Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
His booming laughter echoes around the dining room as I take a seat at a nearby table and scroll through my phone, waiting for my order to come out. I hear the bell tinkling as somebody steps into the diner, and when I glance at the door, I groan. The man coming through is tall and lean, with shaggy, sandy-blonde hair, and brown eyes. Dark stubble covers his cheeks and chin, and he’s got the same rugged, outdoorsy appearance he’s always had. The man who steps in behind him is a few inches shorter, heavyset, with a shaved head and a long, thick beard. They both smirk when they see me sitting at my table.
“Well, what do we have here?” says the taller of the two. “Elodie Carter.”
“Todd Yelkin and Hank Ginter,” I say, my voice tight.
I went to high school with them both and spent my days trying to avoid them. A former star athlete, Todd is one of those guys who peaked in high school and now spends his days living on his past glories. Frankly, I’m surprised he’s not still wearing his old letterman jacket. Or more likely, he only wears it out on special occasions. Hank has always been Todd’s toadie, yes-man, and designated ego-stroker. Looking at them both standing there, it doesn’t seem like things on that front have changed at all in the last five years.
Unbidden, they drop down at my table, and Todd leers at me every bit as sickeningly as he used to back in high school. Back then, Todd made an annoying sport out of trying to get into my pants. He was upfront about it, telling me he didn’t want a relationship, he just wanted to fuck. Points for transparency, I guess. He was the sort who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Instead, he just kept on pushing and picking at me, doing his best to wear me down and get me to give in to his lurid advances.
He’d charmed his way into the pants of half the girls in school, but with me, he never succeeded, which he seemed to take as a personal affront. And every time I turned him down, it only encouraged him to try harder. He made my high school years incredibly annoying and uncomfortable as hell. It seemed like everywhere I turned, he’d be there, trying to get me to come out to his family’s lake house for a little party. His constant and dogged pursuit of my virginity made life a living hell for me back in those days.
What I always found most pathetic was Todd actually thinking I’d ever drop my panties for him. Admittedly, he’s not a bad-looking man, but I’ve always found him to be utterly repulsive. He’s not very smart. He had absolutely zero ambition, and even back then, I knew he wasn’t going anywhere in life. He seemed content to be a big fish in a small pond. And looking at him now, sitting across the table from me, I’d have to say that I was right.
“Damn, it’s good to see you. How you been, El?” Todd asks.
“Fine. How about yourselves?”
“Doin’ good, doin’ good.”
“Yep. Doin’ good,” Hank adds.
“You’re lookin’ good, El.”
“Thanks,” I reply. “I’m actually just waiting for an order. It should be up here—”
Todd leans across the table and gives me that unctuous leer I remember all too well. “Say, why don’t you swing by the lake house tonight? Let’s catch up, huh?”
“Sorry, I’m taking care of my grandmother.”
“Oh, c’mon, El. She’ll let you out for a couple of hours.”
I shake my head. It seems like no matter how much time has gone by, some things never change. Death, taxes, and Todd Yelkin trying to get into my pants are just about the only certainties in life. Todd’s eyes bore into mine, his expression serious. Hank has a twisted smirk and an expression on his face that scares me.
“Thanks, but I’m going to pass, Todd.”
He reaches across the table and takes my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “C’mon, El. We’re all grown up now. Let’s not play the stuck-up high school girl—”
“Let go of my hand, Todd.”
He doesn’t let go. He tightens his grip, making it almost painful. I wince and try to pull my hand back but can’t break away. My nostrils flare, my heart racing, and time around me slows to a crawl. I pull again but still can’t break his grip on my hand. I glance around quickly, searching for somebody who might be seeing what’s happening, but the customers in the diner are all engaged in their own conversations and aren’t paying attention. Panic starts to set in, sending my pulse into the stratosphere.
“Todd, I said let go of me!”
“Why are you bein’ like this, El? We’re friends, right?” he responds. “Let’s go on out to the lake house and catch up like old friends.”