Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
I throw myself behind the driver's wheel, hit the button, and it hums to life. I'm putting the car in reverse when my phone automatically pairs and the screen lights up with an incoming FaceTime from Anna. I chew my lip as I get the car moving forward down the street before I accept.
"Girl." She stabs her index finger toward me before I can say anything, signature bright red lipstick and wild black curls on full display. "Don't, Elodie. I can see it in your face. You are coming to my bachelorette party tonight. No excuses! “She’s been a fixture in my life, a steady structure that has given me most of the wildness I'm allowed — mostly when my parents aren't watching.
"I'm just—" I start, stammering, trying not to look at her narrowing eyes. How does she always know?
"Uh-uh." She cuts me off. "No. No, no, no, no, no. You're coming. We are picking you up at seven-thirty. Be ready, and I want you to wear something scandalous. Do you hear me? Nothing gray."
I scoff. "I thought we were getting manicures and pedicures and eating pizza."
"Well, I want us to at least dress like we're in Vegas. We can't go to Vegas, but we're gonna ride this ride like we're recreating The Hangover. You got me? Wear red. Something short and tight. Show off that body to the world in something other than leotards and tutus."
My pulse kicks up, my heart rapping against my rib cage. When I get home tonight, Rye will be here, and what will he think if I come in late in a scandalous red dress? My skin heats like his eyes are on me right now. Would he look at me as something more than the sweet niece he’s spoiled his whole life? Would he be tempted to do more than take me to a thrift store or let me eat fried rice when mom wasn’t watching?
Even if he did look, I’d know it was a false hope. Hope is not always a helpful emotion.
"Is she coming or not?" Jeremy, our other friend from grade school, chimes in from the background, bombing Anna from behind her head. "If you say not, I’m coming over there and dragging you out, and I’ll dress you myself. Because I have some ideas, sweetie pie—"
"I'm coming!" I turn on my signal and ease onto the interstate looking over my left shoulder at oncoming traffic. Jeremy does a Z-snap behind Anna’s head.
"You guys, fine.” I concede. “You got me. But I cannot eat pizza."
Guilt creeps up my throat as they both give me a pitiful look.
"Get me a salad. And Anna can bring me something to wear."
"Fine," they say in unison, both rolling their eyes.
“A slice of pizza once in a while won’t bring down the great house of McAllister you know,” Jeremy adds.
"Have you met my mother?” I smirk, accelerating as a buzz o excitement about the upcoming evening starts to prickle over my skin. “Dancing requires sacrifice. I have enough going on without pizza coming into play."
Anna's look softens. "How's your dad?"
I take a long moment, a semi zipping by on my left as I merge. "He's okay,” I lie, more trying to convince myself than them. The thought of my father secretly drinking these past few months, to the point where HR at the school told him it was either rehab or lose his job, is terrifying. “Mom's on her way to him. It'll all turn out fine."
I fill my lungs with a slow breath, knowing this whole situation puts even more pressure on me to be the perfect daughter. To not expose our dirty little secret — with Rye sleeping here, acting like my stand-in father for the next two weeks.
Anna hesitates, “Well, when you come out tonight, we are just going to forget all about that. This is about me and my last hurrah. “I’m all in.” I smile. “But, I gotta drive. See you later.” I click off and grip the steering wheel with both hands, straightening my spine against the warm leather seat.
Anna’s my best friend and even though the idea of marriage at our age terrifies me, I'm here for her science experiment, however it ends up.
Wet shame gathers between my legs as Anna and Jeremy grill me about my uncle in the back of the limo.
"So, he's going to be staying with you, pretending to be your dad?" Jeremy squints one eye nearly shut. "I mean, let me tell you, if that man was sleeping in the bedroom next to mine, I'd be climbing that tree. All night, every night. That man is fine. I mean, your dad looks just like him but there’s a hella difference between them. Talk about X factor. It’s all in the energy, ya know? And if he wanted me to call him Daddy, I’d be offboarding my load before I could get my fly open." He throws his head back on a literal howl sending Anna into a giggle fit.