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 haven’t seen her much since we’ve been like two ships passing in the night—me with wrangling volunteers in secret locations and figuring out how to stage death scenes and her with study groups, lunch with Scottie or Kayla, and some TA thing she’s helping Scottie with that’s focused on students with disabilities on campus. I’m pretty sure at one point, she even had to run home to Jersey to do a family dinner or something.
It’s been busy. But I’m so fucking ready to see her I can hardly stand myself.
I move through the party, eyes focused on finding Julia within the crowd. A few girls try to chat me up, one chick in a pink dress that shows a lot of leg even wraps her arm around my shoulders, but I politely disengage and stay on task.
Sure, Ace Kelly is a lover of beautiful women. But Ace Kelly only wants to love one woman, so if your name isn’t Julia Brooks, you might as well be as dead to me as I was in the fountain a couple hours ago.
I spot her eventually, near a kegerator, her pretty face scrunched up in hilarity as she laughs about something in that adorable way of hers. By default, I look for Scottie or Finn or Blake or Kayla, expecting them to be the reason for her joy, but instead, I find that douche Drewbacca standing close and moving some errant hair out of her eyes.
You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.
I thought she was done with this guy. I mean, it’s been weeks since she’s mentioned him at all, and suddenly they’re all cozy at my fucking party? Pfft.
Whatever. I’ve had to deal with his lame ass before, and whatshisface is boring anyway. He’s predictable. He’s clearly not the kind of man Julia Brooks falls in love with.
They’re talking and laughing, and even though I want to barge in between and shove the bastard out of here and onto the third rail of the closest subway stop, I decide to be a gentleman and pause my steps. I don’t need to interrupt. He’ll time himself out soon.
And then, I’ll step in and find a way to get my girl alone, away from the crowd and the noise.
I tuck behind a corner of the wall, leaning into the plaster and checking my fingernails for dried fake blood. I scrubbed hard, but that shit is invasive.
Peering around the corner, I look back to Julia and Boring Bozo, expecting them to be wrapping shit up any minute, but if anything, they seem to be standing even closer than before.
Her smile is still firmly in place, and his grubby fingers are dancing all over her hip now. I frown and shove away from the wall.
Drew finally pulls back a little, but instead of stepping away, he turns toward the crowd around them, his voice loud enough to cut through the music.
“Julia,” he says, and he has this stupid half grin on his face. “I wasn’t planning to do this in front of, like, half the university, but here we are.”
They have the attention of more than me now, and the chill that runs down my spine is more reminiscent of December than September.
“What are you doing?” she asks. Her voice is much softer, and I don’t miss the way her teeth dig into her bottom lip because she’s feeling awkward, but she’s still smiling—which isn’t a surprise since she’s too nice to be anything but a good sport.
I’m about two seconds away from stepping in and saving her when Doucheburger picks back up on his spiel.
“Julia Brooks, we’ve been out four times this week.” Drew holds up his fingers as he counts. “Tuesday, dinner. Wednesday, trivia. Thursday, that family party at your parents’ house. And tonight. That’s four dates. And I think if we combine those four really fantastic dates with all the fun and amazing times we had together this summer, it feels like it’s time for us to call this what it is, you know?”
They’ve been on four fucking dates this week? And he went to the Brookses’ house? When did this fucking happen?
“Drew?” Julia’s smile is timid but unmistakably charmed. I know because it’s normally the one she points at me. “I don’t know what you’re asking me.”
Drew takes her hand. “Julia Brooks, will you be my girlfriend?”
I’m sorry…what?
The air shifts, but I force myself to wait. Obviously, she’s going to say no, right? I mean, why the fuck would she want to be that schmuck’s girlfriend?
Julia hesitates for a second. But then, she nods. It’s soft, it’s small, but it’s there. And when she says, “Yes,” I have to look down at my chest to make sure someone didn’t fucking stab me.
The small crowd around them erupts in cheers and awws and claps and whistles, and Drew’s smile looks like a winning fucking lottery ticket. Overjoyed, he wraps his arm around my girl like it’s the most natural thing in the world and kisses her right there for everyone to see.