Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“Enough, girls.” Mr. Hart rubs between his brows in frustration. I receive glares from Shelby for the rest of dinner, but I ignore them because my mind is on Simon. I’ve been thinking about what he said. Even though he was a jerk, I want to talk to him and maybe figure this thing out between us.
“Where’s Richie?” I ask Quinn in a hushed voice, hoping that bitch Shelby didn’t hear me.
“Why? Looking for another fucking lay?” Shelby hisses.
“He said he wasn’t feeling well and stayed back at the hotel,” Quinn says. She rolls her eyes at Shelby who sticks her tongue out at Quinn.
Funny, when I saw Richie earlier, he was fine. Maybe it was the encounter with Simon that upset him. He has that effect on people—ruining plans is his thing.
My plans for the future aren’t set in stone, and they sure as hell aren’t solely based on Simon. The way he said that I was his makes me believe he’s been telling me the truth. A part of me needs to know more. When we return to the resort, I pretend to go to my room, but instead, I stroll toward Simon’s room. I pace back and forth outside of his door after coming back from dinner with my classmates. I’m still thinking about the way his mouth was on mine and the dirty promises that he made to me about our future.
I paced outside his door when he doesn’t answer for at least twenty minutes. I’m about to leave when his parents come down the hall with his brothers and sister. “Is Simon inside?” his mother asks.
“No. In fact, I was waiting for him to come back.”
“Come back?”
“Yes. We had a fight and he stormed off, and I left with my class to dinner.”
“He didn’t come back in all that time?”
“No. At least, not that I’m aware of.”
“Oh my God.” Mrs. West looks at her husband. “Simon. My baby. Where is he?” she sobs.
Simon’s brother Eric comes up to me and says, “We didn’t get to talk earlier, but I wanted to show you something —”
He’s about to tell me when Simon’s dad says, “He’s not answering his phone.”
The sound of sirens can be heard in the distance. Mrs. West places a hand on her belly; panic is etched on her face. “Calm down, Dash. Our boy is okay. There’s always someone getting hurt on the slopes or out drunk. Simon is probably at the bar or gone to get some food. Maybe his phone is out of battery.”
A classmate of mine comes running in. “Mr. and Mrs. West. It’s your son.” He tries to catch his breath and then continues, “It’s Simon. He was hit by a car. They are taking him to the hospital right now.”
“Oh my God.” I can’t hear anything as the room spins and goes dark.
****
I’m woken up by Eric, who wipes a towel over my face. “Viv, you’re awake. Thank goodness. We’re so glad that you’re okay.” I look around, and I’m on the sofa in the middle of the hotel luxury lounge with Simon’s siblings.
“Who cares about me? What is going on with Simon?” I question.
“He’s in surgery, and we don’t know what’s going on.”
“What about your mom? Is she okay?” I can’t imagine being in her position. My heart is breaking for both of us.
“She’s with my dad right now. They are in the OR waiting room.” I look around and see all of his siblings staring at me with so much worry when they should be at the hospital with their parents and their brother.
“Why aren’t you all there?”
“Dad wanted us to wait here and get ready to check out in case we need to move to the hotel next to the hospital,” Eric answers.
“Oh.”
“Here, drink this,” his sister, Abby, offers, handing me a bottle of water.
“We have everything packed,” Jack says, taking a seat on the sofa across from me. “So we are ready to go to the hospital.”
“Oh my God. Who would be that stupid to be walking out in this bad weather in the first place?” we overhear someone say. My fists are balled up in anger at the person with a big mouth.
Someone else adds, “It’s not stupid. It’s a fucking ski resort. It’s cold everywhere—duh. Besides, maybe the asshole who was driving should have been more careful. It was a hit and run. Still, it’s lucky that Sarah found him and got an ambulance before it was too late.”
I try not to cry because he left angry at me, and he wouldn’t have been outside if it wasn’t for me. “Excuse me, but I need to call my parents,” I say. I gently attempt to push off the sofa, but Abby shakes her head and grips my shoulder, holding me down.
“I already did,” Jack says.