Total pages in book: 215
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
I laugh again and pull him back in for another hug, loving how happy Noah Ryan makes me. “You’re my bestest friend in the whole world,” I remind him.
“I’m your only friend, Zozo.”
“Nuh-uh,” I say, pulling back. “Tarni Luca is my friend.”
“Tarni Luca is not your friend,” he says, with a huff, his brows pulling down. “She has a face like a butt.”
My jaw drops, and I stare at him in shock. I’ve never heard such a mean thing come out of his mouth, but the second the shock wears off, I laugh. She kinda does have a face like a butt.
“I’m the only friend you need,” Noah tells me before walking past me to my bed, grabbing my iPad off the end, and settling against my pillow, already searching for his favorite apps. He pats the space beside him, and I carefully climb up and sit next to him, leaning over to watch what he’s doing. “Check this out,” he says. “I finally learned how to get past level fourteen.”
My eyes widen, watching how amazing he is. He’s one year older than me, and I’ve always been amazed at the things he can do. I’ve never seen anyone ride their bike quite as fast as he can, and when he plays football, he’s the best one on the field. Every time. I love going and cheering at his games. Our moms always let us get a treat afterward.
Noah teaches me how to play, and when I finally get the hang of it, he gets quiet. “Zozo,” he murmurs, a strange tone in his voice. He stops playing and looks up at me, his brows scrunched. “Why was your mom crying?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know,” I tell him in a small voice, shrugging my shoulders. “Mommy and Daddy have been crying a lot lately.”
“Do you think something’s wrong?”
“Maybe,” I whisper, trying not to worry about it. They always tell me I have to be a big, brave girl for my baby sister, and be her protector. I’m not the baby anymore. I have to be a grown-up girl.
“It’s okay,” he tells me, slipping his hand into mine. “As long as they don’t take you away from me, then it’s going to be alright.”
I trust his word entirely. I always have because he’s the smartest person I know and a whole grade ahead of me.
Another knock sounds at my door, and I hear Aunt Maya’s voice. “Noah, sweetheart. Are you in here?” she asks, creeping into my room with my parents behind her, finding us on my bed. Noah’s mom gives me a wide smile, her gaze lingering on me for just a moment longer than usual before glancing at her son. “It’s time to go. Zoey’s mommy and daddy need to have a chat with Zo, so we need to scram.”
Noah groans. “Really? We were just about to get past level fifteen.”
“You can FaceTime each other tonight and finish your game then,” she says before stepping up to the edge of my bed and crouching down, placing her hand on my thigh. “Have I ever told you that you’re the most beautiful girl I know? You’re so brave and strong,” she tells me, blinking back tears. “You’re my little warrior.”
I give Aunt Maya a wide smile, always loving it when people tell me how great I am.
Noah scoots off my bed, and when he gets to his feet, he turns back and looks at me before practically pushing his mom out of his way. He leans in to whisper in my ear. “Don’t tell anybody how much I like your stupid girl kisses.”
A wide grin stretches across my face, and I beam back at him, making a show of crossing my heart. “Promise.”
With that, Noah and his mom make their way out of my room, but Aunt Maya stops to glance at my mom. She pulls her into a tight hug, her hands rubbing over my mom’s back as my daddy places his hand on Mom’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay,” Aunt Maya says, her words making something tremble in my chest. “I’m always here whenever you need.”
Noah gives me one last glance before slipping out of my room with his mom, and I’m left looking up at my parents. They give me tight smiles as if trying to pretend that everything is okay, but I see the red around their eyes.
“Hey honey,” Mom says, sitting down beside me. Her arm falls around my shoulder as Daddy sits next to me with his big hand on my knee. “There’s something we need to tell you.”
1
Zoey
The late afternoon breeze sails through my bedroom window as I scan through my closet for the millionth time, searching for the perfect outfit to start junior year tomorrow.
I don’t know why I feel so nervous about this. It’s not like junior year really matters in the grand scheme of things. I have a great bunch of friends and am usually on top of my grades. I’m the perfect student, and yet the idea of walking into school after a great summer makes me feel sick, or maybe I’m just sad that summer is over, and it’s back to real life. Who knows.