Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“I know,” Nathan says. “But still, listen to this. I think it’s a good way to make that asshole see he’s been messing with the wrong girl.”
I take a glance at Ava, knowing she’ll be blushing or smiling or both—it’s just the blushing this afternoon, by the way. There’s something so real and pure about this girl; it’s sometimes hard to believe she can do insanely dirty things, too.
She picks up a sausage with her fork and, even though we’re supposed to be having a serious discussion, I can’t help but get distracted when she lifts the phallic object up to her mouth and wraps her full lips around it.
“So what we think we’re going to do is, we’re going to publicize the hearing,” Mason says.
“You what?” Ollie asks, looking up from his plate. “You want even more exposure?”
“No, listen to this,” I say. “We’re not the people who should be ashamed here. It should be Joseph. We have nothing to hide. So what if there are six people in our relationship, rather than two?”
My brothers nod in agreement, while Ava just takes a deep breath to prepare herself for more details about the plan.
“The one who did wrong was Joseph,” Mason says. “He was a shit boyfriend, and now he’s a shit ex. I’m sure people will see that when they know the facts.”
“As long as we give them our version of the facts first,” I say.
“Who’s ‘them’?” Ava asks cautiously.
“The media. The press,” Mason says.
“You want to bring this to the media?” Liam asks, tilting his head with mild surprise.
“Yes.” Mason, Nathan, and I nod.
“Just the bit about the case,” I add.
Ollie and Liam fall quiet as they think. The food’s getting cold because nobody’s eating.
“But won’t people find out about us and scrutinize our relationship?” Ava asks.
“They might,” Nathan says. “I’m sorry to say that, sweetheart, but that is a risk.”
“I’m about to lose my job anyway, but there’s no need for you to also bring your names into this as well. This could end up affecting your business, your livelihood,” Ava says.
“It’s not just our business that's at stake, Ava,” Ollie reminds her gently. “If the news about us spreads, you’re going to find it impossible to find another teaching job.”
“That’s why, if you’re planning on teaching again or going into a profession where our relationship could be an issue, we won’t carry out the plan,” I say to Ava.
Ava shakes her head. “I think I’m done with teaching. But I have no idea what I want to do yet.” She lets out a big sigh as she rests her chin on her hands. “I feel like such a loser.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re only twenty-one. It’s normal to take some time to figure out what you want to do with your life,” Liam says.
“You really think so?” Ava asks.
Liam nods, while the rest of us sound our agreement.
“I’m not going to deny that the plan has some . . . flaws,” Nathan says. “But if we manage to get this news spreading, Joseph will forever be known as the asshole who sued his ex-girlfriend.
“When Joseph applies for a job, the HR person will Google him and totally get a kick out of reading these crazy articles about him.”
“I like the sound of that . . .” Ava says.
“Awesome,” Nathan says. “And, of course, if I were the HR person, I’d hire a non-crazy applicant.”
“Also,” Mason adds, “when Joseph gets a date, that girl will go home to also Google him and learn about how he treated the last girl who gave him a chance.”
“And that sounds great, too,” Ava says.
“Think about it carefully, Ava,” Liam says. “I know it sounds like a great idea to make Joseph pay for the rest of his life—I want that, too. It does sound like it might work and—”
“Of course, it’ll work,” Nathan cuts him off. “It’s a piece of cake.”
“He’s right,” I say. “All we have to do is spread the word and watch as it takes on a life of its own. This is a good story—as in, you know, so crazy it would get noticed.
“We’re going to get so many clicks on those articles.” Nathan’s starting to get excited about the idea, his eyes darting to and fro like his entire body is trying to keep up with his mind. This is how he usually looks when he comes up with a new sales pitch he likes. “Imagine the headline: ‘Woman Sued by Ex-Boyfriend, Made to Repay Dinner Bills from Past Dates.’”
“If you see that in your Google search results, you’d click on that link and read that article,” I add.
“We’re confident we can turn this into a big story,” Nathan says. “We’ve done this a bunch of times before. This is what we do. We put our own spin on a story, make it interesting, and feed that story to the masses. We usually manage to get quite a few bites.”