Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“He’s really cute,” I said as she handed it to me. He was. With dark, longish hair under a Yankees cap and big blue eyes, I could see why she was feeling like that about him.”
She looked hopeless. “What am I gonna do?”
“Well, Skylar, I would say a wise old man, but in reality…a wise, pierced, tattooed man once told me, you can choose to stay in the present and let go of the fear or you can choose to engage it.”
“He sounds hot.”
“He is. The point is…you are worrying about what might happen instead of using this time to be with the person you care about. He wants to see you. What are you afraid he’ll think? You’re beautiful.” She was. Not many people can pull off bald, but she looked angelic.
“You want to see beautiful?” She scrolled through her phone and handed me another photo of Mitch and her. She had long flowing auburn hair, a little more meat on her bones and color in her cheeks, and the two of them looked like an Abercrombie and Fitch ad.
“You were gorgeous then with your hair, and you are gorgeous now without it. What can I do to make you see that? You need to let him see you.”
She seemed to be struggling with my suggestion but eventually shook her head in agreement. “Okay, then. I’ll need your help. I’ll need props.”
“What?”
“Props! For the Skylar Seymour Pretend I Don’t Have Cancer Extreme Makeover Edition. I have a wig, but it’s lame. I’ll need a really good one, like with real human hair and highlights like yours. It needs to be unbeweaveable. And I’ll need some makeup and chicken cutlets.”
“Chicken cutlets?”
“Those boob enhancers. I wouldn’t expect you to know what those are, Dolly Parton.”
I looked down at my breasts. She had a point.
“I need to look even better than before.”
“Even though I think you look perfect right now, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you feel confident enough to see him.”
Because I know what it feels like to be crazy for a guy who’s also your best friend.
I put my hand on her knee. “Give me a few days, okay? My roommate works in a salon downtown. I think she can hook me up with some human hair.”
“Good.”
What have I gotten myself into? Whatever it was, it invigorated me and gave me a sense of purpose. If it was possible to fall in love at first sight with this person, I think I might have.
“Skylar, how often to do those candy strippers…stripers…come to visit you?”
“They’d be more exciting if they were strippers. They come by a couple of times a week.”
“Well, I’m gonna talk to someone and figure out how to be your candy striper from now on.”
“Do you have a boyfriend, Nina?”
“No, but there is someone special who I really care about. He’s kind of like my Mitch. His name is Jake.”
“Have you screwed his brains out yet?”
“Skylar—”
“Well, have you?”
“No.”
“What are you waiting for? You’re old enough.”
“I know that. But things are complicated. We’re supposed to talk soon, so…”
Why was I getting into this?
She sat up eagerly. “Will you text me if something happens?”
“I…I guess.”
“Good.” She grabbed my phone and programmed her number into it.
I stared at her smooth head and her beaming eyes that I had just put a glimmer of hope back into and realized I hadn’t been lost at all earlier. Something had led me to exactly where I was supposed to end up. I just couldn’t figure out who was meant for whom.
CHAPTER 17
The next day, Sunday January 8th was my twenty-third birthday, but I hadn’t told anyone, not even Jake. Ryan knew when my birthday was somewhere in the back of his head. He certainly hadn’t given me any indication that he remembered this year. So, there would be no fanfare. I was planning on a quiet day (after yesterday’s events), trying to get all of my ducks in a row prior to Jake’s return from Boston. He said he would be coming in really late tonight and that we would be going out tomorrow and having that “talk.” My stomach was in knots. It had been two weeks since we had seen each other. I missed him something fierce.
I had arrived home after an early afternoon run to find a large gift-wrapped box sitting on my bed. I opened the small note card. If you thought we were going to forget your birthday, think again. Dinner. Tonight. 7pm. Eleni’s. Drinks are on Telly. Drunk Greek Circle Dancing. Wear Your Party Dress. Love, Tarah and Ryan
I clutched the card to my chest and giggled, secretly happy they figured it out. I immediately unwrapped the purple paisley wrapping paper. Inside the box, was a beautiful strapless, red mini dress. Tarah and I had gone shopping a few weeks ago, and I had tried this exact dress on but decided I couldn’t afford it.