Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 407(@250wpm)___ 339(@300wpm)
I smiled. “Rosie wanted me to come to my first party in celebration of her birthday.”
Gabriel’s brow knit. “You could’ve just bought her a gift. You hate parties.”
“Yeah, well. It’s what she requested.”
Ali smirked and shook her head. “What would you even do at a party? Read a book?”
“My hope is to find one hidden somewhere in the house,” I joked. Well, half-joked. Because Rosie had made me leave my current read at home, I was certain she secretly hated me.
Gabriel’s mouth curved up, and I loved how it looked on him. “Good luck finding a book here. I doubt Brett knows what reading is.”
“Hey now, be nice,” I ordered.
He rolled his eyes. “Oh right. Your stupid crush.”
“It’s not stupid,” I argued, glancing around to see if Brett was anywhere to be found.
Ali began picking at her nails and looked around before pouting. “Gabriel, I need a drink.”
His eyes darted back and forth between Ali and me before he nodded. “Sure. Okay.”
“I doubt Kierra drinks, though. So just one for me,” Ali demanded.
I stood taller. “For your information, I am drinking tonight.” Ali’s jabs were growing more and more annoying with each minute that passed. I knew how to let loose. I knew how to have a good time.
It just so happened that my good time didn’t involve booze; it involved fiction. Still, I wanted to shove it in her face. Luckily for me, Rosie came over with my drink in her hand.
“Here you go, Kierra. Hey, Gabriel!” Rosie sang. Her eyes moved over to Ali, and she grimaced. “Alison.”
“Ali,” Ali corrected. “Nice to see you, Rosalina.”
“Rosie,” Rosie responded.
Gabriel chuckled slightly. If there was anyone Ali hated more than me, it was Rosie. Maybe because Rosie didn’t back down from Ali’s controlling nature. She stood ten toes down against Ali and her rudeness.
Gabriel nodded toward Rosie. “Happy birthday, Rose.”
“Thanks, Gabriel. My gift is getting Kierra out to a party. Are you as shocked as I am?”
“Stunned,” he said.
I took a sip of my drink and instantly wanted to spit it out, but I powered through because Ali thrived on witnessing others’ weaknesses. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why Gabriel was obsessed with dating the rudest girl at our school. Then again, Ali was easy on the eyes, and Gabriel did have a bit of a bad-boy persona. On paper, they made sense. Except that Gabriel wasn’t a complete monster. At least not with me.
He didn’t showcase the soft side he shared with me in private very often, though. It was his best-kept secret.
Ali grumbled. “Gabriel. My drink.”
“Oh, sorry, Ali. I didn’t even notice that you don’t have feet,” Rosie said.
Ali cocked her left eyebrow. “What?”
“Well, seeing how you are ordering Gabriel to get your drink, I figured your own legs didn’t work.”
“Oh shut up, Rosie. I’m done here,” Ali said, marching off to retrieve her drink on her own. “Hurry up, Gabriel!” she shouted over her shoulder.
Gabriel shook his head. “I’m going to get my ass chewed out for that. You know that, right, Rose?”
“Yeah, well, it might wake you up to the fact that you shouldn’t date monsters. Speaking of… I’m going to go hurry off to see Jason.” Rosie looked over at me. “You good?”
I nodded. “Yup. I’ll be…here.”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon!”
Rosie scooted off, leaving Gabriel and me together. I leaned against the staircase, and he leaned right beside me. I took another sip from my cup and made a slight face.
“You do know you don’t have to drink that, right?” he asked me.
“What? No. It’s fine. I’m cool. I’m hip. I’m a party animal.”
He laughed. “Penguin.”
“I mean it. I’m sick of Ali hating me and calling me a good girl.”
“So you feed into her bullshit by drinking?”
“If that will get her to shut up, yes.”
His brows knit. “I can tell her to stop being rude to you. I have no problem doing that.”
“Don’t you dare,” I ordered. “I’m not going to be the reason you end up single, because I run off everyone you date.”
“You know why she hates you, right?”
“Because I’m ridiculously charming, likable, and beautiful?” I joked.
“Yeah.”
He didn’t follow it up with anything else. A strange butterfly sensation hit the pit of my stomach from his words. He looked down at the floor and flicked his thumb against his nose before looking back up. “You don’t have to try to fit in here, Kierra. You weren’t born to do that.”
“To have fun?”
He laughed. “To fit in.”
“Gabriel!” was hollered from the kitchen, and we both looked over to see Ali standing there, pouting.
“Duty calls.” He nudged my arm. “I’ll check on you later.”
“You don’t have to. Be a good boyfriend,” I told him. “I’m good.”
“I’ll check on you later,” he repeated before giving me a half grin as he walked away to his whiny princess.