Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 167671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 838(@200wpm)___ 671(@250wpm)___ 559(@300wpm)
“She got away,” I say.
“I confronted her. Told her I knew she stole from me. She told me to fucking prove it.”
My jaw drops. “Holy sh—”
“We have the fucking proof!” Heath growls as he fishes the hearing aid from his pocket. “This is all the proof we need.”
“She’ll just say she dropped it in the grass.” Silas shrugs. “We gotta have something better, something that irrefutably proves she’s a thief.”
“If she really is the thief, wouldn’t it help finding out why she stole from you guys?” I ask.
They both look at me like I’m onto something.
“I mean, we could talk to her. Try to figure it out.”
“And catch her in the act,” Silas adds.
“I didn’t—”
“Good thinking, bud.” Heath grabs my shoulder and squashes me against his pecs, and I don’t even know what to say. “We’re going to make her talk.”
“I scared her so much, I doubt she’ll say another word to me,” Silas says, folding his arms.
“Maybe not to you, but she might talk to him.”
Heath glances down at me, and I frown, confused.
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah, you can talk to her and make her confess,” Silas reiterates.
“What makes you think I’m good at lying to people?” I ask.
“Oh, c’mon, it’s not that difficult,” Heath says.
Silas’s brow rises. “It’s not lying if you like her.”
“You like her?” Heath asks.
A blush creeps onto my cheeks. “It’s nothing, I—”
“He couldn’t keep his eyes off her,” Silas jests.
“Is that true?” Heath’s arrogant smile makes it hard to focus. “Does Max have a crush?”
I roll my eyes. “Fuck me, this is embarrassing.”
Both boys laugh.
“It’s perfect, bro,” Heath says. “She’ll never suspect someone who’s swooning head over heels at the thought of kissing her.”
“Do you really think I could do that?”
“Of course!” He grabs me and turns me around to lock eyes with me. “You go talk to her. Seduce her. Make her trust you.” He leans in and whispers, “And when we have her right where we want her … you will convince her to admit she’s the thief.”
Ivy
Years ago
“I’m home!”
Dad’s voice rings through the hallways, and I jump up from the couch and immediately sprint to hug him tightly like I do every day when he comes home from work.
He hugs me back, laughing. “God, one of these days, you’re going to squeeze the rest of my life out of me with those strong arms.”
I giggle as he leans over to kiss me on the forehead. “Dad, I got an A plus on my test! Wanna see?” I’m jumping up and down with excitement as I hold up my paper for him to see.
“Really?” The beaming smile on his face makes me feel proud. “You did great, sweetie. If you keep this up, you’ll definitely get into Spine Ridge University one day.”
“YES!” I yell.
Suddenly, he begins to cough, and I hold my breath while he struggles and clutches the table next to him. Mom jumps in to whisk him away while he keeps coughing and drops my paper on the floor.
“S-sorry, sweetie, I n-need a f-few minutes,” he stammers, coughing up heaps.
The smile dissipates off my face while I look down at the paper, as a splotch of blood slowly spreads on it like venom seeping into the ink…
And into my hopeful heart.
Present
I put my bag on the counter and lock the door, but when two warm hands envelop me, I jolt up and down.
“Ivy!”
Smiling, I turn around and kneel for little Cora, whose hands barely fit around my body.
“Hey, sweetie,” I murmur. “What are you doing out of bed? It’s way past your bedtime.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I miss you,” she says, rubbing her little face into me.
“I missed you too,” I say, hugging her tight. “How was your day?”
“Mrs. Schwartz is mean. I don’t like her.”
I sigh. “I’m sorry. I’ll ask her to be a bit nicer.”
I wish I didn’t have to leave her with my neighbor every day, but I have to work and study so I can at least provide us with a better future.
“Can you tell her I don’t like peanut butter on my sandwich?”
I frown. “What? You don’t like peanut butter? Since when.”
She shakes her head. “Not anymore. I want chocolate cereal and milk.”
I rub my lips together. “I get that … it’s just that it’s very expensive.”
She pouts and averts her eyes, and I know she’s disappointed. So am I. This life was not the one I had envisioned.
I place my hands on her shoulders. “You know what? Once I get that next check from the club, I’m going to get you some chocolate cereal.”
The pure spark of hope in her eyes makes this all worth it. “Really?”
I nod, and she hugs me even tighter.
“Thank you!”
I rub her back, knowing full well I will have to keep my promise now, no matter how much it costs me. The only problem is that check will never provide enough for us to afford that expensive brand of cereal.