Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 91560 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91560 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
And one thing is for sure: I am not going to let her down.
If I get the pleasure of watching her father crumble, it will be an added bonus.
24
MAYA
“Wait. What are you doing?” Looking down, I find Tucker’s hand closed over mine as we leave the parking lot to cross campus.
“What do you think? I’m holding your hand. Try to relax and go with it.”
“Why? You do realize we’re not actually boyfriend and girlfriend, right?” I offer that with a brief chuckle, like it’s a joke, but the way my insides are quaking is no joking matter. I can’t help but look around to make sure nobody’s watching.
“Yeah, I know that, but you could try to not be so insulting,” he mutters. When a pair of girls eye us with surprise, he jerks his chin in greeting, and they look away. Almost like he’s daring them to say something. But why? What is he up to now?
“You could try to stop acting like I’ve got cooties,” he mutters through his teeth. “It’s for the best right now that we do this. Just trust me, okay?”
Sure. Why not ask me to live without breathing while we’re at it? Trusting him is the one thing I know I cannot do, but on the other hand, what choice do I have? He’s the closest thing to a protector in my life, which is really saying something. Things have gotten pretty bad if he is my salvation.
“You know everybody is going to have opinions about this, right?” Why do I care what they think about him? I don’t owe him anything. I didn’t ask him to protect me last night. I didn’t ask him to lie to his parents today about us being together. Maybe I need to stop trying to make any sense of him, since it’s impossible.
The recent memory of Wren’s guilt over telling him about the club makes me sigh as we walk. Like I need something else on my mind. “He was determined to get the truth out of me,” she explained in a whisper while we were in her room, grabbing things for me to wear. “Really, he was so upset. I sort of got the idea he likes you. Is that true? What is happening with you two?”
If only I could tell her, but that would mean understanding it myself. In the end, she only did it because she cared—I’m still not super happy about it, but I know things would have gone so much worse if he wasn’t there. It’s one thing to have pride, but I’m not going to be a stupid jerk about it.
And why would I bother, anyway, when there are so many people willing to take the job for me? Like the girl who barks out a laugh when she sees us coming. “You are fucking kidding, right?”
I know that voice. I know the complete disdain dripping from it. I still hear it sometimes in my dreams, like I’m back on that bathroom floor, forced to pose for a photo she’ll send to half the school.
“Don’t give her what she wants,” Tucker warns, squeezing my hand a little harder as we continue walking while Tiana waits for us, standing directly in our path. She folds her arms, popping one hip out to the side, snickering while staring at our joined hands. “Is it April Fools’ Day? Did I miss it on the calendar?”
“No, it’s Be A Bitch For No Reason Day,” Tucker retorts. “And it looks like you’re totally prepared.”
Oh, no. I don’t know if I want to laugh or cringe when Tiana turns her rage filled gaze on me. She’s going to make me pay for that remark. I just know it. Even if it was kind of fun to watch him take her down a peg or two, like she deserves. She deserves a lot worse than that, really.
Waving a hand at me, she demands, “Her? You’re seriously holding hands with her?” By now, she’s attracted a lot of attention, which I’m sure was the general idea in the first place. There are plenty of people now pausing instead of passing by and minding their own business. Since when is my life open to the public? Why does anybody care?
Instead of letting me hurry off the way I want to, Tucker holds me in place. “Get out of the way. Sorry if you’re jealous—though I’m really not sorry,” he confesses with a smirk. If anything, it’s actually sort of nice hearing him act this way with her. Now I know I wasn’t the only one he was capable of being so cruel to. And maybe if she hadn’t been so unforgivable toward me, I would feel sorry for her. I know what it’s like, being publicly humiliated by him.
But this is Tiana in front of me. Tiana who has never missed an opportunity to torment me. When I think about it that way, it looks like she’s getting exactly what she deserves.