Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 75240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Move,” Jade snarled from behind me. “I’m in a hurry and you’re making the rest of us late by chit chatting.”
I pulled Etta with me to the side, and swept my hand out in an exaggerated fashion.
“After you,” I smiled sweetly.
Jade and her posse walked past us in a fog of perfume, and it took everything in me not to gag.
“I’m so glad I didn’t have to go through all four semesters with them,” Etta said as she pushed out the door with me moments later.
I turned to look at her.
“At least you don’t share a man in common with her like I do,” I mumbled. “My poor kid.”
Etta giggled with me.
“I think your ‘poor kid’ is just fine,” she murmured as her eyes went out over the crowd as we took our place in the front row next to the other graduates.
My eyes automatically started searching the crowd where Etta was looking, and a grin split my lips.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “She does look just fine, doesn’t she?”
Bowe waved, and I waved back before sitting in my seat, facing the stage.
“Why are they all dressed like that?” she asked.
“He’s working,” I muttered. “They could get a call out during the ceremony, but it’s the thought that counts. They busted their asses to get to come here today. Switched stations with another crew just so they could cover this area from the auditorium that is usually delegated to the other fire company.”
Etta smiled, her eyes dimming slightly, and I cursed myself for being so inconsiderate.
“My brother is in Iraq right now,” she smiled. “I, at least, know why he’s not here.”
I thought about my own father, and nodded in agreement.
My eyes automatically moved to the right where Jade’s mom was sitting with my dad, and the sight of the two of them together was enough to turn my stomach like it always did when I saw them so freakin’ cozy.
Then my eyes slipped back to Bowe, and my heart melted a little bit to see him holding Elise so close. My mom on one side of him and Ariel on the other.
Ariel was saying something to my mom, leaning over Bowe’s body to do it. And he was laughing at whatever was being said.
“At least your dad’s not here to see someone else,” I muttered darkly.
Her eyes went to my father and she grimaced.
“I can’t believe he’s like that,” she whispered. “He looks like Mr. Feeney from Boy Meets World. So nice and unassuming.”
I agreed.
He was looking mighty old lately.
I hadn’t seen him since he signed the papers on my house over to me.
He looked like he’d aged about twenty years since then.
Shouldn’t winning the lottery mean he should look healthier, not sicker?
Was there trouble in paradise?
“Attention,” someone tapped on the microphone, gathering everyone’s attention. “We’re about to start the ceremony if everyone will have a seat.”
Everyone sat, and the sound of chairs flipping down and the quiet hum of talking dialing down to a mere whisper around us.
Etta grabbed my hand and squeezed it in her excitement, and I squeezed hers back.
My eyes went one more time in Bowe’s direction, and I smiled when I found his eyes on mine.
I love you, I mouthed, then blew him a kiss.
Bowe caught the kiss and pantomimed eating it, causing me to smile wide.
And also got a good ribbing from PD behind him who caught him doing it.
Smiling widely, I turned back to the front, preparing myself for one more boring hour until my nursing career was finally realized.
Thanks to Bowe.
It was while I was daydreaming of the days to come when something loud exploded around us, causing a loud ringing to start up in my ears, and my face to start hurting.
My heart started to pound, and I slid out of my chair, unsure exactly of what had just happened.
I was disoriented.
Really disoriented.
I couldn’t get my brain to work right.
Then another bang sounded.
Another. And another. And another.
One after the other, until I was on my knees vomiting.
***
The last twenty minutes had been something.
After I’d stopped vomiting, I’d immediately started to exit along with the rest of the auditorium.
As I was looking for Bowe and Elise, I’d gotten jostled and lost my shoe.
When I’d stood up after righting my shoe, it was to find myself face to face with Troy, who’d taken a hold of my hand in an impossible to break grip, and bodily dragged me away.
What stopped me from screaming my head off was the gun that he had stabbed into my side.
I followed with him down the side of the auditorium, the complete opposite side that everyone was running towards, and tried to catch the eye of anyone I passed.
However, they were too focused on getting out.
The room around us was smoky, and looked like it was getting worse by the second.