Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Ducking and weaving, I ran to the edge of the water and frantically unwound my hair. I’d learned my lesson the day before about forgetting a ponytail holder and put my hair in a braid that morning. A freaking braid my attacker had gotten its gag-inducing feet tangled in, and now, I was seconds away from peeling out of my skin and living the rest of my life as a skeleton.
“Get off me!” I shouted, violently slapping at my hair. My panic skyrocketed when I heard the buzz beside my ear.
My freaking ear.
My exposed, open, and inviting ear the flying monster could crawl inside.
I’d have had to die.
Right then and there.
If that beetle got into my ear, someone would have to put me down like they had Tiffany Martin’s dog last year after it was hit by a car.
Frantic and lost to all logic, I made a choice. I’d be wet and miserable the rest of the day, but beetles couldn’t swim, right?
That part of the creek was shallow, but I lunged forward, submerging my face. Scrubbing like a wild woman, I washed my thick hair with both hands. The rocks were hard beneath my stomach and chest, but a few scrapes and bruises were a small price to pay to be bug-free.
Still unconvinced I’d gotten it out of my hair, I started to roll to my back. Two arms suddenly wrapped around my middle.
“Stand up!” he barked, lifting me as best he could, which admittedly was only to my knees. “Just put your feet down. It’s not that deep.”
Freaking Camden Cole. Of course. I was flailing around in the water like an idiot. What more embarrassing time would there have been for him to finally arrive?
I had zero time to worry about what he thought while there was a living, breathing insect. In. My. Hair.
“Stop! I’m under attack!” I yelled, continuing to splash water into my hair and on my face.
“Would you stand the hell up and stop trying to drown yourself?” he snapped, dragging me to the bank. Unceremoniously, he dropped me on the dirt and then collapsed beside me, panting and heaving.
He looked different than he had the day before. His short, sandy-brown hair was the same and those blue eyes were just as bright as ever, but his cutoff jeans and black T-shirt with the sleeves ripped off was a far cry from his khakis and button-down. Thankfully, with dirty knock-off Converse shoes replacing his stupid penny loafers, he looked like every other kid from Clovert.
I might even have gone so far as to say he looked like one of the cute boys who were so few and far between. Yeah, okay, fine—I definitely would have said it. And dang, wasn’t that inconvenient considering I was soaking wet, covered in mud, and still unsure if we were even speaking.
He brought his knees up and rested his elbows on top while he caught his breath. “Jesus, Nora. You scared the crap out of me. I ran all the way from the road when I heard you scream. I thought you were being attacked by a coyote or something.”
“Well, it was close,” I said in all seriousness. “There was a bug in my hair.”
“A bug?” It was as much of a question as it was an accusation. “What kind of bug? Bee? Wasp? Yellow jacket?”
“I think it was actually a beetle. I didn’t stop to check though.”
His head cocked to the side. “You just had a seizure and almost drowned because of a freaking beetle?”
His lack of concern was insulting. “I don’t like bugs, okay? They’re gross and they have these tiny eyes, and I don’t even know where their nose is. Plus, they have extra legs and stuff. I mean seriously, who needs that many legs? Can you even imagine the sound of that thing in your ear?”
Horror contorted his face. “Holy crap, it went in your ear?”
I snapped my fingers and pointed at him. “No, but the point is it could have. You don’t know what it was thinking. Bugs are unpredictable. They don’t have to bite or sting or even crawl on you with all four million useless legs. All they have to do is see an open mouth or ear and you’re done for.”
He shivered and shook his head. “Jesus, how do you make a beetle sound so scary?”
“Welcome to my world.” Shrugging, I stood up and walked over to the creek. I washed my hands, and since I was already soaked, I splashed water on myself and tried to get the mud off my black athletic shorts. They were a hand-me-down from Thea’s horrific tomboy collection. I’d had to get creative with tie-dye and a pair of scissors to make the shirts not look like I’d stolen them from my brother, but they were at least useable.