Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
I take my bags in and get a room for the night, not bothering to unpack. I need to figure out how to reach Bella.
If she didn’t tell him, then I'm hoping Derek hasn't caught onto us some other way. If he has, I don't know what I'll do. That will be disastrous for us both.
I do manage to shower, which is good because I'm grimy from practice and the flight. Then I collapse onto the bed and hope for sleep to hit me hard, because I can’t take any more disappointments until I’ve gotten some shut-eye.
Maybe I’ll dream of Bella’s sexy curves and gorgeous eyes. But I know that won’t be enough to satisfy me, so I hope that soon I’ll get to see her— and have her— again in real life.
Chapter 7 – Bella
I've been at school for a couple of weeks now and currently I’m in my dorm room, studying. Other than that same slight nausea I’ve had since the beginning, I'm not experiencing too many pregnancy symptoms yet.
Things have been going relatively well. I decided to start school and work until the baby arrives and then take some time off for that. Well, if the school will allow me to. I haven't talked to them about it yet. I figure I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I just started here, so there's no reason to worry about it yet. The baby won't be born for a while. I have plenty of time to deal with that situation as it gets closer.
Besides, talking to the school is the easy part. Dealing with Steve and Derek— well, that's a totally different story. And it’s the one that I’ve been putting out of my mind the most.
The school is very pleasant— the campus is a good size and not too large. I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten a scholarship here. It's a smaller, prestigious private school.
Plus, it's two hours away from home, which I like. I could have ended up going to the state college, like Steve and Derek, but I'm glad I didn't. I like being on my own over here. I was kind of always on my own, because of my parents. But having Derek watching over me all the time did make it difficult to enjoy things.
Maybe it'll be a little different now that I'm here. I hope so. I'm looking forward to starting my own life. I certainly hope to be a better example to this baby than my parents were to me.
I think by keeping it and getting a good education, I'm starting off on the right track. At least, I hope I am.
I'm taking the usual prerequisite classes first: Math and English and such. Now, I open my English book and begin reading the assigned chapters. Some of this work is already familiar from high school and from when I was studying for my scholarship.
I’ve just started reading the assignment when there's a knock on my door. I'm puzzled, since I'm not expecting anyone. I’m lucky enough not to have a roommate, because everyone here gets their own room.
I hear the knock again and for a second, I'm happy. Maybe it's Steve! Maybe he found where I am and he’s here to surprise me!
I've been following him in the news, even though I told myself not to. I'm proud of him for making it in, although I have to admit I thought I’d hear good news about him by now, such as something saying that he's been doing well for the team.
But things have been relatively silent, with one news outlet saying something about him having had a “lackluster performance in practice so far, despite initial high hopes from the coach.”
The last thing I read was that he was taking some vacation time back home.
I was naively hoping that he would come see me, but I haven’t heard anything from him.
Unless this is him now? I think hopefully, even though that’s a silly thought, since he wouldn’t know which dorm I’m in, let alone the dorm room number.
I get up and open the door, and I’m shocked to see Derek on the other side.
"Hey, little sister," he says with a sheepish grin on his face.
"Oh! Hi!" I reply.
We hug awkwardly and he enters my dorm.
I try to mask my disappointment that he’s not Steve as I close the door. I force a smile as I turn to him, wondering if he’s here to be over-protective and snoop around at my new surroundings.
He had helped me move in but I guess he might want to get a better feel for the place, since he seems to have a need to act like a father would. Not just any father but a really strict one at that.
"So, how are you? What's new?" Derek asks.