Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96249 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
I feel bad as soon as the words leave my mouth. His eyes light up and I can almost see him dreaming it up. He’s a shoo-in for the draft.
“You looked amazing out there. I could totally see you and Patrick going in the first round. Top three picks, in fact. It’s going to be so awesome,” Donna purrs as she comes over and stands beside me.
I fight not to roll my eyes. I’ve heard this out of her mouth for the last four years. It’s one of the reasons I broke things off. Don’t get me wrong, Donna is pretty. She’s very pretty with her dark-brown hair, green eyes, and curvy body.
She’s attractive until she opens her mouth. That’s when you want to gnaw your arm off to get away from her. The mean, catty, and insensitive shit that has come out of her mouth over the years have been astonishing.
Donna wasn’t like that when we met. I mean, I knew Corinne from back home. That’s actually how I met Donna. Donna had spent a summer with Corinne and we’d flirted a little.
The next year, I ran into Donna at freshman orientation. I had forgotten all about her to be honest. I had even brushed her off, given the fact that Corinne was her cousin. I hadn’t been the biggest fan of hers in high school.
However, after a few drinks and the high of my freshman year as a football star, still wet behind the ears—Donna pounced. The next thing I knew, we were dating. I’ve broken up with her plenty of times and she always finds a way to worm her way back in.
I look down at my beer and place it on the nearest surface. I won’t be enabling that cycle tonight. This time, I’m done with her once and for all.
“There’s still plenty of season left. Anything can happen,” I mumble.
“Not if you’re taking care of yourself,” Donna purrs and runs her hand up my chest.
I take a step back and swipe her arm to knock it away. She frowns and that fake smile falls from her face. This, this right here, is why Lynn was such a breath of fresh air.
Donna is just the prototype for the girls I’ve dated while in college. They have stars in their eyes and can’t help showing what they really want. I’ll gladly wait things out with Lynn—at least I know her love is real.
In two months, my parents will know I don’t intend to declare for the draft. Then and only then will I tell anyone else. I’ve been holding off disappointing my daddy yet again.
If I tell him now, he’ll have time to talk me out of it. Not a chance. I’ll wait until January, the day after the deadline, and then I’ll tell them. This is what I feel is best for me.
Just as Donna goes to pout at me, I look across the room one more time to check on Cliff. He stands as my eyes land on him. He stumbles a few steps and looks like he’s about to fall on his ass.
“Where are you going?” Donna calls after me.
“I need to get my cousin out of here,” I grumble and keep moving without looking back.
I make my way over to Cliff and catch him under the arm before he plants right on his backside. I toss his arm over my shoulder and allow him to lean his weight on me.
“There you are,” he slurs. “I don’t like these girls. They’re not my Pook.
“She smelled so pretty. I miss her. She would have lit this room up with that smile. Don’t mess things up with Cakes. Give her a call, Trev.”
“She wants space,” I mutter.
“That’s an excuse and you know it. Ain’t a darn thing wrong with checking in. You were friends first.”
“I was her sister’s friend.”
“More bullshit. I lost the love of my life, thinking I had all the time in the world. You ain’t got that much time, Trev. In the blink of an eye, it can all change and be gone.”
I keep him moving out of the party to get him back to my apartment. I hear him, but I’m terrified of making things worse between us and her daddy. Moses hardly speaks to my daddy these days.
“I hear you, bro.”
“Do you? It all means nothing if you have no one to share it all with. The pain, the good times, the grief. You need someone to share that burden with. Babycakes is your one like Pook was mine.
“God, I loved her. She was so pretty and smart. Her daddy was so stubborn. It took a while, but I got through. Don’t give up, Trev. Don’t allow him to scare you away.”
“I won’t.”
“Oh God, I’m gonna be sick,” he groans.
We stop and I help him over to the curb. We just barely make it before he empties his stomach all over the place.