Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
His room is how I imagined it. Walls filled with sports posters and half-naked women. There’s a desk on one wall and a bed against another. The futon he mentioned before is against another wall, which faces his closet.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Not really,” I admit. “I found out today my parents are in more financial trouble than I thought and because of it, they cashed out my college fund.”
“Damn.” Landon drops onto his bed, one arm coming up to fluff the pillow behind his head. I take note of the way the muscles in his arm flex. “There’s always loans, right? Or scholarships?”
“Yeah, I’m just dealing with the shock of it all. My mom and I talked for a while last night and she never once mentioned it. Would’ve been nice to know…”
“Maybe she’s still trying to figure it all out and she wants to protect you until she knows for sure.”
“Maybe… How’d your first day of practice go?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.
“Good. Coach says we’re looking solid.” He grins. “He thinks I have a real shot at being drafted in June and has spoken to a couple scouts who’ll be coming out to watch me play.”
I do a mental calculation. It’s January now, which means he’ll be gone in five months. The thought kind of makes my stomach hurt, which is weird since we’ve only really talked a couple of times.
“Come lie down. We can watch a movie. Maybe it’ll take your mind off everything.”
When I lie down, far away from him, he laughs and pulls me closer. “Don’t want you to roll off.” He wraps his arm around my waist, and after a few minutes, I find myself gravitating toward his warmth. I don’t know what it is about Landon, but being around him calms me, makes me feel like I can deal with whatever is being thrown my way.
He scrolls through the movies and I pick Twilight. He groans but still clicks play. We watch the movie in silence, and at some point I must fall asleep, because the next thing I know, I’m waking up to the sound of my phone ringing. I glance over at Landon, who has his arms wrapped around me and is snoring softly. My first thought is to switch my phone to silent and snuggle back up with him, but then I see it’s my mom calling, so I know I have to answer.
“Hey, Mom,” I say softly, not wanting to wake Landon up.
“I saw the food you left,” she says. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
“I also saw you were in the bills drawer…”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I was picking up.”
She sighs heavily. “Can you come home so we can talk?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a little while.”
Glancing back at Landon asleep, I wish I could stay in this bed, in his arms, in this bubble for a little while longer.
Too bad that can’t happen.
Just as I’m trying to sneak out of Landon’s bed, his arms tighten and he pulls me back into his chest. “Where are you going?” he murmurs, his voice gravelly from sleep.
“Home. My mom called me and wants to talk about the stuff I found.”
Landon nuzzles his face into my neck, and my heart goes haywire. “I’ll message you my number,” he says. “Text or call me anytime.”
“Okay.” Reluctantly, I slide out of his hold and climb out of his bed. “Thank you.”
When I get home, my mom is waiting for me in the kitchen with a sad look on her face. Her eyes are a bit puffy, and her cheeks are pink like she’s been crying.
I sit across from her and she reaches across the table, taking my hands in hers. “I hate that I have to tell you this, but your father and I are getting a divorce. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you everything because it’s not your burden to bear, but it’s your college fund he cashed out, so I feel you have a right to know. He’s been going to the tracks and bars, and gambling. He blew through our entire savings and then cashed out your college fund before I even knew what was happening. It looks like I’m going to have to put the house up for sale.” Tears of hurt drip down her face. “We were supposed to meet for marriage counseling today and he never showed up. I’m so sorry, Harper.”
Standing, I come around the table and wrap my arms around her. “It’s okay.” I’m devastated I’ve lost my college fund, but it’s not her fault, and there’s nothing she can do to fix it, so there’s no point in making her feel bad. She’s losing her home and her husband. She’s got to feel bad enough.
“Thank you,” she says as she pulls back and stands. “I’m going to go take a shower. It’s been a long day. Do you have homework to do?”