Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
“I thought you would never ask,” she says, pulling out one of the disposable paper cups from the common room’s water cooler. Once we’re level on the dock, we stop, and she makes me hold the cup while she pours red wine from the box, and then we continue on our way to the end, where there are no boats tied.
On the way, we pass by Kincaid’s boat. From the looks of it, he’s not home. Unless he’s sleeping. All the lights are off.
“Is this wise to be partying beside the professor?” Munawar asks.
“We’re in our fucking twenties, Munawar,” Justin says, his words slurring slightly. “Nick is the one who got us the booze. We’re allowed to do what we want.”
Then Justin grabs Natasha’s arm and pulls her close to him, and they start wildly making out.
Lauren snorts. “Geez. We get it, you like each other.”
We all walk around the couple until we reach the end of the dock. Lauren drops to her knees and then leans over the side. The water is black, reflecting the sky, though if you look close enough, it does seem to be sparkling here and there. Could be the stars though.
Then Lauren dips her hand in, and the water comes to life, glowing a sparkling green and blue.
“Whoa!” a few people say in unison, and suddenly, we’re all sitting by the edge of the dock. I get down on my side and reach down, my fingertips trailing over the water. It’s freezing cold, but that doesn’t matter when you’re able to make light streaks by moving your fingers around.
“Magic,” I say to myself, marveling at it. We have bioluminescence at home, but not that frequently, and it’s just never that dark out. But here, there are no other lights aside from the dim ones on the dock and at the lodge, zero light pollution in the night sky when the nearest town is a hundred miles away.
Munawar and Rav decide to go to the beach to get some stones to skip, so I get comfortable sitting on the dock next to Lauren. Justin and Natasha have climbed into a fishing boat, and one can only imagine what’s happening there. Everyone else is drinking and splashing the water around until it sparkles.
I take a sip of my wine. It’s cheap, but it tastes good after not having any for a month.
“You going to let your hair down tonight?” Lauren asks, pouring herself another cup. “Relax a little?”
“Maybe,” I say.
She touches her cup against mine. “Alright, well, here is to that maybe. Don’t you dare go to sleep before the night is over.”
“No promises,” I say, downing the contents and handing it to Lauren.
“Off to a good start,” she says, filling it back up.
“I hope so,” I say as I take it from her. I’m already feeling a little fuzzy-headed, but it also feels like a weight has lifted off my shoulders. I need to keep myself in check though. I don’t need to be drunk and hollering gibberish while pounding on Kincaid’s boat.
“How have you been?” I squint at her. “I mean, really.”
“Fine,” she says, though her voice sounds clipped. She looks around, and I have a feeling she’s looking for Rav. “It’s been good.”
I watch her closely. She seems a little thinner than she was, hollows under her cheekbones, and in the darkness, the shadows under her eyes deepen. I feel bad that this is the first time I’m noticing. As usual, I’ve been too wrapped up in my own brain, in my own worries. “Are you sure?”
She drinks her wine and nods. “Yeah. I mean, you know. I don’t think it’s a secret that I have a thing for Rav.”
“And he has a thing for you. I’ve at least noticed that,” I say. “So? How is that going?”
“Well, nowhere because neither of us has made a move. God, I feel like I’m in high school again.” She sighs and looks off into the dark inlet.
“That’s not a bad thing,” I say. “You have all summer to explore that. You don’t want to jump into anything right away.” I look over at the fishing boat that’s rocking slightly, the ripples making the water glow. “What happens if Natasha and Justin break up tomorrow and they have to deal with seeing each other for the rest of the summer? No, thanks.”
“That’s true,” she says. She leans over and dangles her hand in the water again and sighs. “But actually, I’m not sure how I can survive the next couple months. I wonder if I can request to go home early.”
My eyes widen as I’m struck with fear.
“Why? No. You can’t. You can’t leave me.”
She gives me a soft smile. “You can leave too.”
But I can’t. I have no money and nowhere to go.
I shake my head. “Why do you want to leave?”