Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Finn’s expression doesn’t falter, but for some reason, his question bothers me. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard enough about his parents to know they’re very set in their ways. For them, everything is by the book, and the rules of the book are archaic. We all play a part, and our roles change depending on the scene. People like them don't seem to get much of a choice in anything. Mallory had to dress and act a certain way when she was with them, which tormented her. I couldn’t blame her. I can’t imagine that Finn, as the firstborn male, would have it any easier. Mal only mentioned his choosing hockey once, and she said something along the lines of, “Our parents blew a gasket.”
“You don’t have to answer that,” I say, clearing my throat and earning Finn’s attention. “Titus loves to badger people with questions, and sometimes, when his defense attorney side comes out, it can get really intense.”
“Good to know,” Finn says, his eyes so intense that I feel he’s sucking the air out of my lungs.
“Stop pestering him, honey. He provided this delicious wine,” Mom says, snapping us out of the trance as she lifts her glass. “A toast to sharing food with a new face.”
Everyone mumbles something in agreement, lifts their glass, and takes a sip of the wine, which is … fine. I’m not sure what I expected. I know nothing about wine, but at that price tag, I thought it would be, “Oh my God-good.”
“Do you have any content to shoot or anything going on this weekend?” Mom asks me after a moment.
“Not really,” I say. “I’m recording a training session, but that’s mostly because people keep asking me for an updated one.”
“A training session that she’s forcing me to be a part of, by the way, even though we’re going to train with some of the girls the day after,” Livie says.
I laugh. “Stop whining.”
“You sound like Finn,” Will says, smirking.
My heart skips. “How so?”
“He trains for fun.”
“I train for excellence,” Finn says.
“You should do a basketball versus hockey player training video,” Dame says. “People would be surprised to see we do a lot of the same things.”
“That would be fun,” I agree. “Are you volunteering?”
Dame chuckles. “I mean, I guess I can.”
“Finn should do it.”
“Are you my spokesperson now, Mr. Hamilton?” Finn asks, raising an eyebrow, but he doesn’t look or sound upset about it.
From the way Will laughs, and as quiet as I know Finn can be, I get the feeling he normally does this.
“Do you have anything else going on, besides recording content?” Mom asks.
“We’re going to a pool party,” Tiago says, smirking at me.
“You’re going to a pool party. I already told you I’m not up for it.”
“Is it on Saturday?” Mom asks softly, then offers a gentle smile when I nod.
It’ll be the fifth anniversary of my father’s death, and even though the years keep passing, the loss still plagues me. Not just the loss, but how I lost him … how I found him. I take a large sip of what’s left of my wine and chase the thoughts away. Thinking about death is triggering for me, as it’s not something I like to talk about. Maybe if I were familiar with less traumatic deaths, things would be different, but I’m not. It’s yet another reason I’ve tried so hard to leave Mallory’s death behind.
“I’ll come over and watch a movie with you,” Livie says quietly.
Dame curses, his eyes going wide. “I’ll bring food.”
“I’m fine.” I put a hand up and smile at both of them. “Really. I appreciate it, but I’m totally fine.”
They look like they don’t believe me, and I can’t blame them. They’ve seen me break down time and time again. I don’t even bother to acknowledge Finn, Tiago, or Will. T knows how difficult that day is for me, but he's never actually been there to witness me at my lowest. I've never let him.
“A party might be fun,” Mom says, trying to sound cheerful.
“When does practice start again?” Titus asks, changing the subject. I shoot him a grateful look, and he smiles softly.
“October, but we’re going to start conditioning next week.”
We’re not allowed to practice until October, but our coaches get around that by having us run plays off school property. They’re not actually there when we do it and since it’s just a group of girls playing basketball, it’s technically not breaking any violation.
“God, it’s going to be so hard getting back into conditioning,” Livie says.
“That’s why you should never stop,” I quip.
Hamilton snorts. “You really sound like Finn.”
I finally glance at Finn, who’s staring at me with a raw need that makes my pulse race. Every time I’m around him, I feel like I’m back in middle school waiting for my crush to look my way. God, this is bad. From the corner of my eye, I see Titus watching us, so I take a deep breath and focus on my food. I don’t know how I’m going to sit through an hour of this.