Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“I know, honey, and I’m going to get it back,” I say, and if I can’t, I’m going to beg, borrow, and steal to make sure that he has it tomorrow. “Go get your stuff on and have some breakfast. I bought you some Toaster Strudels.”
“I’m not hungry,” he says, getting up and going into the bedroom. I pop a couple of strudels into the toaster and pack them in a container, and when he comes out, he is carrying his old bag over his shoulder. His eyes are still red with tears.
“Ready?” I ask, and he just nods his head. I don’t know if Justin is coming this morning. I don’t know if he will be waiting, and I’m not going to let myself get my hopes up. Dylan’s shoulders are slumped as we walk down the stairs, and I stop and take the bag from him, putting it over my shoulder.
We walk down the sidewalk, and I see Justin standing near his SUV, and I want to smile at him. I want to do so many things, but I don’t have a chance because when he looks right past me and straight to Dylan, he steps forward to meet us. The whole time, his eyes never leave Dylan’s, and when we are close enough, he asks right away with a panic in his voice. “What happened?” He gets down in front of Dylan, and my boy is trying so hard not to cry in front of him. He is trying so hard to be brave, but Justin just holds out his arms, and he walks into them. His arms wrap around his neck, and I look at him in his shorts and a T-shirt, and he’s wearing a baseball hat today. “What’s the matter?” he whispers to Dylan, and I want to tell him that he’s fine, and that everything is okay.
“It’s gone,” he says softly, and then Justin looks at me, and I finally see his eyes. He looks as if he hasn’t slept all night.
“What’s gone?” he asks, and Dylan finally stands there, not making eye contact with Justin. I was wrong before. I hate Andrew even more now.
“All my new stuff,” he says, and his voice is so low you can barely hear him. Justin puts his hand under Dylan’s chin and raises it. “I’m sorry.”
He looks at him. “Things happen,” he says. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything to it.”
“No,” Dylan says.
“Sometimes things happen, and it’s not our fault, and we feel bad about it,” Justin says. “Just like once when I took my brother’s hockey card to school. I was so proud that it was signed, and then I handed it to my friend, and it fell out of his hands and into a puddle.” Dylan looks at him with open eyes, and he wipes the tears away from his face. “I remember picking it up so fast and wiping it on my shirt, but the card was still soft, and it started to peel.” He tells him the story, and my heart just explodes. “I remembered being so scared to tell my dad that I hid it from him for a year.” Dylan gasps.
“Was your dad mad?” he asks, and Justin just shakes his head.
“Just like I’m not mad,” he says, “but I am sad for you because I know how much you loved your new stuff.”
“Yeah,” he says and then looks at me. “But my mom said she’s going to try to get the stuff back.”
I’m waiting for Justin to look up at me, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t do anything but look at Dylan. “How about we get some breakfast before heading to the rink?”
“I’m starving,” Dylan says, and now I’m the one about to gasp.
“Let’s get going,” he says, and Dylan just nods and walks toward the vehicle.
“Justin,” I say his name almost in a whisper. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah,” he says, and the way he looks at me, I want to reach out and grab his hand. “We should get going.”
“What?” I ask, surprised. After everything that I’ve done and said to this man, he still came out and helped us. He is still going to give me his SUV to get to work. “After everything that just went down, you are still going to go out of your way to help us?”
He stands now and shrugs. “I said I would help you, and I keep my word.” He looks at Dylan, who is getting in the SUV as though he’s always been doing it. “It’s not my place to say anything, but he deserves better.” He takes off his hat and scratches his head. “You both do.”
Chapter Thirteen
Justin
I know I shouldn’t want her, but I can’t seem to change anything. I talked myself out of driving over here this morning. I gave myself a lecture in the car. Legit, I was having a conversation with myself.