Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 691(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)
It was asking a lot.
As I approached the counter, Connor stood there talking to the cashier.
“Yeah, I’ll take all this junk.” He placed a bunch of candy bars, drinks, and gum onto the counter. “And what do have in a gentleman’s magazine? The porno kind.”
The second I heard that, my eyes widened and I turned to walk away. But a hand on my shoulder pulled me back. Connor dragged me in, taking the Twizzlers out of my hand and placing them on the counter with his stuff. The cashier came back with a variety of plastic-wrapped, suggestive magazines.
My heart went from flatlining to drumming up a storm and my cheeks heated so quickly I thought I might faint from the sudden head rush.
Connor went from magazine to magazine. “What would you suggest, my fine man?”
The mature cashier pointed to a magazine called Lux, and when I opened my mouth to speak, Connor put a finger to my lips, squishing them in the process. “Sssh, baby. The adults are speaking.”
Connor looked at the magazine and umm’d and ahh’d. “I don’t know. I mean, sure, she’s hot but I’m looking for something with a certain mystique to it. Know what I mean?”
The cashier disappeared then returned with another magazine. He placed it on the counter. It was called Moi.
“That’s it,” Connor said, tapping the plastic-wrapped cover. “That’s the one.” He took the magazine from the clerk. “She looks like a nice girl. Helpful. Like, she’d keep her bed made but the shit she does in it would disappoint her mom. Yep.” He nodded, putting it back down on the counter. “I’ll take it.”
The cashier wrung it all up and when he gave the total, Connor reached into the fridge beside us and added something to the pile then smirked at me. “And a Yoo-hoo for the baby.”
I felt it might’ve been an insult.
The joke was on him though.
I loved Yoo-hoo.
The cashier packed it all in a bag and handed it to Connor, who thrust it into my arms. I held it fast but when we made it outside, Connor threw his arm out to stop me. “There’s a hoop,” he stated, then, “We need a ball.”
He went back inside, leaving me holding a bag full of junk and a nudie magazine, and when he returned with an old, crusty-looking basketball, I looked up at him curiously.
Smiling, he started to nod as he bounced the ball. “One-on-one?”
Was he serious? “I don’t know how to play.”
“Hmm. Okay,” he called out to Lee. “Yo, Lee.” When Lee turned, Connor pointed down at me. “Emmy wants to play ball. Says she’s real good. You in?”
Okay. Looked like they were all calling me Emmy now.
Also, what?
No, I didn’t!
My face void of all emotion, I blinked at him. All he did was grin and wink in return.
God, he was a jerk.
Lee jogged over and when Hell joined him, I stuttered, “I-I-I can’t play.”
Connor chuckled low in his throat, putting his arm around me, pulling me into his side and stuffing my face into his chest. “You’re so funny, Emmy.” He slowly shook me by the shoulders then said, “Don’t listen to her. Emmy’s got moves.”
Lee smiled. “You literally don’t know how to play, do you, kid?”
I shook my head and Connor’s mouth gaped. “Liar. I’ve seen her. She’s good. I swear.”
Hell chuckled, knowing full well Connor was talking a bunch of baloney. “C’mon, are we doing this or not? We gotta get back on the bus in a few.”
Apparently, we were playing something called half court. When Lee managed to get the ball from Connor and pass it to me, I gripped it hard and ran.
“Hold up, kid.” Lee laughed. “You’re traveling.”
I held the ball tightly. “Am I not supposed to do that?”
“No.” Lee explained, thoroughly amused. “You have to bounce the ball as you run. If you don’t, it’s called traveling and you have to hand the ball over to the other team.”
Ah. I see. “Right. Okay.” Then I peered up at him, squinting, and asked a quiet, “Can I have a do-over?”
Connor called out, “Hell no.”
Hell spoke up and he did it kindly. “You’re doing fine. Try again.”
I uttered, “Thank you, Hell.” But the second I started bouncing the ball, Connor took it from me and I stilled, pointing at him. “Hey, that’s not fair!” I turned to Lee, affronted. “He took the ball from me!”
Lee grinned. “He’s allowed to do that.”
“It was legal,” Hell confirmed, chuckling.
It was?
Connor flipped me the bird and did it smirking. I was mad. More embarrassed really, but still, mad.
My competitive streak thrumming, I chased Connor. Every time I tried to grab the ball, he maneuvered it away from me. Again and again, he put the ball out of my reach, and when I let out a sound of pure frustration, he sniggered. “Give it up, yo.”