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)
I vaguely remember people shouting my name in the bar or stumbling into my building after my also-drunk parents had Nathan drop me off. I’m pretty sure Julia was there and that she was in my apartment at one point, but honestly, it’s all mostly a blur.
When I finally manage to peel my face off the pillow and reach for my phone, I’m hit with a tidal wave of guilt. Twelve missed calls. Nine texts. All from Julia.
Shit.
I scan her texts quickly, and each one gets more panicked and worried as the night goes on.
Julia: Hey, hey, what are our big Friday night plans tonight?
Julia: Acer…hello? Where in the hell are you? It’s nearly six. You’re not going to leave your bestie hanging, are you?
Julia: Okay, I’m starting to get a little worried here. It’s nearly 10 and I haven’t heard from you. You’re not in your apartment. Are you okay????
The last and final text came in at nearly two in the morning, and she was so panicked that she was threatening to call the cops to report me missing.
Fuck.
She has no idea what I was doing last night. She has no idea that I was getting initiated as Double C’s newest president or that I went out after to have drinks with Lexi and Connor and my mom. Now it looks like I ghosted her on a Friday night for no good reason. And to make matters worse, I’m still not supposed to say anything, thanks to my vow of eternal fucking secrecy until I die or whatever.
Double fuck.
I hop out of bed, pull on a hoodie, toss some more ibuprofen into my mouth, and head across the hall on quick but slightly unsteady feet. God, I hope she’s not too mad to let me explain.
I knock on Julia’s door like a guy facing a firing squad, holding my phone in one hand and a knot of regret in the other.
When it opens, she looks like she’s ready to go somewhere. She’s wearing her go-to athleisure, her favorite white Nikes are on her feet, and Yoko’s leash is looped around her wrist.
Her beautiful face is poised in an unreadable expression. It’s calm, collected, but it’s not exactly warm.
Yoko barks once, then runs straight for my feet, demanding pets to his head. I oblige, but I never take my eyes away from Julia’s face.
“Hey, Lia,” I say, voice soft. “Can we talk for a sec?”
“I’m actually about to take him for a walk.”
“Yeah, I figured,” I mutter, then hold up my phone. “I just saw all your messages from last night.”
“Okay…”
“Julia…you were really freaked out.”
“Yeah. I was.” She looks away and fixates her gaze on Yoko, who is now lying between us. “I was really worried, Ace. I hadn’t heard from you since class, and you weren’t responding to any of my texts or calls.”
“I know. I know. And I’m sorry.” I step a little closer. “I left my phone here, and I didn’t mean to disappear like that.”
“It’s fine,” she says flatly.
“No, it’s not fine,” I refute. “It was a really dick move to make you worry like that. I’m so sorry.”
She shrugs. “It’s over and done with now.”
Oh boy. She’s definitely pissed at me.
“Did you…uh…help me get inside last night?” I ask, desperate to piece last night’s drunken puzzle together so I can find the right words to explain to her what happened.
She finally meets my gaze. “Yeah.”
Fuck. “Again, I’m so sorry.” I grimace. “How bad was I?”
“Not the worst I’ve seen,” she says with another shrug, then adds, “but you weren’t exactly holding a press conference either.”
I wince. “Thanks for helping me.”
“Of course,” she says, too quickly. “That’s what friends do, right?”
Right. Friends. My favorite prison.
“I wanted to tell you where I was last night. I really did. It’s kind of complicated. I—”
“You don’t have to tell me anything,” she cuts me off as she leans down to clip Yoko’s leash. She’s avoiding my eyes completely now. “Is that all you wanted to chat about?” she asks quickly. “Because I really should get him outside. Pretty sure he has to pee.”
“No, actually, it’s not…” I pause, trying to find the right words. Trying to figure out how to explain it all. Trying to figure out if I can let the whole pact-of-secrecy thing go and tell Julia everything.
I mean, I want to tell her I got inducted as the new president of Double C. I want to tell her that Lexi passed me a cursed phone full of ridiculous last-minute event notes and that my mom made me do tequila shots while my dad challenged a bartender to a push-up contest. I want her to know I wasn’t out with someone else.
Yoko whines before I can even open my mouth again, and that urges Julia to step into the hall with him and shut her door. “I’d better get a move on it,” she says, stepping around me with Yoko’s leash wrapped around her wrist. He’s bouncing around now, whining and trying to tug her toward the elevators. “Do you want to come?”