Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Hey, kid,” my dad said as I reached the bar. My mom was standing between his knees as he sat on a bar stool, the back of her head leaning against his shoulder.
“Hey, Pop. Mom.”
“You look like you’re about to fall down,” my mom teased as she poked me in the side. “Go easy, yeah?”
“I’m good,” I assured her, catching the attention of the chick behind the bar with my raised beer bottle.
“Can you take your ma into town tomorrow?” my dad asked as I waited for my beer. “I got some other shit goin’ on.”
“Sure.” I nodded my thanks for the beer set in front of me and turned to face my parents. “Where do you need to go?”
“I just have some errands to run,” my mom replied. “But your dad wants someone with me while I’m stopping all over town.”
“You’re not getting your nails done or some shit, right?” I shook my head. “Last time, I had a headache for two days after sittin’ in that shop.”
“No,” she laughed. “Just need to get some stuff at the store, stop by the post office, that kind of stuff.”
“Alright. No problem.”
I glanced over my dad’s shoulder and caught a glimpse of Lily’s long braid as she went back into the hallway I’d found her in earlier.
“I’m gonna hit the sack. Call me in the morning,” I told my mom, leaning forward so she could kiss my cheek. “But not too early, alright?”
With a nod to my dad, I moved around them and followed Lily. She was just coming out of her dad’s room when I stepped into the hallway, but I didn’t say a word as she moved toward me. She was stuffing something into her pocket and didn’t realize she wasn’t alone until she had almost reached me.
“Leo?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Hey, Dandelion.” My voice was kind of scratchy, so I cleared my throat.
“What’s up?” She didn’t seem to still be pissed about earlier, but I wasn’t taking any chances.
“We’re cool, right?” I asked, taking a step forward.
“Yeah,” she said easily.
“Okay, cause you were pretty pissed earlier.”
“You were being a jackass earlier,” she pointed out, making me grimace. “You aren’t now.”
“Alright, good.” I reached forward like an idiot and ruffled her hair like she was a little kid. “Don’t like it when you’re pissed at me.”
“Quit,” she said in annoyance, pulling her head away from my hand. “I’m not a kid, you know.”
“That’s probably up for interpretation,” I replied.
“Bullshit. I’m almost seventeen years old.”
“Oh, so last month you were sixteen and now you’re ‘almost seventeen’?”
“Same shit. I’m not a fucking child. Don’t treat me like one.”
“Girl, you’re young. Hella young. It might not seem like it to you, but you are.”
“Then why the fuck did you follow me back here?” she asked, throwing her hands up in the air.
“Cause I was pretty sure I hurt your feelin’s earlier!” I snapped back.
I didn’t like her holding me under a microscope, especially when I had no idea what the fuck I was doing with her in the dim hallway. I had no business worrying about her feelings. None.
“Just—” She stopped talking and sighed. “We’re good, okay? Go sleep it off.”
“Hey,” I murmured, grabbing her arm as she tried to pass me. “I know you’re not a kid. Still way too fuckin’ young, though. Way too fuckin’ young.”
“Well, that’s not going to change tonight,” she replied simply, pulling her arm from my hand. “I’ll see you later.”
I leaned heavily against the wall as I watched her go. What the fuck was I doing? Obviously, I was too drunk to be making any kind of decisions. I needed to stay the hell away from Lily Butler. The friendship I’d always had with the kid was getting blurred against my goddamn will.
I slid along the wall until I reached my room, and grabbed my keys from my pocket to unlock the door. I always kept my shit locked, even though a lot of the other brothers didn’t. I’d seen too many things go missing for me to trust that no one would rifle through my shit when I wasn’t there.
Pushing into my room, I tossed my keys on the floor and slammed the door behind me. I’d barely kicked off my boots and cut before I fell heavily onto the bed. I passed out within seconds.
Chapter 6
Lily
It was an ordinary Wednesday in the middle of summer. Not a holiday. Not even a weekend. It was just like any other day that I’d had that summer.
However, when I opened my eyes that morning, I could see clearly for the first time in six years. It wasn’t light and shadows anymore. I could see everything—the blue curtains on my windows, the quilt on my bed that my great gram had stitched by hand, my dresser with the broken knob on the top drawer, the dirty clothes basket, my own hands—all of it was clear.