Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“They love you, Sky. Like me, they were concerned, and now that they know you’re okay, they’re pissed.”
She glanced up at me and grinned. “I kind of like the way we worked things out.”
“We haven’t really talked yet.”
With a nod, she replied, “I know. Do you want to head back to Waco tonight? I paid cash upfront, and there is one more night at the hotel, so it’s ours if we want it.”
Skip stood and stared at us as we approached him. He focused in on me, and I could see in his eyes that he was angry. I’d promised him that Sky would call him after we finished talking. I hadn’t meant to let us both fall asleep.
“Let’s stay here. It will give us a chance to talk and not think about anything else.”
Skylar nodded. We came to a stop in front of Skip.
He shook his head. “I should be really pissed off at you right now, Skylar, but I can’t be. I’m so damn glad you’re okay.”
Walking into his arms, Skylar buried her face into his chest and then looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I promise to never do something so stupid like that again.”
“Damn straight, you won’t.”
Drawing back, Skylar asked, “Where is Mitch?”
Skip’s brows drew in some. “He, um…he left to go talk to Michelle.”
Skylar took a step back. “What did he do, Skip? Please tell me he didn’t do something stupid.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Skip glanced over to me and then back to Skylar. “I wish I could, Sky. I wish I could.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
* * *
Michelle
DROPPING MY KEYS onto my desk, I shook my head when I saw my phone. It was still plugged in and charging. Reaching for the phone, I dragged in a deep breath and looked down at it.
“Two hundred missed calls? Fuck my life.”
I sat on the edge of my bed and hit my voice mail. Mitch’s name stood out. He had called last. I hit the message and held my breath.
“Are you trying to make a point by not answering your phone, Michelle? Your parents are pissed. I’m pissed. Michelle, I’m really worried about both you and my sister. Please just call, will you?”
I hit Delete. Far cry from Wyatt’s message to Skylar.
Dropping back onto my bed, I let out a dramatic sigh. “What happened between us, Mitch?”
My phone rang and scared the piss out of me. I didn’t even bother to look to see who it was. “Hello?”
“Michelle Marie Jones, you have some explaining to do, young lady.”
Great. My mother.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, Mom? Hey. Mom? No, I don’t think so, young lady. I have it in my mind to come to Austin and make you come home.”
I sat up. “Mom, Skylar was freaking out. I reacted, and I walked out of my dorm without my phone.”
“Why did Skylar’s parents call us to let us know you were both okay? Why couldn’t you call? Why do you screw everything up like this, Michelle?”
Anger raced through my veins. “This is why, Mom. I didn’t call you because I knew you would treat me like a child and jump down my throat.”
“Stop acting like a child, and I won’t have to treat you like one.”
Tears filled my eyes. “You’re right. I’m a failure, Mom. Just like you’ve always said. I couldn’t manage to get a full ride to UT on my academics, only a partial. I got into Harvard but not Princeton. I make a mess of everything in my life. You constantly remind me of that, Mom, and maybe, just this one time, I didn’t feel like hearing what a total fuckup I am.”
The silence on the other end of the line caused me to think she had hung up. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had.
“Michelle, I…I don’t think now is a good time to talk.”
I slowly shook my head as tears slid down my cheeks. “No, Mom, it will never be a good time.”
Hitting End, I sat there and stared at the bulletin board that had pictures of me, Mitch, Skylar, and Wyatt plastered all over it. Slowly standing, I walked over and ran my fingers over the picture of Mitch and me at prom. Staring into his eyes, I fought to see if I’d missed something. My heart ached as I looked at us smiling in the picture.
Did he ever truly love me?
The knock on my dorm room door caused me to jump.
“Michelle?”
My heart squeezed in my chest at the sound of Mitch’s voice.
I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and let it out. Walking to the door, I opened it to see Mitch standing there. His eyes looked bloodshot, and it appeared like he hadn’t slept in days.
“You’re not at the game?”
He shook his head. “No, I told the coach I had a family emergency. My sister was missing.”