Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64727 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
“Ugh!” Rafe flopped onto his pillow theatrically. “I’m not doing it.”
“You’re not?”
“No, I can’t in good conscience lie to a million people. It’s wrong. Sure, maybe the exposure would be enough to whomever gets left off the roster, but it’s cheating.” He squeezed his eyes shut briefly. “I’m embarrassed that I’ve let it go this far. Whatever this is. I rarely see Eli outside of the rink so I can’t believe anyone believes we’re in a relationship. It’s one thing to let the skating community at Smithton think we’re something we’re not, but to blast a lie on social media is just…no. I’ll talk to Walker tomorrow, and…grovel.”
“Walker’s cool. It’ll be okay.”
Rafe blew a raspberry. “Maybe, but Eli may throw me off a bridge. We’re in fierce competition for a spot now. I heard Smithton will get four entries—a duo, one for women’s individual, and one for men’s. Only one. It’s me or him. Not both of us.”
“You could make the interview about that,” I suggested.
“Maybe, but I think it’s best to concentrate on training. No games.”
“He’s worried that you’re doing too well.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“I do. Not everyone is going to be happy for you when you kick ass and take names. That’s how it goes.”
Rafe hummed thoughtfully. “Speaking of kicking ass and taking names…did you talk to your parents about your new job?”
I winced. “No.”
“Gus. You’re making it worse than it has to be. Unless…are you waffling?”
“Waffling? The only waffling I do is at a fucking IHOP.”
Rafe snickered. “Aren’t you supposed to get pancakes at the International House of Pancakes?”
“I don’t think they’re enforcing that law, and this might be controversial, but I’m choosing a waffle over a pancake any day.”
“Those are strong words.”
“I stand by them. Crispy waffle pockets hold the syrup till you need it instead of soaking the edges and leaving you with soggy pancakes and—”
“Gus?”
“Yeah?”
He captured my chin, stroking my end-of-day beard as he peered into my eyes. “Call your mom. Trust me…you’ll feel better.”
“Augustus, darlin’, your timing is oddly impeccable. I was just about to call you.”
“Oh, yeah?”
I picked at a loose thread on my sweatpants absently and fixed my gaze at the dazzling sunlight dancing on the surface of the lake. I must have skipped fifty stones before I’d finally pushed Send. A hit off a joint would have worked wonders or even an early morning beer. But it was just me out here now.
“Yes. Honey, I’m a little beside myself. I thought you’d talked to Derek Collinsworth. I thought your internship was a done deal. You said you’d call him,” Mom accused in a smooth-as-molasses tone.
“I did.”
Mom gasped. “Did that weasel turn you down? What happened? Tell me everything, and don’t you dare leave out a single detail.”
“I didn’t call him immediately. I had other options to consider and—”
“What options?” she intercepted.
And here we go.
“I was offered a coaching job at Smithton High. The head coach of the Varsity program needs an assistant, and they’re looking for a freshman English teacher. I accepted and I’m…excited. As soon as it was finalized, I called Mr. Collinsworth to thank him. I had to leave a message. His secretary said he was at Martha’s Vineyard with his family. Not to worry, I was super polite. So…it’s all good.”
Silence. And not the pleasant kind.
“I didn’t raise a fool. Don’t you dare act like one,” Mom snapped in an ice-cold tone that tore through my defenses in one fell swoop.
“Mom, I’m not—”
“Don’t. Not a word. This has gone on far too long. You can’t stay in college forever, sugar. It’s not the way the world works. You need to earn an honest living. We taught you better than this. How do you think you’d survive on a teacher’s wage? Not well. You’ll have no money, no prospects. Women don’t want that. How are you gonna find a wife? How are you gonna support your children?”
“I don’t have a wife, I don’t have kids, and—”
“I don’t know why it’s always up to me to talk sense into the boys in this family,” she continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Your brothers did this too. Silly notions of being rock stars and professors are just that…silly. Use your education for good. That’s what your grandfather expected of you. It’s what your father and I expect too. So, let me tell you what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna call Derek Collinsworth’s office and assure him that you couldn’t be more excited to start that internship. I want this done today, you hear me, Augustus?”
A robin perched on a low-hanging branch, staring at me. Okay, maybe it didn’t notice me at all. But I liked this version better. This tiny bird had a…well, a bird’s-eye view of some spectacular Langley dysfunction and was probably judging the hell out of me.