Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I’d do school and then tutor him. To keep him focused was a challenge, but he was definitely smart. He knew a lot more than he gave himself credit for. Julius claimed I was being a good example to him and appreciated the help in getting his grades up.
Before we left the house, Julius and I packed some lunch, and while feeding the ducks our leftovers, I celebrated, “Oh my God! Do you see that baby duckling? He’s so cute. You know what? We should get ducks.”
He laughed, sitting on the edge of the pond, and I followed suit.
“And where are we going to put these ducks?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but they would be loved.”
He chuckled.
“Maybe we can start with a cat.”
“A cat, yeah?”
“Yeah, a black one, I can name him Salem.”
“You’re a cat person?”
I motioned to myself. “I think this speaks for itself. Besides, they’re easier to take care of than a dog. More independent too.”
“You ever owned a dog?”
I shook my head. “You?”
“Once.”
“Aw, when?”
“I was seven. It lasted about a month. Dad won him in a poker game, and then Mom traded him for drugs.”
I grimaced, hating that sad story. “I’m so sorry I asked.”
“It’s alright.”
“Is it? You never talk about them unless it’s little remarks like that.”
He shrugged. “I don’t have much to say about them.”
“How old were you whe—”
“Twelve.”
I exhaled. “When I was twelve, I was living in a group home with the most disgusting food out of all of the ones I stayed in. It was so bad that I slept on an empty stomach most nights. They actually had to move me to another facility because I got really thin.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “They definitely don’t spend money on the food. Fosters don’t care for the older kids too much.”
“Yeah, they didn’t care much for me when I was a baby either. I guess you could say I got lost in the system.”
His eyebrows lowered, paying close attention to me.
“I never met my parents.”
He frowned. “You never looked for them?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“For what reason?”
“Curiosity.”
I smiled through the pain. “It killed the cat, remember?”
The expression on his face softened. “You’re the strongest girl I’ve ever met, you know that?”
“I’m not that strong. I ran away most of the time.”
“Saved your life though.”
“Yeah, it did.”
After pausing for a moment, he asked, “How many times have you run?”
“More times than I care to count…”
He hid back a sad smile, knocking his shoulder into me. “I’m not much of a flighter, I'm more of a fighter myself.”
“Oh!” I joked, “So that’s just a Knightly trait?”
In a neutral expression, he reminisced, “My mom used to say we were nothing like our father, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Fair.”
Trying to lighten the mood, he asked, “How’s school going?”
“Good.”
“Your classes?”
“Good.”
“You’re taking college credits in high school. That’s more than good. That’s amazing. By the time you graduate, you’ll have enough credits to be considered almost a sophomore at any university. That’s a hell of an accomplishment.”
“School was my only way out, you know?”
“I do.”
“What about you?”
“What about me? I’m an open book.”
“Far from it,” I snarked. “What do you want for your future?”
“I wish I knew.”
“Well, I’ll tell you right now, you’re the smartest person I’ve ever known.”
In an inquisitive stare, he asked, “What else do you know about me?”
“Now you’re trying to find out all my secrets?”
“As a matter of fact, I am.” He gripped my thigh.
“Don’t you dare! We’re done with that game, and we’ve moved on to a new one.”
“And who won that round?”
“You just want to hear me say it.”
“Yet I’m still waiting.”
“You won.” I smirked.
“I’m glad you’re aware of that.”
“I know what you’re doing. You’re sidestepping my awesome game of let’s talk about your future.”
He winked, teasing, “Is that what I’m doing?”
“Stop answering a question with a question, and I’ll answer one of yours first.”
“Okay, but only because you’re asking so nicely.” He thought about it for a second. “Why don’t you have any girlfriends?”
“Your first question is why I’m not into chicks?”
He laughed, big and throaty.
The fresh air was hitting my senses in the best possible way. It was such a perfect day for this. When you sit outside and feel the breeze on your face and the sun hitting you in all the right places. The view was breathtaking, with the sky’s colors matching the water.
Looking out at the ducks, I responded, “It’s hard to make any friends when you’re constantly being moved around all the time. It’s why I do an online school. It was too hard to catch up to schoolwork when I was being transferred from school to school, depending on what district I was currently held hostage in.”
“It was always bad?”
“It was never good. Silence became my only safe haven.”
He rubbed his facial hair on my neck, making me forget. Which was exactly what he was trying to do.