote from The Outsiders is, ‘Greasers grew up on the outside. They weren’t looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.’ I don’t have it as bad as the Greasers, but I’ve never fit in. Donovan’s right about his family. They never would have accepted me.”
“Everything is relative. Sometimes a person can be your home.”
She chews on her lips. “I have to tell you something…” She stops and looks out the window.
“What?”
“Forget it.”
“Tell me.”
She continues to stare out at the passing buildings. A long breath comes from her chest. “That night, in the library, I’d have bet a hundred bucks you’d be the one waiting for me. I know, it’s weird, but when you came over and dropped your pen, I don’t know, I thought we had this moment…” She stares down at her lap. “Obviously, I was wrong.”
Silence reigns in the truck.
My jaw clenches.
She’s quiet as I approach her apartment and pull into an empty parking spot.
Her hand goes to the door handle, then she stops and glances back at me. “River, I lied. I-I don’t want to be alone.”
I draw in a sharp breath as her stark emotion spears me, those big green eyes.
Don’t leave me, they plead.
I put my vehicle in park. “I don’t think it’s a good idea…” to be alone with you in your apartment.
She gives me a jerky nod. “No, no, I totally get it—that’s not what I meant. Of course not. You and I…we aren’t even friends. You’re Donovan’s friend. I meant, I should have brought my roommates. I wasn’t thinking straight. They’d know what to do. My head is jumbled.” She runs her finger down the leather of the seat. “Being alone is the worst.”
Fuck.
Taking her home is one thing. Spending time with her is another.
“Where do you want to go? Are you hungry? We can hit a drive-through—”
“No, I can’t eat. I’ll throw up. Just drive?”
“Drive?”
A faint smile flits over her face. “Yeah. Ever been to Henning Park at sunrise?”
I start. “You want to stay out all night at a park?”
“Well, from the look on your face, you hate the idea.”
“I didn’t say I hate it.”
“Your right eye twitched. You do that when you’re emotional. It’s a tell. You twitched.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“You did. You do it when you play poker or when one of the pledges is getting on your nerves. Once you did it in the elevator with me. Truth? I was kinda enraptured, gleeful almost, hoping it was me and I was irritating you. Was I?”
“It’s dark in here. You got X-ray vision?” I ask.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Are you a good liar, River?”
“Excellent.”
“No! You twitch when you lie. It just happened! The skin right under your eye moved.”
“If, and I say if I’m twitching, it’s because you’re a diabolical woman! You really don’t want to get out of this truck, do you?”
“Diabolical? Me? You’re the literal devil, so we’re even. Your middle name is Lucius, which is oddly close to Lucifer. Bring up one little nervous tic, and you have a meltdown—”
“I’m not melting down!”
She arches her brows. “I know. We’re bantering.”
“No, we’re arguing.”
“You twitched!”
I cover my eyes with my hands then slowly let them fall. “If I’m the twitching devil, you’re his crazy henchman.”
She smiles, a sad one. “Sure, whatever you say. I have an idea: let’s drive around and talk about The Outsiders. We’ll compare notes. It’s the only thing we have in common. I enjoy football, but honestly, it’s mostly for the warrior attitude, and the tight pants. I wish one of the players would have a crush on an opposing player. I’ve imagined them throwing off their helmets and kissing… Okay, okay, I can see by your face, you aren’t on board. I never pictured you doing that, so…yeah, I’ll shut up now.”
“You daydream about footballers getting it on?”
“Just once. Two defensive players. Big guys. Very masculine.” She shrugs. “I read MM sometimes.”
No clue what MM is and I’m afraid to ask. “I can’t stay out all night. I have girls at the party to go bang.”
Her eyes narrow. “You twitched!”
I huff out a wondering laugh.
“Alright, Anastasia. I’ll just drive.”
A victorious half-smile crosses her lips. “Just let me check on June.”