SKIPPING TIME

Chapter 3

STOP!!! YOU ARE STILL READING THE WRONG VERSION OF THIS BOOK!!! THE FINISHED VERSION OF THIS STORY IS HERE:  https://www.swoonreads.com/m/skipping-time/

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Cacee stepped into a large clearing and smiled as her pup bounded towards the creek. As always, the beauty of the glade struck a chord in her. She flopped in the soft grass, closed her eyes and lifted her face towards the sun. The air held the scent of wild mint and pine and she felt a thrill of happiness when Jess sat beside her.

Her eyes popped open as her soaked, muddy dog leaped into her lap and vigorously shook out his fur, raining muck across both her and Jess. She laughed and turned to apologize to Jess. His head was bent, but his dimple showed as he got to his feet and headed for the small creek that cut across the clearing. She followed him and rinsed both Shane and herself, scolding her pup softly when he tried to wiggle free. As soon as he was rinsed, Shane bolted into the surrounding woods. Jess asked, "Where's he going?"

She shrugged and plopped back in the grass. "He always acts like he has some long lost friends out here and takes off to play. He'll be back." No longer thinking about how he'd reacted to questions on the bus, she turned to Jess. "So, what do you like to do in your free time?"

He'd sat beside her again but now ducked his head. Caution crossed his face but, before she regretted asking, Jess said, "I don't get a lot of free time."

Unsure how to respond, she stayed quiet and waited for him to continue. Jess picked up a few leaves off the ground and began tearing them into small pieces as he answered, "I stay with my aunt and uncle. My mom's in the military. She's overseas. And uh, my aunt and uncle. They umm. They have a little boy. So I spend my time with him. Babysitting." He said this whole thing with extreme awkwardness.

"How old is your cousin?"

A slight pause before, "Six."

"What's his name?"

Jess started playing with the silver medallion around his neck. He didn't look at her as he said, "It's uh, umm, it's P-Peter." He wore a slight scowl and his shoulders were rigid. As she waited to see if he'd say more, he picked up a stick and began digging a hole with it. This guy clearly did not like talking about himself or his family.

Before she could consider that further, Jess asked, "What do you like to do?"

She shrugged and bit her lip. She'd never realized what an awful question that was if you didn't do anything interesting. Unsure what else to say, she admitted, "I pretty much just come here and read or study." The second the words left her mouth she wanted them back. She sounded like a boring loser.

To her surprise, Jess said, "Cool. What's your favorite subject?"

"Physics."

His eyebrows shot up, but he didn't look put off by the admission, like most people their age. Instead, he looked impressed. He asked, "What grade are you in?"

Annoyed at the automatic urge to dumb herself down, she lifted her chin. "I'm a junior."

Definite surprise now as he asked, "How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

He frowned. "That's a little young to be a junior, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "I skipped a couple years." Before he could say anything, she asked, "How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise. She'd have thought closer to eighteen. "So you're a sophomore or a junior?"