Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Me: She rubs me the wrong way. All high and mighty—she was looking at me like I was BOTHERING HER when she was the one interrupting ME.
I don’t know what I expect from him; maybe I hope he’ll say something like Why do you care what she thinks? Her opinion of you doesn’t matter. I don’t even care what she does.
But all I get is She wasn’t looking at you like that.
LIKE HELL SHE WASN’T! She was practically looking at me sideways.
The phone buzzes again.
Easton: You are I are just friends. You know that, right?
I roll my eyes; of course I know that. He is forever reminding me.
Me: I am well aware.
My heart pounds as I hit send, and I toss my phone onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
I never thought I would be one of those girls who obsess over some guy’s behavior, analyze every word he says, every look. But here I am, doing exactly that!
The Maddie situation is getting under my skin, and worse, I’m letting it!
When my phone lights up again I sit up, annoyed that this is still on my mind. This friendship/relationship with Easton was a fluke! An accident! He was a means to an end as a prom date, and I’m the one who went and made it personal! Not him.
I’m the problem. Me.
Easton: Look, can I be honest?
I hesitate, my thumb hovering over the screen. Is this where he admits that I’m right and Maddie is overrated? That he’s realized he never had a crush on her in the first place?
Yeah, yeah, dream on, Harper.
Me: I’m listening.
There’s a long pause before his response comes through.
Easton: If it seems like I’ve been wound up it’s coz I haven’t been sleeping the last few nights.
I pause. His answer is unexpected, and more than that, I haven’t noticed if he’s been acting wound up. To me, he’s been acting like his normal self.
Me: Not sleeping? Why?
Easton: I keep thinking about the Parker Lane bullshit. I’ve been so stressed out about it. I keep thinking any fucking second I’ll get caught. Having Callahan stop us in the hallway did not help.
I frown at my phone, thumb hovering over the keyboard.
We’ve been over this; the Parker Lane situation is behind us. Callahan isn’t going to pop out of the bushes and arrest him in the middle of the night. Still. The thought of Easton lying awake, replaying everything over and over, gnaws at me because I care about him.
Guys are so much more sensitive than I realized.
Me: You’re not going to get caught.
Easton: Just because I haven’t already doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Callahan was staring deep into my soul.
Me: Callahan looks at everyone like that. It’s his literal job.
Easton: Yeah, but I DID steal the damn thing and you helped!
I wince.
He’s not wrong.
Guilt twists in my stomach, heavy and relentless. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own worries lately that I didn’t realize how much this has been eating at him. Of course he can’t stop thinking about it!
Me: I know you’re worried. But seriously, it’s over. No one who knows is going to rat you out. You’ve gotta stop overthinking it.
Easton: Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who physically took it.
Me: Okay, but I was there. I’m just as guilty. Remember the flagpole???? You need to stop beating yourself up about this. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.
Easton: MY PARENTS ARE GOING TO KILL ME.
Wow. Clearly his paranoia has ramped up a notch since Callahan gave us the mini cross-examination.
Me: If you were going to get in trouble it would have happened by now.
Easton: Maybe they’re waiting…
So ominous.
Me: It was a harmless prank, Easton. Parker Lane has their mascot back, safe and sound. No one has mentioned our names. So what if Callahan stopped at our lockers? He doesn’t know anything.
And sure, there was that announcement over the intercom promising to find the culprit(s) and threatening dire consequences once they did.
Luckily everyone involved has kept their mouths shut.
Shocking, I know—but considering it was the class officers’ idea, guess it’s not all that surprising. If Easton goes down, they all go down.
I roll onto my stomach, propping myself up on my elbows. All the times he’s casually mentioned getting in trouble I never really picked up on how much this was messing with his head.
Selfish, selfish, selfish of me!
Easton: No, nothing happened. I just hate this feeling. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder waiting for Mr. Callahan to bust me.
I wonder if he’s feeling the same way thinking about consequences as I do thinking about the fact that I’m basically blackmailing him to go to a dance with me.
Blackmail.
I hate that word. It’s so…
Negative.
Me: You’re overanalyzing again. They’ll never figure out it was you.
Easton: You don’t know that.
He’s right. I don’t know that. Still, I’m determined to be positive and upbeat!