Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 54383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
I’m telling Tully about us this weekend…Right after the game.
Easton
I thought we agreed to do that together?
I need to do it myself first. There’s a lot she needs to hear from me personally.
Easton
You’ll come to my room when you’re done?
If you don’t beat me to it and climb through my window first.
Easton
Good point. I’ll come over around midnight.
The following Saturday afternoon, I stuff my band uniform into its plastic wrapper and smooth the hat’s crimson plume.
Our home crowd is still roaring in the stadium behind me, as if today’s game isn’t long over. It’s another Alabama win in the books, which means getting out of this parking lot will require a delicate dance of dodging the drunk and the rowdy.
“Here’s my set.” I hold out the bag to my section leader. “Can you mark that I’ve turned it in?”
“No. I’ll do that when we get back to our facility, as usual.” She points to the bus. “Takeoff is in fifteen minutes, Crane.”
“I’m not riding back with the band today,” I say. “I have somewhere to be.”
“Please don’t make me give you a demerit this early in the season.” She sighs. “You’re like the most talented player I’ve ever met, and I need you to show some leadership. I want to nominate you for section leader someday.”
“It’s important,” I say. “I promise it’s just a one time thing,”
“Is it a matter a of ‘life or death’?”
“If I’m still alive tomorrow, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay.” She smiles. “I’ll let you get away with this one time, but never again. Clear?”
“Clear. Thank you.” I across through the parking lot, wading through waves of “Roll Tide!” in search of Tully.
“Hey!” She jumps off the hood of our car and hugs me tightly. “I’m so glad you came! I thought you were going to forget.”
“I don’t see how. You’ve sent me reminder messages all week.”
“Right, well.” She laughs nervously. “You never know these days, but I guess that’s why we’re sisters. We never let each other down when it matters.”
What the hell is going on with her?
“Really, Tully,” I say. “Are you dying?”
“Let’s take the scenic route to Gayle’s.” She ignores my question and slides behind the wheel, and I follow her into the car.
The ride to the diner is silent, save for the occasional car of screaming fans that we pass on the road.
While riding past a wheat crop, I take out my phone and log into her personal cloud. There are no new updates or medical files, and her last check-up was normal.
So, she’s simply lost her mind these days…
When we make it inside the diner, we stare at each other behind towers of cinnamon brushed waffles and strawberries.
After several minutes of silence, we talk about our classes, small things we love about Alabama’s campus, and walk along our usual boundaries of stranger talk.
She tries not to let our conversation stall for too long, and she looks at me like she’s really trying to be friends again.
For a moment, I feel like we could possibly start over here, and perhaps I can wait to tell her about Easton, but I can’t delay the inevitable anymore.
She needs to know, and I need her to know.
No matter how much it hurts…
An hour later, I carry our to-go bags to the car with Tully and take a deep breath before she pulls onto the road.
“I need to tell you something, Tully,” I say. “It’s something that I’ve wanted to tell you for a very long time.”
“Okay. I’m listening.”
“I’m in love with Easton.” I rip off the Band-Aid. “I’ve been in love with him for quite some time, and he's in love with me, too.”
She snorts. “Be serious. What exactly do you need to tell me?”
“This is it.” I look over at her. “I’ve been dating him behind your back for over a year now.”
“What?” She slams her foot on the brake. “Stop messing with me, Scarlett. This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not joking.” I keep my voice firm as my heart clenches in my chest. “I can't go more than a day without thinking about him, and I get sick—literally fucking sick, whenever I see you two together because he belongs to me and your relationship is just one of convenience.”
The words are flowing past the filters of my mind. They're unmeasured and heavy, and tears are now pricking my eyes.
“I never meant to fall for him because I never thought he was my type, but one conversation for our group project led to another, and before I knew it, he was climbing through my window every night.” I can’t stop talking. “I’d overheard you tell Jessica that you felt like he was more of a friend than your boyfriend most of the time, and that you wondered if you would still be together if it weren’t for the sponsorships.”