Page 140 of Possession

I cross my arms and hitch a leg. “I’m an only child. I don’t throw insults well. I’m not well practiced in things like that.”

“You’re not trying hard enough. I’ll be your punching bag, Landyn. Lemme see what you’ve got.”

I sit next to where he’s lounged and nudge his shoulder with my bare foot. “You’re the one who doesn’t try hard enough. Now tell me, how long will it take to get your test results?”

He rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands. “You’re so fucking annoying.”

“Rocco.” I kick him harder this time, not that I could hurt him. He’s as solid as a tree trunk.

He exhales and looks up at me. “They said scores will be posted as soon as two hours—not more than twenty-four. I have to log in to get them.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” I gape.

He stares at me, and for the first time, I don’t see a bored teenager or someone too young trying to be a biker.

All I see is apprehension.

My insides squeeze in trepidation for him. Shit, what if he didn’t pass? “Do you already know your results?”

“No. I’ve been putting it off. If I didn’t pass, Boz is going to make me take it again. Taking it once was bad enough.”

“I have a good feeling.” I flip open the laptop that was sitting closed on the coffee table. “Let’s rip off the bandage. It’s the only way.”

“You speak like you’ve had experience.”

“Let’s just say I’ve had to rip the bandage off a few times recently.”

“Better than the duct tape.” He makes no move for the computer. “That would suck.”

“Give me your username,” I demand and pull the laptop to my lap. When I wake it up, I search through the tabs on the top and find the site. “Are you sure you don’t already know?”

“Landyn,” he bites, but there’s nothing fake or frustrated in his tone. It’s anxiety ridden. “I didn’t exactly thrive in school unless it came to fucking around or throwing a football. I’m already a drop out. If I didn’t pass that test, I’ll be the biggest failure ever.”

I pull in a breath and lower my voice. “I might not have dropped out of high school, but I did drop out of college. And my dad sold me to save his own life. We might not have grown up across the street from each other, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have anything in common. We both landed here in this house together, and I think that means something. Let me do this for you. I’ll look up your score. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together.”

He gives me his username and password, though I think it might be a defensive tactic to get me to leave him alone.

I don’t care. I need to know, and so does he.

The page loads, painfully slow.

Numbers appear in front of me. I skim, but I have no clue what I’m looking for so I have to scroll to the top and start over.

This is probably why I sucked at test taking.

“Fuck,” Rocco hisses. “Is it that bad?”

“Hang on. I’m trying to figure this out. You need smarter friends. I’m a slow reader.”

“You’re killing me,” he mutters.

“Oh!” I sit up straight.

He pushes up from the floor. “Dammit, Landyn.”

I look up at him. “You passed.”

“I did?” His expression falls. “Wait, are you sure? You said you suck at comprehending shit.”

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