Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“Okay, lets switch up teams,” Troy suggests when the guys win, then his eyes come to me. “Penny, you come over here. Ian, you take her spot.”
I want to say no, that I’m going to sit this game out, but Ian is under the net, pushing Sammy to the back, before I can. I walk around the net and start to take up the same spot I was in on the other side, but Ryan shakes his head at me. “No, you’re up front.”
“So you want to lose?” I ask, and he chuckles.
“You’re up first,” Troy says, placing the ball in my hands, and my eyes widen. “You’ve got this babe. Just get it over the net.”
I doubt I’ve got this. Still, I step back and hold the ball up with one hand and hit it with the other. It shockingly goes over the net, and Ian sends it back toward Troy, who blocks it and sends it crashing to the ground on their side of the net, giving us one point. Troy serves, and when it goes to Mel, she looks at me, and I know that she no longer cares that I said I suck at this game.
She sends it flying toward me, and I thankfully block it before it can take me out, and it heads toward Ian. Like she did to me, she steps in front of him to get it, but with his bulk, she’s unable to move him out of the way. And so he doesn’t accidentally punch her in the face, he lets the ball fall, and it lands on the ground, giving me a point. Okay, it’s a point for our team, but it feels like a victory for me, so I jump up and down.
“Good job, Penny!” Sammy cheers, and Mel glares at her. “What? She did good.” She shrugs and laughs.
“You’re up, babe.” Troy tosses me the ball, and now high off victory, I do exactly what I did before, but this time the ball hits the net and flies back at me. I fumble to catch it but don’t, and it rolls under the net.
“My turn.” Mel picks up the ball and tosses it in the air before punting it in my direction with so much force that the sound of her hitting it ricochets through the air. I don’t stand a chance as the ball flies at me, and I don’t have time to cover my face before it’s smashing into my forehead and the bridge of my nose.
“Oh no,” I breathe when a gush of warm liquid seeps between my fingers and my eyes start to water.
“Shit.” Troy rushes over, pulling off his T-shirt and shoving it against my face.
“I think I’m done playing,” I tell him, holding the fabric against my bloody nose, and he chuckles.
“Let’s go get you some ice.”
“Penny, are you okay?” Sammy jogs up to me, followed by Ryan and Ian, as Troy ushers me toward the bonfire.
“Yeah.”
“Does it feel broken?” Janelle asks worriedly with Eva at her side wringing her hands together.
“I don’t think so.” I assure her even though I have no idea what a broken nose actually feels like.
“Sit and I’ll bring you some ice,” Troy says gently, and I take a seat in the chair I left behind earlier.
“You stay with her I got the ice.” Ian pats his brother’s shoulder and jogs off.
“Sorry about that,” Mel says, coming up to stand next to Sammy.
“It’s okay.”
“Tip your head back,” Janet orders hovering over me at my side, and I do, then almost gag when I feel blood slide down the back of my throat.
“Let me see.” Troy squats down in front of me grabbing my wrist. Slowly he pulls the shirt away, and his eyes roam over my nose and the rest of my face. “It’s slowing down.”
“That’s good, right?” I ask pressing the fabric back against my nose.
“Yeah babe that’s good.” He grins.
“What the fuck happened?” Jace barks, and I peek around Troy’s shoulder and find him storming in our direction.
“Mel smashed her in the face with the volleyball,” Troy says, standing, and Jace turns his head her way and gives her a look that has me panicking even though it’s not directed at me.
“It was an accident,” I tell him quickly, then add, “And totally my fault.”
“Right.” He takes Troy’s spot in front of me and bends down so his face is in mine. “Let me see,” he demands, and I slowly pull the cloth away and watch his jaw twitch.
“I’m okay.” I wipe under my nose with a clean spot on the shirt and am relieved when I don’t see much fresh blood come away.
“Here, put this on it,” Ian says, joining us once again, and he passes Jace over a bag of ice.
“Thanks.” I cringe, then look up at Troy and hand him his tee. “Sorry about your shirt.”