Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Tell Dad I’m sorry,” I mutter to Mom. “Things have been rough.”
She nods. “He knows, baby. Take care of you. Dad and I have things covered around here. Make sure my baby girl eats, though, and you guys come back later for supper. Dad’ll make steak since it’s so nice out.”
I tug on Tierra’s ponytail and then snag my keys up on the way out the door. She follows me out and easily climbs into the truck. I turn over the engine and peel out, kicking up dirt all over the side of our house. Mom will kill me later for it and make me hose it down. We’re quiet as we drive, both of us contemplative. Eventually, I glance over at her.
“Spill, princess.”
She sighs heavily and then wipes her brown hands over her white shorts. “Dad is making me.”
“Why?”
“Stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
She crosses her arms over her chest and huffs. “Fine. I’ll tell you. So help me, if you laugh at me, I’ll whip your ass, Cal. I’m not joking.”
“No promises. If it’s funny, I’ll fucking laugh.”
“It’s not funny,” she mutters, her voice shaking.
“Then I won’t laugh.”
“It’s…” She picks at her fingernail before shrugging. “I’ve been getting bullied.”
I snort.
“I said don’t laugh!”
“I’m not laughing,” I bite back. “I find it unbelievable. You’re you. Feisty as fuck. Who would mess with you? I have scars that prove that’s a bad idea.”
She smiles. “I can beat your ass any day.”
“So, some girl is a bitch to you and you give up?”
“Not a girl. All of them.”
“Why?”
“Listen,” she says, her voice twinged with fear. “It sounds worse than it was.”
I pull into the hospital parking lot, figuring we can eat after, and park near the front entrance. Killing the engine, I turn to look at her. “Tell me.”
“I, uh, started talking to this guy. Sent some pictures. Professed my love.” She swipes at a tear. “I don’t know what happened, but someone sent them to every single guy at our school.”
I freeze as rage ripples violently through me. “What kind of pictures?”
“The kind that are illegal considering my age. The police had to come into the school to explain the seriousness of having those pictures on their devices.” A sob chokes her. “They could go to prison for something someone else sent them. And me…they said I could be prosecuted as well if they decided to go that route.”
“What the fuck?” I roar, slamming my fist on the steering wheel. “Who did this? I’m going to kill them.”
“No!” she cries out. “It was a mistake.”
“Who did you send the pictures to?”
This time, she shudders, burying her face in her hands. “Dad’s co-worker, Tim.”
“How the fuck old is he?”
She snaps her head up, her teary brown eyes locking with mine. “Dad’s age, but—”
“Jesus, Tierra! He should fucking rot in prison!”
A howl of sadness pierces the air. Her whole body trembles.
“It was innocent,” she tries, her voice wobbling. “We couldn’t help it we fell in love.”
“He’s a bastard,” I growl. “Did you…”
“No,” she snaps. “We wanted to. Would have if all this hadn’t blown up. His daughter, Sage, was so mad. I think she’s the one who found out and sent them to everyone. All the girls in the school hate me because their boyfriends saw me naked.” She pauses. “All the male teachers too.”
I can’t exactly kill some teenage girl, but I would love to get my hands on Tim for preying on my little cuz.
“That was so fucking stupid, princess.”
“I know,” she barks out. “I fucking know, okay?”
Gritting my teeth, I nod. “Yeah. I’ll stop nagging. I just worry about you.”
“I’ll be fine.”
I smirk at her. “Well, you’re officially a Hoodlum now. You’ll be more than fine. You’ll be safe and respected. If anyone even tries to pull shit here, I’ll end it before they even utter a word.”
“You’re such a bully,” she says, but she’s grinning while she says it.
“And a bigger bully than those other bullies is exactly what you need.” I hold out my fist and she bumps it with hers. “Let’s go see Sleeping Hoodlum and try to wake his ass up.”
Charlotte
I stare at my phone, dread consuming me to the point I feel nauseous.
Ryan: We need to talk.
Used to, when he’d text this, it meant one thing. That he was pissed and wanted to let loose some steam. Sometimes that ended in fucking while other times it ended with bruises or yelling. After not having heard from him in over two weeks, I thought for sure he’d moved along. I should have known it was a temporary reprieve from his violence.
Ryan: I still love you even after what you did.
His words are a punch to the stomach, stealing me of air.
“You did this to me,” I scream at the phone, knowing he won’t be able to hear. “I don’t love you.”