Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 117820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
“Please,” Marshall begs. “Let them deal. Be her support tomorrow.”
I nod and chew on my lip as my fingers tap against my thigh. This is so bad. Our entire group is about to implode. Or explode. And it’s going to bring everyone around us down with it.
“Are you okay?” Marshall asks and I rest my temple on his shoulder. “That was intense.”
“My brother is such an ass.”
“He done fucked up. Poppy is a great girl.”
I nod my agreement. “Micha is gonna get it.”
He chuckles a little though it falls flat.
“What would you do if Kane cheated on you?”
I bite on my lip again, my new comfort.
“Immy?”
“I’d never speak to him again,” I admit with a sad smile that definitely doesn’t move anything but my lips.
“Seriously? You wouldn’t even question him?” He doesn’t look as though he believes me.
“I’d walk away and never look back.”
“Take me with you, yeah?”
Smiling for real now I grin up at him. “Absolutely.”
26 years old
A week ago I put my past to rest. But I also didn’t. Because I ran away from it again only to be faced with it at every turn even worse than I was the first time. Everything triggers a memory. Everything brings me new pain.
It’s as though everything is so fresh and raw, even more than it was the first time because now I know how much pain I caused him but fuck if it isn’t better than the alternative. It’s better that he hates me for something so simple than to hate me for the truth.
“Babe, you gotta give a little. You’re fucking miserable,” Marshall utters sadly, his lips a flat line. “I can’t stand to see you this way.”
“I’m fine,” I lie, my default voice in play.
“Fuck you.”
“You’re gettin’ a potty mouth Marshall Jones.”
Grinning, he approaches and yanks sharply on my hair. “I spend too much time with you.”
When his kind eyes find mine, eyes that know the truth about everything, eyes that hold as many secrets as mine, I collapse into his arms and we both fall to the ground as I sob.
He doesn’t talk, he just holds me as I cry and strokes my hair.
It’s not until I can no longer bear the pain of crying so hard that I finally stop and feel drowsy as he cradles me to his chest.
“You never should have gone back there, Imogen.”
“Yeah,” I agree because I wish I hadn’t. I was healing, I was doing good, I was feeling good. Now I’m not. Now I don’t know how I feel at all. It’s all just hazy under a heavy layer of intense pain.
“You still love me though, right?” I ask, feeling particularly vulnerable right now.
“No,” he lies making me laugh. “Can’t stand you.” His lips touch my hair as he rocks us both and I start sobbing again, holding him so tight I must be hurting him. He won’t complain. He never does.
17 years old
The night was a trial. It wasn’t fun at all. Poppy ripped out half of Micah’s hair, beat her face pretty badly, and ended up getting arrested. My brother passed out in the limo after taking something to numb his pain. Like he doesn’t deserve to feel it.
Marshall helped me carry him inside and dump him in his bed much to Mee-maw’s displeasure. But she didn’t fucking say boo to Matthew about any of it, not that he’s sober enough to understand. He’s off his face on something strong enough to wipe him out so heavy I panic for a while that he might be dead.
Marshall and I are now standing outside as Poppy’s mom sends me a million angry texts asking me why I didn’t stop her daughter and how Poppy has ruined her future or whatever. I feel so bad. I should have followed but I thought she and Matthew would talk first. I didn’t know she’d walk straight into the school and kick the living daylights out of Micha. She has never hit anybody in her life. I didn’t know she knew how.
I let her down and that grief weighs heavy on me. I made the wrong choice and I’m worried she might never forgive me.
Marshall takes my phone off me, turns it off and shoves it in my pocket.
“No good is gonna come from you reading those messages,” he insists and he’s right. I didn’t do anything wrong, not really. We have a rule, we don’t get involved in each other’s fights because it makes it too awkward when we all make up again. I was respecting their wishes no matter how badly I wanted to be in the middle batting for my best friend. “Come here.”
With a sigh I step into his open arms and press my cheek against his chest. He wraps his big arms around me and rests his chin atop my head.