Slammed (Slammed, #1)

by Colleen Hoover

I wanna have friends that will let me be All alone when being alone is all that I need.

I glance up at Will, and he gives me a half smile. I know what it means. He thinks I look pretty.

“That was so easy! Layken, you really need to do one next week. You’ve never had one of Mr. Cooper’s finals before. They aren’t fun, believe me.”

Will laughs and leans forward. “Eddie, you haven’t had one of my finals either. I’ve only been teaching two months.”

“Well, I’m sure they suck,” she laughs.

“Tell me what happened,” he finally whispers.

“She’s dying, Will,” I say between sobs. “She has cancer.”

Who cares about tomorrow? What more is tomorrow, Than another Day?

“Last question. I swear. For real.” I look at her, letting her know it’s okay to continue. “Is he a good kisser?” I smile. I can’t help but smile. “Oh my god, he’s so freakin’ hot!”

He’s making me chocolate milk.

“It wasn’t death that punched you, Layken. It was life. Life happens. Shit happens. And it happens a lot. To a lot of people.”

“Why were you at Caulder’s house when we got home from the movies?” “Will paid me to clean his house.” “Why is Mom sad?” “Because. She doesn’t have enough money to pay me to clean her house.” “Why? Our house isn’t dirty.”

“You slept in his bed with him? You’re holding back vital information. You didn’t tell me that,” she laughs.

“He was with them… when it happened. He watched them die.”

“They said it was a miracle he survived. The car was totaled. When the first person came on the scene, Caulder was still buckled up in what was left of the backseat. He was screaming for my mom, trying to get her to turn around. For five minutes he had to sit there alone and watch as they died.”

“How do you not fall in love with him?”

“I don’t not fall in love with him. I don’t not fall in love with him a lot!”

I wish I could freeze this moment. I wish we could just carve pumpkins forever.

I look at all the houses along the street. They’re all so similar, and I can’t help trying to imagine the differences of all the families inside the homes. I wonder if any of them are hiding secrets? If any of them are falling in love. Or out of love. Are they happy? Sad? Scared? Broke? Lonely? Do they appreciate what they have?

I wanted to let her know that she wasn’t alone. Whatever burden it was that she was carrying around, I wanted to carry it for her.”

“Push your boundaries, Lake. That’s what they’re there for.”

“I’m still carving pumpkins, Mom.”

Well we’re all in this together If I live the life I’m given, I won’t be scared to die.

“I know why people write poetry,” Javi says. “Because they’re a bunch of emotional saps with nothin’ better to do than whine about ex-girlfriends and dead dogs.” “You’re wrong, Javi,” I say. “That’s called country music.”

It’s not that they weren’t thinking about

us, it’s that they weren’t thinking about death.”

She’s still wearing her scrubs. When she wakes up and takes them off, it’ll be the last time she takes off a pair of scrubs. I wonder if that’s why she’s still wearing them: because she realizes this too.

“So, I guess we finally stopped carving pumpkins?” she asks. “Yep,” I reply. “The pumpkins have all been carved.”

“Are you scared, Mom?” he asks her. “Not anymore,” she says.

“You have to promise me something, Layken.” “Okay,” I respond. “Don’t ever make basagna again.”

I sigh as I think about the one thing that isn’t on his mind. The one incredibly huge thing that didn’t work out: us.

“I hope for your birthday you’ll accept this gift,” Joel says as he hands her the pink balloon. “I want to be your dad, Eddie. I want to be your family for the rest of your life.”

“Oh my god, I need a napkin,” I sniff as I search for something to wipe my eyes. I grab some napkins off the counter when I look at

Nick and Gavin. They’re both crying. I grab a few more napkins for them and we walk back to our booth.

So you keep your ocean, I’ll take the Lake.

Oh

my god, he loves me. Will Cooper is in love with me.

Just as I’m about to bite down on his lip, Javi pulls away from me. But he keeps going backward. Someone is dragging him away from me. He falls to the ground, and Will straddles him, grabs hold of his shirt, and sends a blow straight to Javi’s jaw.

She smiles and strokes my hair. That’s what I’m going to miss the most about her. The way she strokes my hair and looks at me with so much love in her eyes.

“Where’s your measuring tape?” I ask my mother.

“I don’t know,” she says. “I don’t know if I have one, actually.”

“Will has one; we can use his,” I say. “Will, do you mind getting it?” “I have m...

“Yes, it’s in your sewing kit,” I say. “I hav...

“Last night,” he whispers. “When I saw Javi kissing you—” His voice trails off, and he’s silent for a moment. “I thought you were kissing him back.”

Will wasn’t defending me last night. He was jealous.

“God, Lake. I can’t tell you how pissed I was. I wanted to hurt him so bad. And now? Now that I know he really was hurting you? I want to kill him.”

I try to hold back tears as I realize just how much I really do love him. Oh my god, I love him. I’m in love with Will Cooper.

“I need to tell you what he said to me… at the door.”

“When he answered the door I told him you needed to come home. That we needed to talk about it. He looked at me with heartache in his eyes. He said, ‘Let her stay, Julia. She needs me right now.’

“Lake, you broke my heart. It broke my heart that you needed him more than you needed me. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, I realized that you were grown up… that I