Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 133655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
She turns the second she hears me. “You’re up!”
“Barely,” I croak.
My mom walks over and kisses my forehead like I’m six years old again, brushes my hair back, and inspects me like she’s searching for leftover trauma.
“You scared the hell out of me,” she says. “But Ace kept it together like a champ.”
My heart lurches at the sound of his name.
“He told you what happened?”
Her eyes soften. “He texted me on the way to the ER and kept me updated the entire time until I could get there.”
I search my brain for memories, but the whole night is a fog. “I don’t even remember you being in the ER.”
“Pretty sure that was the drugs they gave you so they could get your hand stitched back together.” She grins at me over her shoulder as she flips bacon on my stove. “You were pretty loopy, girlfriend, when Cassie and I showed up.”
“Oh God.” I drop my face into my good hand. “Please tell me I didn’t say anything awful.”
“Oh, you did,” she says cheerfully, returning to her army of pans. “But it was adorable. Also slightly alarming. You told the nurse she looked like Harry Styles’s sister and then cried when she wouldn’t sing ‘Watermelon Sugar’ for you.”
“That’s embarrassing,” I say through a groan. “Have you been here all night?”
“Yep.” My mom nods. “Cassie helped me get you home. I slept on the couch.”
My mind silently wonders where Ace fits into that story, but the sound of my front door opening stops me from asking.
“Morning, ladies.” My dad’s voice floats through the apartment. “I hear someone decided to become a human blood fountain last night and figured I’d pop in this morning to check out the aftermath myself before heading into work.”
“Hi, Dad.” I can’t not smile as he crosses the room and wraps me in a gentle hug, kissing the top of my head.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
“I’m good.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” He leans back, looking me over. “Leave it to my daughter to faint at the sight of blood.”
My mom snorts. “She gets that from your side.”
My dad laughs. “Oh, Georgia. Shall I remind you of the night of our first date? Benadryl ring any bells?”
“Kline,” my mom chastises, but she also giggles. “Pretty sure Evie has interrogated us enough about how we got together. Let’s move on from it.”
He walks over and wraps his arms around my mom, pressing a kiss to her temple, and she giggles again like they’re newlyweds.
I slam my head into an imaginary wall.
They’ve always been like this. Loud and in love and embarrassingly affectionate. I used to roll my eyes at it as a teenager, but now, I understand their brand of happiness is the goal we’re all shooting for one day.
It’s normally romantic, but with the state of my life right now, it makes me seethe with jealousy. I want it for myself, and unfortunately, I want it with the one boy it feels like I can’t have.
God, last night. My memories are foggy, but I do remember Ace picking me up off the floor and distracting me with terrible lies about new couches. He carried me like I weighed nothing and held my hand while they stitched me back together.
And then he was gone. I don’t know when he left, but at some point after the chaos and the laughter and the pain meds, he apparently slipped out of the ER. No goodbye. No message.
I check my phone instinctively.
One unread text.
Drew: How are you feeling this morning, babe? Think you’re going to make it to class?
My heart sinks.
No texts from Ace. No calls. No nothing.
I stare at my phone for a long minute, debating if I should walk across the hall and knock on his door and ask him why he left. But mostly, I want to thank him for being there for me last night.
Ace has always been there for you.
My phone vibrates in my hand as another text comes in.
Scottie: I know you weren’t planning on going tonight, but pleaseeee come. What time should we meet up with you for Double C?
The big, not-confirmed-but-we-all-know-it’s-happening Double C event for Halloween.
No one knows the time or place yet—it’s always kept secret until the last minute—but the Halloween party is going down. People are already buzzing about it. Another event. Another night Ace will be the center of the universe.
Another night you’ll have to force yourself to stay focused on your boyfriend and not mentally keep tabs on Ace.
I stare at Scottie’s text. The other day, I told her I wasn’t planning on going to it, and even though I didn’t want to be honest with myself on why I didn’t want to go, the Instagram picture of Ace with Glitter Girl was front and center in my mind.
I could still say no, but I don’t.