Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
She spins, a professional smile on her face. "Yes, can I help you?"
"I'm a friend of Maybel Jacobs. I was here trying to get some information and then it occurred to me that you might be able to give me an answer."
"I'd be happy to help."
She actually sounds genuine. Imagine that.
"Is it possible that the illness Ms. Jacob's suffered from could have been caused by long-term poison exposure as a young woman?"
She blinks once, her smile slipping away. "Excuse me?"
"I know it's a strange question. But you guys were treating it like a cancer. Could the cancer, or whatever, be caused by poison over a long period?"
There's a moment when she casts her eyes down, considering. "Let me look at the files, but I'm not sure."
The hesitance in her voice is really all the answer I need. "Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate your time."
I walk away, my world spinning. Now, I need to figure out how to tell Bel my father is the one responsible for everything. And then I need to figure out how to keep Seb on a tight leash until this is all done so he doesn't blow shit up before I can begin.
20
BEL
The library still feels weird, but I’m not giving up. I'm still wearing a hundred-dollar jeans, and all my textbooks are brand new, even creaking slightly when I open them, which I will admit to no one is really satisfying. My old ones had been open and closed so many times the spines were loose. Nothing loose about these shiny babies.
I also have to admit it's nice to just come to the library and not have to worry about tutoring, about appointments and money. The thought instantly makes me think of Mom, who was always just doing her best, and guilt swamps me.
Here I am, happy about new textbooks, and she's dead. The joy over the book recedes under the heavy weight of my grief. Shit. I hate how this happens. One minute, I'm fine, and the next, it hits me like I've forgotten somehow, as fresh and raw as the day I found out.
I stare at the ceiling to keep the tears from falling, and once I feel like I'm not going to splatter my shiny new books with tears, I try to go back to studying.
A buzzing sound drags me out of the book, and I check my phone. A text from Seb.
Sebastian: I'll meet you at the library.
I roll my eyes and shake my head. Not 'Can I meet you at the library?' Nothing so gracious as a request. It makes me sigh but I shoot him a text back.
Maybel: Sure, I'll be here. But what if I'd already gone home?
It takes only a minute for him to respond.
Sebastian: Funny, you never leave the library if you can help it. I'll be there soon.
I return my attention to the book in front of me and only stop when the touch of a soft hand resting on my shoulder pulls me out of my fixation.
Sebastian greets me with a nod, then comes around the other side of the table to take the other chair. "Always studying," he says, his voice low since this is a more quiet area at the moment.
"I'm still not completely caught up on things. All the teachers have been very kind to me and are allowing me as much flexibility as I need, but I feel like I won't get back to normal until I'm caught up, and..." I leave off, thinking.
"And?" There's something in his tone, question, and something softer.
I shake my head. "I just want to get caught up."
He studies me. "You miss your friend."
"My friend?" I scoff. "I hope you aren’t talking about Jackie. She deserves the hole she's dug for herself."
"Well, I think you’ll be happy to know she won’t be making any reappearances in your life. I had a chat with her to make certain of it and discovered that she was only helping Drew’s dad because he promised her a place at one of his offices when she graduates.”
The air squeezes out of my chest. “That’s it? She threw away our whole friendship for an internship, with an asshole to boot?”
He shrugs. “You can never really account for people’s ambition. I think you're lonely, though, am I right?"
"How could I be lonely with your company and Drew breathing down my neck every few minutes?"
“There are varying degrees of loneliness, Bel. There's the type when you’re in a room with a bunch of people but still feel like you have no one, which I think is the worst kind. Then there’s the type when you’re simply alone and unwilling to make new friends, so you cause your own loneliness.”
“I hope you don’t think I’m paying you for this session because I’m not.”
He smirks. “I’m not trying to psychoanalyze you. I just don’t want your loneliness to eat away at you. No offense but you had limited friends before everything happened. Now there’s no one.”