Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81375 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81375 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 407(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“Seventeen years, actually,” I correct her.
“What?” she gasps. “Seventeen years? Holy cawquamole, I shouldn’t piss them off then.”
There’s plenty of scar tissue along my lower lip that extends to the side of my mouth and down my chin, and I have a bad habit of worrying it with my teeth. I do it to stop myself from laughing. “Birding isn’t something I would have enjoyed… before.”
“Do you get bored?”
“Bored isn’t the right word.” Actually, it is the right word.
“Are you going to show me your face?” she asks.
She switches topics so easily and fluidly that it turns all the tension I’m very much trying to pretend isn’t a thing into a laugh or cry moment. I want to laugh, but oddly enough, my eyes also sting.
It’s so weird to go from not wanting to have to endure this evening to suddenly not wanting it to end.
“I am. Do you want to sit down?”
“I’m okay standing,” she replies.
“If you hate it, I could always eat with a bag on my head so you don’t lose your appetite.”
“Oh my god, come on now!” she implores, legitimately upset. “I know we’ve been kind of joking around and it’s been all dry humor because that’s the less awkward road, but if you say something like that again, I’m going to be truly sad for both of us.”
“If I can’t make fun of myself, I’d be in a real sorry state. I’m just lucky I have the option.”
“To hide here?”
“Basically. I never had to subject myself to being called a freak show or stared at. I’ve never had to know that I made children cry.”
She clutches her hands in front of her dress, her bat sleeves swaying, her black nail polish glinting. “People are unbelievably cruel, but they can be nice too. I don’t want that to be me. The cruelness, I mean.” She inhales and exhales so loudly that it sounds like the window just blew open. “If my face does something terrible because I’m a little bit shocked when you show me, I’m so sorry. I don’t mean it.”
“You’re oddly kind,” I say softly.
“At least it’s not just odd.”
“I don’t find there to be anything wrong with odd.”
“Are you… going to turn around now?”
It’s now or never. I think I’ve given her about as much preparation as I can. She’s been a pleasant surprise, a one-off so far. I’ve built this up beyond build-up. There’s only one thing left to do.
I pivot around in the world’s slowest slow motion. I leave the side of my face for last, cranking my head in an owlish motion that’s probably freaky in itself. I swear, for trying to have the lowest impact, I’m a full-on shitshow horror movie.
Her eyes are naturally large, but as soon as she gets a look at my face, they shoot open wider. Her full lips part, pink where the black lipstick has worn away. Without preamble, she falls over to the side, toppling right off those crazy high platforms, and starts flopping on the floor like a freshly landed fish.
Shit. I’ve never scared anyone into having a fucking seizure before.
I rush to her, my hands hovering anxiously. I’m on the verge of screaming for Adam because he knows CPR and other vital, relevant information, when she cranks up like a corpse rising out of her coffin—sorry, it’s totally the makeup—and winks at me.
The tremors hit me like they’re contagious, and they’ve transferred over. I was crouched down, but now, I fall flat on my ass, and she scrambles over to me. We’ve totally changed positions. She’s horrified, but it has nothing to do with my face.
“Shit. I’m so sorry. You’re shaking. I thought that would be a good joke, but I can see how it was in the worst taste.” She swallows hard while I do the same, trying to get my shit together.
We’re pretty much two worried, wide-eyed, panting, gulping messes until she finally gathers herself enough to give me a sheepish smile.
“You know what’s not in bad taste? Hopefully dinner. Should we eat?” She asked.
Chapter three
Dulcie
Well, shit.
This is not going at all like how I’d planned in my head.
I confess, I came up with the worst possible idea, but it was the only in that I saw. I hope I sound less of an asshole when I say this plan developed somewhat organically.
After my dad basically begged me to go to New York and bring Luca back, I hit my room back at home and camped out there for hours, doing as much research as I could. I thought the whole thing was crazy. I was at a loss as to what I could do to make my dad’s wish a reality.
The only thing I could think of was that I’d have to find some dirt on Luca. More than the whole, you left my dad in the lurch and broke his freaking heart, you ass breath douchewad.