Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“I am an outsider looking in, absolutely.” — David Bowie
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” — Dr. Seuss
“The worst part about feeling like you don’t belong is trying to find a place to belong.” — Trent Shelton
Interesting. My parents are big David Bowie fans, and of course I know Dr. Seuss, but I’ve never heard of Trent Shelton.
“Hey, Mads.”
She cocks her head toward my voice. “Brianna? What are you doing here?”
“Who’s Trent Shelton?”
“What?”
“The quote on your board.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks redden. “He’s a former NFL player. He’s… He’s a big name in motivation and personal development. That kind of stuff. What’s up?”
“I was talking to Rory and Brock, and we had this fabulous idea. I want to run it by you.”
“Yeah, okay. What?”
“How would you like to take next semester off?”
She moves into a sitting position on her bed. “Why would I do that? It’s my senior year. I know you don’t mind missing all the parties and fun, but I don’t want to.”
I walk toward Maddie and sit on the bed next to her. “Wouldn’t it be more fun to go to Europe? With the band?”
She stares at me intently. “Why would I want to do that?”
“You’re already going for a few weeks, to the UK with Donny and Callie.”
“Yeah.” She breathes in. “I am looking forward to that. But I’ll be back in time to start second semester.”
“Mads, think of it. Sure, you’ll miss all the parties, but I’m missing them too.”
“That was your choice, Bree.”
“I know. But if we go on tour with the band, you’ll be with me.”
“The band is my brother. And sister. And cousin.”
“But three members of Emerald Phoenix aren’t spoken for. And we’ll be in Europe, meeting European men.”
That gets her attention. “All right. Keep talking.”
“I’d really like to go, but Brock and Rory think they’ll be able to sell it to the guys better if you come along. The two of us could room together.”
“I’m not a groupie, Bree.”
“Neither am I.”
She laughs then. A scoffing laugh. “Are you kidding me? I’ve seen how you hang around my brother and the guys over at Murphy’s. You, Gina, and Sage are total groupies.”
I’m not sure how I can retaliate on that one. She’s completely right.
“Okay, so I’m a little bit of a groupie. But that’s not why I want to go on this tour. This is a chance to see Europe, Maddie. I’ll be paying for my own room, so you can stay there free of charge.”
“My parents wouldn’t like that.”
I shrug. “Your parents don’t have to know. As far as they’re concerned, the band is paying for everything.”
“They would know better than that.”
I sigh. “All right, Mads. What will it take—right now—for you to do this? Anything within my power, and it’s yours.”
She closes her book and scrambles off her bed, standing.
“Tell me. Tell me right now. Are you after my brother?”
I blink. “Of course not.”
That’s a lie. But I said I’d do what’s in my power. I didn’t say I’d be completely truthful.
“Do you have any interest in him whatsoever?”
“I think he’s good-looking. I think he’s mega talented. But he’s thirty-two years old, Mads.”
I feel my nose growing by the second.
“What about my cousin?”
“Cage? Of course not.”
No nose enlargement on that one. Cage is handsome, but Jesse is…out of this world.
Maddie sits back down on the bed next to me. She doesn’t say anything for a few minutes.
I rack my brain, trying to come up with something else to nudge her—
“All right. I think it could be fun. Just you and me.”
Yes!
I grab her hands to stop myself from jumping up from the bed in joy. “Absolutely. It’ll be a blast.”
She looks down at her lap. “To tell the truth, I’ve always felt kind of left out of the awesome foursome.”
Hmm. Those inspirational quotes are making some more sense. How could I—and Angie, Sage, and Gina—be so obtuse? “You know you’re an honorary member, Mads. If it weren’t for you, there would be no awesome foursome. You came up with that term.”
“I know. But you guys forget about me so much of the time. The four of you head out to Murphy’s, and you don’t think to invite me.”
“But we won’t have to worry about that if we’re in Europe, will we?”
Maddie rolls her eyes. “You’re not getting it.”
She’s right. I’m not approaching this well at all. If she feels left out, I need to show her she’s important to me. It’s not even a lie. She’s very important to me. She always has been.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt that way. I’ll do better.”
She huffs. “I need to get over it anyway. I’m twenty-two years old. A grown-up. Time to let go of this petty jealousy.”
I squeeze her hand. “This is a perfect opportunity for you and me to do something together. Without the others. It would be a total blast for us to see Europe.”