Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“Reach out to them,” Maddy said as she jotted it down in her notebook. “That’d be cute.”
I cracked my knuckles, still stuck on one major part of the protest. “Okay, we have the food, but how are we going to draw the eyeballs? I’ve got a good amount of RSVPs but I want to go bigger. I want to reach people all across America. And I want to get the media’s attention, too.”
“What about putting on some kind of show?” Colton asked. “You’re a big theater star, and Maddy, you love musicals. I think that could be cool. And if we film it and throw it up on social media, it could blow up.”
“That’s not a terrible idea,” Maddy said, arching a brow. ”…Do you think it’s a good idea?”
Colton flashed his girlfriend some puppy eyes, batting his long dark lashes. They made a really cute couple. Colton was like the all-American boy next door, and Maddy was the edgier and—frankly, a little cooler—girl who fit him perfectly. It was cute to see. And I was glad that both I and my best friend happened to snag two guys who were also really good friends. It made double dates much more fun. It was like we’d quickly formed this little family together, and it was really, really nice.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Maddy said, leaning in and giving Colton a kiss on the cheek. “But we also already talked about it. Not many people are going to watch a play on their phones. It would have to be amazing, and we don’t have that kind of time.”
Colton turned his green eyes to me, smiling with a slightly crooked but overly charming grin. “Well, whatever it is, I’m sure you can be the main star, of course.”
My gut instantly did a somersault. He was only being sweet, but he didn’t know about my past.
“No, no,” Maddy quickly said. “You know you don’t have to be there, Jay.”
Colton cocked his head, clearly confused. “But you’re the main organizer. Why wouldn’t you be there?”
“Colt…” Maddy shot him a look.
“I don’t have a good history with the ocean,” I said. Understatement of the fucking century. Thankfully, Colton didn’t probe any deeper. I was okay with talking about what happened to me, but it always left me feeling beyond drained, and there was way too much shit to do today.
“I still want to be heavily involved in planning it,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee. “And, I dunno, I might decide to go. I have to think about it some more.”
Maddy looked up at me, shocked. I hadn’t brought it up before. Hadn’t really been thinking about it, but for some reason, now that my life felt all kinds of new, I realized it was time to move past the old. “Just don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with,” Maddy said.
“Thanks, friend.” I lifted my paper cup and tapped it against hers. “I can’t be missing the spotlight, though. You know me.”
“What kind of show can we put on, though?” Maddy asked, back to chewing on the cap of her pen.
“Musical?” Colton said.
“That’s really involved,” I said. “The drilling project is set to start in a couple of months. We need to be ready in three weeks or less.”
“A comedy sketch?” Maddy asked.
“Maybe…but those bomb so often. And I don’t know if that’s the vibe we’re going for.” I rubbed my forehead, feeling the frustration start to bubble up.
The door to the coffee shop chimed as it opened. I looked over my shoulder and felt myself smiling wide. Ryan walked in, backpack slung over one shoulder, backward baseball cap sitting on his head, a tuft of dark brown hair sticking out of it. He had a rosy tint to his cheeks and neck. He wore the rowing crew’s shirt with a pair of dark blue shorts that showed off his sexy thigh tattoo, the snake curling around his muscular leg.
Just like that, any frustration I’d been feeling went poof.
He came over to where we sat and gave me a kiss, my heart skipping a couple of beats. We didn’t have enough spots where we sat, so we gathered up our stuff and moved to a small table on the palm-tree-shaded patio. A couple of other students hung out around us, studying or chatting, a few glancing our way. If it had been weeks earlier, I would have instantly started to worry that they were aware of the protest and the conflict of interest going on.
Fuck that noise. I reached over for Ryan’s hand, his big fingers interlocking with mine so perfectly.
“Sorry I’m late. I wanted to get some extra pumps in at the gym.”
“Isn’t the big race coming up?” Maddy asked.
“Sure is, in about three weeks,” Ryan said. “Depending on how we place, we might make it to the championships.”