Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
A bunch of guys were shouting back and forth.
“Shut the fuck up,” Atwater snapped.
That sent off another surge. One of Flynn’s frat brothers launched at him, and the hockey team, whoever was there, waded in.
“This is—” Gavin had to stop, giving Skylar her phone back. “That’s insane. Your mom tried to do that. What are you doing here?”
“Let me ask you something and be honest. Where was Flynn today?”
“At the house.”
“Then where was he yesterday?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Gone. A lot of guys leave for the day.”
“The day?”
“Yeah. Why?”
I took Skylar’s phone and brought up the video, hitting play. My mom’s voice came through, and she was laughing. A whole seductive and sultry laugh. I pointed at the phone. “Because this is how she sounds when she wants to fuck someone. She wants attention from whoever is holding this recording device, and she’s eating it up. All the attention this guy is giving her.” My mom bent forward, letting one of her tits show. “Her make-up was on point.”
“I’m thinking that’s a normal thing for women. They know how to do make-up.”
“Not her.”
He went still, so did my roommates, and so did some people in the kitchen.
The music cut, and I’d be told later that my voice carried as I kept on, clipping out, “Ever dealt with someone who has a chronic personality disorder? Know what it’s like? You feel like you want to hit your head against the wall. Imagine that feeling every day of your life. Imagine your mom wanting to sleep with all of your teachers, your friends, your bosses, your co-workers. Jesus. I’m just getting started. That’s what she does. Her. She drains you and drains everyone, and you get nothing back. When you’re not giving her what she wants, she moves onto the next, and everything is about her. Everything. The few times you got a birthday party, they’re about her. The few times. If it doesn’t fit into her schedule to get you a Christmas gift, you’re not getting one. ‘Tough shit, you little shit.’ I heard that when I six, seven, and eight. Then I stopped asking. When you need to get picked up after school when you’re in third grade. Not going to happen, not unless it fits into her schedule.” I shoved that phone at him, even knowing it wasn’t his, but I was beyond caring. He had no idea. None. “And yeah. Six days ago, your fraternity brother showed up at a beach with a girl and three other guys. He insulted me, threatened me, and Cruz laid him out. Guess what your other brothers did? Nothing. They watched it happen. They didn’t do a damned thing. Think on that, Gavin. Your fraternity brother is getting pummeled, and you stand back. It was just me there. No one else. They could’ve pulled him off in a heartbeat and they didn’t. They had time to figure it out, to see what was going on. They stood there, just stood there. I noticed her, and the state she was in, and the state Flynn was in, and I started asking questions.”
“The fuck you did! You set me up!”
I whirled, seeing so many eyes on me. They’d turned my way, facing me, but I shoved through them. A line opened, letting me pass until I broke through the circle.
Flynn was being held back by the two brothers that’d been there that day.
I started laughing, seeing them. “This is classic. These guys.” I addressed them, “You’re showing up now?”
One gave me a nasty look.
I raised my middle finger at him. “Where were you then? Huh? Before he did what he did to her?”
“We didn’t–” The other guy hit him in the arm. He didn’t notice, hissing without thinking, “We didn’t know he was going to hurt her! They were kissing, then suddenly she’s yelling for him to get off her. And he wouldn’t.” He shoved back, pushing Flynn into the door as he did. He held his hands up, backing away. “I’m not this kind of guy, Carrington. I’m not down with this shit.”
“Dude!” The first guy grabbed him, shoving him backwards. “Shut. Up!”
“I don’t care. I’m not down with it.”
“It’s true?” Gavin had followed me.
My voice almost broke as I said, “Like I said, you know me. You know him. You should know better.”
“You fucking bit–”
“My mother.” My voice did break. I circled around to see Flynn better. More one on one, though three guys stepped between us, partially blocking my view. Cruz moved up behind me, his hand went to the side of my hip. “You went to my mom?”
“I didn’t–”
“You did!” I started for him, but Cruz’s hand held me back. “Just admit it. You threatened me five days ago. I got texts warning me that you were coming after me four days ago. Miller said you were at the house today, so that leaves yesterday. My mom’s supposed to be in a facility. Where did you find her?”