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)
“Dude, I can’t judge,” Finn chimes in, bending in his way to make Blake feel better. “I spent four weeks in hospital waiting rooms for Scottie.”
“That’s what I’m saying.” Blake wraps his arm around Finn’s shoulder, happy with the solidarity. “When you know, you fucking know. Right, Finn?”
Finn looks across the room at Scottie, I look at Julia, and Blake looks at Lexi. Three poor saps, just begging the universe to put them out of their misery.
“When you know, you know,” Finn agrees.
Yep. When you know, you motherfluffing know.
Now, I just have to convince Julia to get rid of the guy she’s dating, fall in love with me, and somehow maintain the years of trust, comfort, and assurance our friendship has brought to our lives. Easy, right?
Mercifully, thanks to Cynthia Patreetus, come the start of the semester, Julia will be seeing me all day, every day, and I’ll really be able to kick this dog and pony show into gear.
Speaking of dog, we also have our furbaby son, Yoko. Another important reason that keeps us bonded together like glue.
But when it comes to my best friend and love of my life, I’m not a slacker and I’m not just going to leave anything up to chance. I’m going to keep finding ways and reasons and situations—even if I have to create them—to put me in her vicinity and showcase all the important traits that make me the perfect man for her.
Day and night, my plan to win Julia’s heart no longer holds regular office hours. This is twenty-four seven, baby, and the stakes are higher than ever.
Tuesday, Aug 5th
Julia
Hello, sophomore year.
I can’t believe summer is done and today marks the first official day of my sophomore year at Dickson, but here I am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for my first class of the day.
Students filter into the classroom ahead of me, taking seats in the last three rows mostly, and chatting animatedly with their friends. Since this is a nine a.m. class, everyone is a little more awake than the poor souls who didn’t know better than to skip first-hour sessions and excited to be back for another year of parties, sports, and maybe, if they have time, a little bit of learning.
Always a bit of an anomaly, I take one of the free seats in the first row and put my backpack in the chair next to me to save it for Drew. He texted before and asked me to save him a seat since he got held up at the coffee cart grabbing us both drinks, and I’ve never shied away from a showdown for a seat when necessary. Movie theaters, planes, trains—I have no problem saying something is taken.
Maybe it’s my best friend Ace’s influence, but for some reason, it’s one of the only forms of confrontation that doesn’t make me the least bit uncomfortable.
I survey the group around me surreptitiously, looking for familiar faces from last year, and a few stand out immediately. The only problem? They don’t stand out in a good way. Higgins and Holston Hobbs are notorious class clowns and interruption seekers. I have no idea who they paid off to pass last semester, but I don’t remember them passing even a single test in Calc 1. Today, they’re wearing matching penguin pajama onesies.
I take out my phone and text Drew quick.
Me: Got our seats in the front row secured.
Drew: Awesome, babe. Be there shortly.
Smiling to myself, I toggle over to my message thread with Scottie to answer the one that came in right before I got into the building.
Scottie: If Dr. Nick can’t heal me like he says he can, I hope he can at least write a prescription for a lightning-fast motorized chair. Getting around campus in the rush is a PITA.
Me: Now, now, none of that talk. We’re staying optimistic, remember? These are Lexi’s genes we’re talking about. And you said he sounded super confident.
A little under a week ago, Scottie had her first consult with Lexi Winslow’s dad and renowned neurosurgeon, Dr. Nick Raines, about her paralysis from a traumatic cheerleading injury in the spring. All the doctors involved in treating her before said the chance of getting any use of her legs back was extremely limited, but Lexi’s dad isn’t convinced. He’s been working on new research in Germany, and he thinks there’s a chance for surgery and rehabilitation. After everything Scottie’s been through—her family trauma is so unimaginably heavy—I want it for her more than I’ve ever wanted anything for myself.
She’s an amazing person. She deserves every opportunity in life and to actually catch a break for once.
Scottie: He did. But I guess I just…don’t wanna get my hopes up too high, you know?
Me: I get that. But I’ll hope for the both of us, okay?
Scottie: Thanks, Jules. ☺