Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
June nodded.
“Obviously, we start treatment in a couple of days, so I don’t know what happens from there. We’re all just clutching on to freedom while we have it.”
June released a shaky sigh, but Emma sidled next to her, distracting her. “Want a drink?”
“Yeah, thanks,” June said and took off toward the vending machines.
“Dude,” Chris said, arm sliding over my shoulders. “Could you be more obvious?” He shook his head, laughing at me.
I didn’t care. I couldn’t take my eyes off June. I had nothing to hide. She was gorgeous. I’d never really been a subtle person, but getting told you wouldn’t live to your eighteenth birthday kind of made you hasty about telling people how you felt—or showing it.
I saw June take a bottle of water off Emma, keeping that notebook clutched to her chest with her other hand.
“She’s perfect, man,” I said to Chris, and he groaned. I ignored him. “Have you ever just looked at a girl and thought, damn? Because that is me today.” I shrugged. “Never happened before, but I’m not going to ignore it now.”
“Oh, jeez, man, down already?” Chris said. “We just got here! You’re meant to be my partner in crime.”
“Chill, my dude,” I said. “I’m just saying, seeing June has kind of knocked me on my ass.” Then June turned my way, and as our gazes caught again, I felt something in my chest explode. She cast me a small, shy smile, and I exhaled a long, calming breath.
Gorgeous.
Emma and June seemed to be hitting it off well, but when June came back over to me and Chris, she said, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting y’all, but I’d better go and find my suite again. I wasn’t meant to leave it. My parents will be finished with Neenee and wondering where I am.”
“Which is your suite?” I asked.
“Dove.”
Chris slapped my shoulder and groaned dramatically. I laughed at my friend.
“Emma! Join me on the couch,” Chris said.
“Why?” she questioned.
“I gotta tell you something.” Chris waggled his eyebrows at me.
I rolled my eyes. No doubt Emma would know about my little crush on June in no time.
“I’m so confused,” Emma said but followed him anyway, turning back to June to say, “Why are boys so damn weird? Thank God you’re here, girl. I’ll need you for my sanity.”
June’s responding smile was blinding. She turned to me. “Why did Chris groan like that? What’s he telling Emma?”
I tapped my head. “He’s totally weird. Pretty sure too many baseballs have hit his head.” An empty water bottle hit the back of mine.
“I heard that!” Chris said, the obvious culprit of the bottle throw.
I decided to ignore him again. “Come on, Junebug,” I said and opened the rec room door, gesturing for her to join me. “I’ll walk you back to your suite.”
“You know where it is?” she asked.
“I do.” A shiver ran down my back as we walked down the maze of hallways, just the two of us. It felt like a sudden flash of nerves.
Strange.
I threw my football between my hands to settle myself as June asked, “Are your parents staying in the guest house too?”
Homesickness immediately surged through my veins, but I shook my head. “Nah. It’s just me, my mom, and two little sisters—no dad in the picture—and they can’t come.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to assume…” June stuttered.
Like it always did, my gut twisted to the point of pain when someone asked about my family situation. I rubbed the back of my neck like I was casually shrugging off the comment. “No problem, Junebug,” I said, pasting on my well-practiced smile. Then added, “Mom can’t come here with me. Her work is back home, and she couldn’t get leave. Plus, my little sisters are at school, and I didn’t want to uproot them. I’m here alone. I speak to them every day, several times a day, and they’ll visit some on the weekends while I’m here.” I shrugged, hoping I sounded as cool about it as I wanted to present. I’d gotten real good at hiding my feelings throughout the years.
I understood that my family couldn’t be here with me, I did. My mom was a single parent, had a low-income job, and had my two little sisters to take care of. She was already completely in debt due to my chemotherapy and treatments over the past few months. A good chunk of this new treatment was paid for by the drug company alongside of my insurance, taking away some of the financial burden from my mom. It was too much of an opportunity to miss out on.
Not having them here felt like a stab in my chest, yet I had no choice but to cope with it. It wasn’t like my wayward dad was coming back into the picture to help. Nah, that would be far too much to expect of him.