Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
After the waitress came over and took our order, Arlo crawled over the back of the booth to go to the restroom.
Hendrix glared at Drew for a second. “So we’re gonna talk business in front of her now, I guess?”
“Yeah…”
Wolf’s gaze drifted to the front. “Shit…” He yanked the joint from behind his ear and crammed it in his pocket. “Cops are coming over here.”
Officer Robins stopped beside our booth, a cup of coffee in his hand.
His gaze shifted from me to Hendrix to Wolf, then stopped on Drew. “Miss Morgan, right? How you doing?”
Wolf and Hendrix stared straight ahead at the wall.
“I’m good…” She glanced at me like I knew what the hell was going on. “How are you?”
Hendrix groaned, tossing his head back on the booth.
“That’s good to hear. Just came in for a cup of Joe. They’ve got some good coffee here.” He took a sip from his mug. “Just thought I would come by and check that you were okay. We’ve had a report down at the station that says you’re a missing person…”
Jesus Christ. She was eighteen, there wasn’t crap that could be done about it if she decided to leave. But since he saw her as nothing more than a possession, I guess it made sense to him.
“Oh, that’s...Nope. I’m right here.”
“Well, your father seems to think you’re missing.” Another sip of coffee. “Guess it might be those authoritative differences, huh?” His gaze strayed to me momentarily.
She actually laughed. “Let’s just say they escalated.”
“I see. I’ll make a note when I get back to the station, ma’am. Call him and tell him you’re A-Okay.”
“Sure.”
“Alright then. You kids have a good day.” Then he walked off.
Hendrix scoffed. “Miss? Ma’am? We get called assholes and little shits.”
Because we were. Drew snatched her drink. “You are an asshole, Hendrix.”
“This is the kinda shit I’m talking about, Bell.” He balled up a napkin and lobbed at it Drew. “Getting all Chatty Kathy with the police. Calling me names. Giving me head injuries. What’s next? Burning my fucking house down and taking a shit on it?” He shook his head. “Where is the line?”
“You pissed in my car!” Drew all but shouted.
“You got him arrested!” Hendrix did shout.
Wolf barked out a laugh. “God, Zepp is missing some grade-A shit.”
Arlo came back, and Drew helped him over the back of the booth while I ignored the argument continuing to go back and forth, seething.
The waitress brought our food over before I finally couldn’t take it any longer. Her dad thought he’d get me in trouble, and that lit my ass on fire. “Your dad just implied I kidnapped you, you realize that?”
The banter fell silent, and Drew’s hand landed on my thigh. “My dad is an arrogant old man who is pissed because I’m not falling in line. He’s just throwing everything and anything he can at the situation because he has no control.” She squeezed. “Really you should be flattered you have him so on the ropes.”
Flattered? Pissed was more like it.
Arlo stood up in the booth, patting Drew on the head. “Miss Drew, you wanna watch The Good Dinosaur with me tonight? It’s sad. The dinosaur parents die.”
“Well, now you just told me the ending.”
He frowned. “It’s not the ending. That’s just the beginning.”
“That’s not depressing.” She snorted, tugging his shirt down where it had ridden up. “Sure. You want popcorn?”
He nodded enthusiastically.
“Okay. Eat your burger before Hendrix steals it like the vulture he is.”
He leaned across the table, whispering, “Arlo. Remember the bro-code. Bros before hoes.”
Drew covered Arlo’s ears. “Really? He is going to figure out that is not the garden variety soon.”
When she released him, he glanced over at me, his little brow creased in confusion. “‘I’ before ‘E’ except after ‘C’, and bros before hose…”
“No! Do not go to school and say that crap.”
Hendrix cackled like the idiot he was, and I crammed fries in my mouth.
I couldn’t deal with this shit...
45
Drew
The rest of the week went by.
Me waking up at Bellamy’s.
Us driving to school.
It became a weird kind of normal, and I felt a kind of warmth I had never experienced before in my short life. Bellamy, Arlo, their mom. It was a family-- a real family, unlike mine.
Over the past week, I’d watched Carol hug Arlo, and kiss Bellamy’s cheek, and each time it made my heart squeeze, pining for something I’d never had and it was now too late for.
Bellamy had to go do some ‘work’, so I’d offered to pick Arlo up from the bus stop. When he hopped in my car, he stuck out his tongue.
“Why is the stuff on your seat pink?” he asked.
“Don’t judge me, kid. My mom picked it out.”
“What music do you want?” I put the roof down, and a grin covered his face.
“The angry lady that screams.”