Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20977 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20977 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 105(@200wpm)___ 84(@250wpm)___ 70(@300wpm)
“Are you serious?”
“Very. So it’s probably best if you don’t see each other for a while.”
“It’s not like I ever did.” I pause a beat, deciphering her meaning. “Are you saying you don’t want to be friends with me anymore?”
“Girl, please. It’s not that I don’t want you to see him, and I know you want to be by his side, but it’s going to be hard enough for him to get through his recovery and then to fight his feelings for you.” Tears fill my eyes. It’s been terrible, knowing that he’s been avoiding me, but this is worse. “Even still, ignore what I said. It’s not like he can do anything with half his body in traction.”
“He has feelings for me?” I ask, ignoring all the rest because I can’t get past the revelation.
“Duh. You didn’t get it. The man made sure you didn’t have a chance to find a date to the prom with my other brothers following you around. Hell, for a minute, I wondered if Benji warned all the boys away or was it the constant hovering they did whenever we went anywhere.” I think about that for a minute and wonder if she’s right. Could he really feel that way? It seemed so much more personal in the room a minute ago and certainly not brotherly.
How am I supposed to avoid Dean for so long? I guess it's not really that hard since he spent the past year avoiding me like the plague. I only saw him once, months ago as we were picking out our prom dresses. He'd had a smile on his face until he saw me. Then it was as if I ruined his life. My heart sank when I heard his father say that he had girl problems. I never found out about that woman, but I always hoped in my heart that they were referring to me since his mood changed the second I arrived.
Dean's the most handsome man I've ever met, and my soul won’t let him go. When James burst through Emily's bedroom door and broke the news to us, I thought I'd just about faint. It took everything in me to stay standing. We rushed to the hospital forgetting all about prom. After all, I really didn’t want to go with anyone else but Dean.
For hours we waited for him to wake, impatiently stalking the halls. His partner offered to have one of the officers drive me home, but Benji set him straight and said that I have to stay. It felt like eternity waiting and when he did wake it was so wonderful.
Goodness, when he wrapped me up in his arms, I felt like the world was right again. I've missed him so much that the past year has been brutal. I almost made an excuse to call Emily, hoping he’d come to my work and pick me up himself, but I couldn’t do that to Em. She’s a fantastic friend and that would be a violation of her trust. I take our friendship seriously because she’s the only true friend I have. I only go to her school because my old school pulled in a couple of favors. I’m from the wrong side of town compared to the incredible Evans family.
My parents are doing their best to make it financially, but my father's always been the person to dream big with get rich quick schemes and then he fails at actually putting in the effort when success doesn't automatically come. He’s always looking for the next big deal which leads to a significant debt and nothing to show for it.
We've moved again for the tenth time in as many years and our move here has been our biggest one. I'm afraid he's going to want us to move again. Before I left for Emily’s he was on the phone and I didn’t like the tone of the conversation. I don't know if I can handle moving away from here. I'm less than a few months shy from my eighteenth birthday and I don't have enough money to live on my own just yet. I've already been accepted into Boston College for the fall, but until then I'll be homeless.
“Girls, let’s go say goodbye to Dean and then we’re going to head home for the night,” Mrs. Evans says. She takes my hand when I fail to take a step forward.
The guys are just walking out when Emily gives her brother another hug. I move into position next and he gives me the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. It’s clear he’s drugged up and a minute from passing out. “Don’t fall in love with anyone else before you turn eighteen,” he says, slurring the last bit.
“I can’t. You stole my heart,” I whisper, leaning down and kissing his cheek. “Get better, Dean.” I run my fingers through his hair before turning around and rushing out of the room before I make a fool of myself. When I exit, the entire family’s outside of the room, waiting for me. I hadn’t realized that they gave us a brief moment of privacy.