Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Communal dinner is at my place tonight. We’re making personal pizzas and salad, one of BJ’s favorite meals.
I knock on his door. “Hey, it’s pizza night. You gonna come to my place and hang out?”
He grunts and pulls a pillow over his head.
“Is that a no?”
He mutters something.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Want to try again?”
“Can you just bring me something back?”
“Why don’t you come over in half an hour. Or I can text you when the food is ready. You don’t have to stay long. It would be good to leave your room, don’t you think?”
“I leave my room.”
“To go to the kitchen. When was the last time you stepped outside? You haven’t even attempted class.”
“Are you really going to get on me about this?”
I bite my lips together. I don’t know what to do or say. I hate fighting. Hate it. “I’ll text you in a bit.” I close his door and trudge back to my house, feeling defeated.
The kitchen is bustling. Lovey is rolling out pizza dough, Quinn is making homemade sauce, River is grating cheese, Josiah is making salad, Rose is sautéing onions, and Lacey is chopping veggies.
“I need help.” I prop my fists on my hips and tip my chin up, because I’m on the verge of tears.
Lovey, Rose, and Josiah drop what they’re doing and fold me into a group hug. Lacey joins them next, and then River and Quinn wrap themselves around all of us.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
“Is that Dracula?” Rose’s nose is smushed against my arm.
I can’t see through the sea of bodies surrounding me. “It sounds like him.”
“Group hug. Want in?” River asks.
“Physical contact is something I try to avoid, but thanks,” Laughlin says.
Everyone steps back, and Lovey gives me a sympathetic smile. “Is it BJ?”
“I don’t know what to do anymore. He’s not leaving his room. He hasn’t even tried to go to class this week. Not once. Not even behavioral psych, and that’s his favorite. The only reason he leaves his room is to get food. I don’t even know if he’s showered.”
“Ew.” Lacey wrinkles her nose.
“His room smells like the inside of a hockey bag.”
“That is accurate,” Quinn agrees.
“I get that he’s struggling, but lying around in bed all day is the opposite of progress. I don’t want to start an argument. I hate fighting, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
Rose points a spatula at me. “You could use sex as a weapon!”
Quinn frowns. “Uh, I don’t know that BJ is in any condition for sex. I’ve had a groin pull and a fucking hard-on is enough of a struggle. I know this isn’t the same, but it’s in the same area, and all those muscles are interconnected. And he’s got a lot of stitches, both internal and external. The best you can probably do is rub the lamp.”
“Or offer BJ a BJ,” Josiah suggests.
Lovey’s hand shoots up, then drops when she realizes it’s unnecessary. “While I don’t disagree with this tactic, I think you can up the ante.” Her smile turns sly. “You need to remind him what he’s missing.”
“What do you mean?”
“BJ is always checking you out. That man is in love with your ass.”
“It’s a nice ass,” Rose agrees.
River and Josiah nod. “Truth.”
“I’m tapping out on this one since he’s my roommate and you’re my friend,” Quinn says.
“BJ might not be able to kick my ass right now, but one day he will again, and I don’t trust any of you not to throw me under the bus if I give my opinion on this particular matter,” Laughlin says.
No one disagrees.
I roll my eyes. “Okay, so now that we have a majority consensus on the status of my ass, you want to tell me where you’re going with this?”
“Offer him things he wants.” Lovey motions to me. “And also threaten to call his parents if he doesn’t start going to class. He doesn’t want to be smothered, which is exactly what will happen if he goes back to Pearl Lake. He wants to be here, so tell him he needs to get his ass in gear and you’ll help him. He’s wallowing.”
“She’s right,” Rose adds. “When your mom was in the hospital, he was right there, getting you on the ice and making sure you had some balance. You can do the same for him.”
“And we can help get him to and from classes. We’ll set up a schedule,” Quinn offers.
“We have the same morning class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I can make sure he gets to that one,” Laughlin says.
“How did we not know you have a class together?” Lovey asks.
“Because I always sneak in the back a minute before class starts and leave the second it ends.”
“Okay. That’s one class taken care of,” I say.
“His schedule is on the corkboard in the kitchen. If you grab it, we can figure out the rest,” Quinn suggests.