Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Damn, Rachel is sassy.
A bitch—well, we all knew she could be one of those—but sassy... that’s new.
The shack’s thin walls do little to muffle the fireworks outside. My brain is still nothing but hot mush, but the drama turns my stomach even more than the fever. I squeeze my eyes shut, and I wish I could unplug my ears. I don’t want to hear this, don’t want to know any more than I already do. Let me go back to sweet, delirious blackout.
But my curiosity gets the better of me, and so I keep listening.
Rachel must toss something—there’s a solid thunk and a muffled fuck from Kellen. A second later, he storms away, boots crunching, and then it’s just Rachel, pace-pacing back and forth alone. She mutters to herself, rage and heartbreak wound up together. I almost want to laugh, but I’m still too busy holding my own fractured pieces together.
Less than five minutes later, Rachel appears at the front of the shack, and her eyes widen when she notices me staring. “Thought you were asleep,” she says, voice lower, more careful. She hesitates, steps further in, arms crossed tight. “Let me guess, you heard all that.”
I nod, and then cough as I shift, moving my tired body into a more upright position. “You know this island isn’t big enough for secrets, right?”
Rachel is silent, jaw working a little. “Guess not.” She comes to sit at the foot of my bed, knees drawn up, chin on top. She stares at the floor for a long time, as if memorising every splinter. I do feel bad for her, even though Aggie is my best friend. I can see that it’s hurting her and that is never a nice feeling. Especially when you have feelings for someone.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and genuinely, I mean it. “He’s a dick.”
Her mouth tugs up at the side, a ghost-smile at best. She turns, picks at a fraying strand on my bed, and finally says, “So, what part did you hear?”
“Enough,” I answer quietly. “You and Kellen. And Aggie.” I stop there, because even speaking her name tastes like guilt.
She exhales. “Fuck.” After a moment, she says, “I’m sorry you are caught in the middle now.”
Damn.
That is absolutely not where I want to be.
She keeps her gaze away from mine but keeps talking. “It’s stupid, because I never even liked guys like him. The ones that stomp instead of walk. The ones that make everything a contest. But when we crashed here? I just wanted not to be afraid. He was good at that.” She wipes her cheek—one angry tear, swatted away before it can fall. “And now I find out he’s just been using me to pass the time until something better comes along. Well, he has already found something better, hasn’t he?”
Damn, she really likes him. “Did he say that?”
Rachel laughs. “He didn’t have to. You heard him. He’s never ‘promised’ me anything. Meanwhile, Aggie is out there thinking that he is into her, too, just like I did.” She finally looks at me, and her eyes are sharp—more angry than sad, thank god. “Don’t tell her, Grace. Please. It will only cause drama, and we have been through so much.”
I hesitate.
Instinct tells me I should do the right thing, and tell Aggie, but at the same time, I don’t want to get in the middle of whatever this is. I’m conflicted, but Rachel is telling me something that matters to her, and she doesn’t do that, so I feel like I owe it to her to do what she’s asking. “Okay, I won’t say anything, but I think you should tell her. I’m not just saying that because she is my friend, but because both of you deserve to know the truth.”
Her eyes soften. “I will, I promise you that. I just can’t deal with her falling apart right now, not after everything else. She was really scared when you were sick, Grace.”
My heart skips a beat, and I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. “I understand. Thanks for confiding in me. I know we’re not that close, but being out here...”
She nods, cutting me off, her eyes glistening. I haven’t seen this kind of emotion from Rachel since Iris died. “I know what you mean,” she whispers.
My eyes sting. “We’ll get through this.”
She smiles, maybe the first real smile she has ever pointed in my direction. “I really am glad you’re not dead, Gracie.”
Gracie.
She has never called me that before.
My heart swells.
She leaves before I can respond. I hear her footsteps fade away, and then I’m alone again, the silence thick and humming. I try to sleep, but my head is loud with what I know and all the things I can’t say. Not to mention everything hurts. Even though I am feeling better, it still feels like I have been run over by a train.