Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
“So, why?”
“Because Owen Jacobson is a spoiled rich dick. He’s cute so I didn’t mind fucking him, but I heard him talking shit about me with his friends so I figured he may as well fund my tuition at Phoenix College.”
Jule slowly smiled and then he threw his head back and laughed. “How much did you get off him?”
“Five grand.”
“That’s awesome.”
“I know, right? For an abortion! I told him I had to fly to California and stay in a hotel, and he bought all of it. Didn’t even ask for proof. Honestly, I probably could have gotten more out of him, but this is enough to cover both years at PC, including books.”
“Well, hopefully he learned a lesson,” Jule said.
“That little bitch won’t learn a thing from a five-K loss. He probably got it from his mommy and daddy. A lunch tray to the face though…” She grinned at Jule.
“He deserved worse.”
“You broke his nose. I’d say we’re square.” They began walking again and then in a more somber tone, Maria said, “It’s good to see you smile again, Jule.”
“It’s good to smile again,” he said. “Let me know if you need me to fuck someone else up for you. It’s fun.”
“No way. At some point, Tor’ll come back. I don’t need him hearing that I helped you get into trouble. You swing a mean lunch tray, but Tor Dunworthy would find a way to ruin me silently and entirely. I don’t fuck with his kind of heat.” She shook her head. “Nuh uh. One broken nose victim is all you’re getting from me.”
He sighed. “I hope that happens soon.”
She understood what he meant. “Me too.”
Chapter 5 – Age 18
“Hey, Jule. When’d you get here?”
Jule smacked his lips and opened his bleary eyes. “I don’t know. After midnight sometime. Couldn’t sleep.”
“You live in that fancy house and have your own room and clean sheets, and you come to this shithole to get rest?” Tyson asked.
He sat up and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “This is home.”
“Jesus, kid, you look like hell.”
“Feel like it too.”
Tyson sighed, walked over to him, and sat beside him on the couch. “Anyone know you’re here?”
“Of course not. I parked out back.” In his father’s old spot. It had been more than half a year since he was shot in that house, so it was no longer considered a crime scene, but the investigation was still active. If people saw Jule there, they’d have questions that nobody wanted to answer and he’d be on the radar of a psychopath, who was also apparently the head of a cartel, so Jule had to pretend he didn’t know this place and these people. His home. His family.
Nodding, Tyson said, “I saw your car when I walked in from the trailer.”
“I hate this.” He hated that his grandparents were sad. Hated that his mother had somehow gotten even more brittle. Hated that his father, messed up as he had been, was dead. Hated that he had to pretend to be someone else all the time now. But what he hated most of all was that he didn’t have Tor.
“I know,” Tyson said. “How’s school?”
“I’m graduating in a few months.”
“Yeah.” He slid his arm around Jule’s back and ruffled his hair. “That’s great. We’re all proud of you.”
“Tor was supposed to walk with me. We were tied for valedictorian. He was going to be the first person in his family to graduate high school. We were going to go to ASU together.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s not fair.”
“No, it isn’t. But life isn’t fair.”
“What life?” Jule looked at Tyson. “He dropped out of school and disappeared. He’s been gone for seven months. What kind of life is Tor living? Where is he?”
Tyson was quiet for a long time. “He didn’t drop out.”
“What do you mean?” Jule asked, brow furrowing.
“You two geniuses were ahead in everything, right?”
Jule nodded. Tor was the genius and he had dragged Jule along for the ride.
“He had all the classes he needed to graduate.”
“How do you know that?”
Tyson squeezed his neck. “I’ll show you.”
He stood and walked over to the cabinet in the corner where they kept card games and random shit and then he pulled down a box that was wedged on top. “Thought I put it here.” He got an envelope out of the box, put the lid back on, and hefted it to the top of the cabinet again.
“What is that?”
Tyson held his hand out as he walked back over. “Came in the mail in August.”
Jule took the envelope from him, pulled out the paper inside, and unfolded it. “It’s his diploma.”
“Yeah.” Tyson grinned. “He did good. You both did.”
Jule pressed the paper to his chest and tried not to fall apart.
“Hold onto that for him,” Tyson said.