Fallen Crest Public
Page 24
My chest lifted and my lungs struggled to take a breath.
Then Logan lifted his head. It happened in slow motion, his eyes scanned the room and then he saw me. Surprise came over him before it clicked. Comprehension flared next. My foot came down hard. It was worse than I thought, but he shook his head and pushed off the wall. His movement drew attention, and everyone watched him cross to me.
“No, no, Sam. It’s not like that.”
I was too scared to say a word. For one split second, I considered running. If I didn’t know, I couldn’t lose him, but I had to know. “Is it bad?” Tell me he’s alive.
“He’s fine. The brakes were cut so he got blindsided by an oncoming car. He couldn’t stop when he was leaving the lot. I would’ve driven onto the grass or something, not out into an intersection.” Logan rolled his eyes. His arm came around my shoulder and he jerked me against him. I could feel the laughter reverberating through his chest. “He’s such an idiot, but it’s a good thing he drives like a grandpa sometimes.”
My eyes closed and I sagged under his arm. I couldn’t believe it. Mason is going to be fine. Mason is going to be fine. Mason is going to be fine. I could breathe, I tried telling myself over and over, but my brain and my body weren’t working together. My chest was still tight, stretched from fear.
“Sam?” Logan jostled me a little, hugging me tighter into his side. “You okay?”
Mason was going to be fine.
I opened my mouth to fill my lungs. Nothing.
“Sam?”
I heard him and my eyes flew open. Mason was at the end of a hallway, frowning at us, and a rush of relief came over me. My mouth dropped, but then he was heading towards me. As he drew near, he asked, “You okay?”
A buzzing sound was in my head. I shook it so I could hear him, but then his hand was on my arm, and he tugged me from Logan. Oh my god. My arms were numb, but I wrapped them around him and tried to hold tight.
He moved us and somehow we were in a private room. Looking around, I saw a small room with some clothes lying on a cot. There was also a computer and a small TV. It looked like we were in a room where the doctors slept when they were on-call. I closed my eyes when his head bent and I felt his breath on my neck. It felt good. It felt reassuring. I tried to hold him even tighter, but he asked, “What’s wrong? Nate’s going to be fine.”
Wait.
I leaned back. “Nate?” My voice was shaking.
He frowned at me. “Yeah.”
“Nate? Nate was in the car accident?”
“Yeah.”
He was still looking at me, frowning as his eyes roamed over my face. Then it all hit me and I shoved him away. “I thought it was you! I thought you’d been hurt and that I was going to lose you.” I threw my arm up, gesturing to the lobby. “Logan’s talking about what an idiot you are, but I thought someone had crashed into your car!”
“No.” He tugged me back into his arms. “You’re shouting.”
I didn’t care. “I thought it was you!”
“It wasn’t!” he yelled over me. “Calm down. I’m sorry—”
Shoving my hand into my pocket, I pulled my phone out and checked the number. It was Logan’s number. I put it in his face. “Logan texted me. Not you. I thought it was you. Why else would Logan be the one to text me? And he texted! He should’ve called—no!—you should’ve called! And why didn’t you even tell me about your basketball game? I had no idea. I’m new, remember? I don’t know these things, and no one talks to me—”
“I’m sorry.” Mason was fighting back a grin as he pulled me against his chest and wrapped both arms around me. He took the phone from my hand and pushed it back into my pocket. The intense anger kept me stiff in his embrace, and I lifted a fist to his stomach. He said, “I knew you had to work tonight. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to feel bad about missing the game. I’m sorry … again … I’m sorry, Sam. I am. I was the one driving. I told Logan to call you, but we were right behind the ambulance so he texted instead. I’m sorry. Next time I’ll be the one to call you.”
Oh shit. Next time. There better not be a next time. “Mason …” The anger left me then, and a void took its place. There was a big gaping hole left in me. I thought I had lost him.
“I’m sorry.”
Mason …
I couldn’t even finish that thought. I was just so relieved it hadn’t been him. My knees sagged in relief. “Is Nate okay?”
He nodded, looking down at me, searching inside of me. “Yeah, he’s fine.”
“Logan said his brakes were cut?”
“Yeah.” His jaw went rigid. “My guess is that it was Budd and Brett Broudou.”
My eyes got wide. Oh holy shit. “Can you prove that?”
“Who cares about proving? We already know.”
Oh. My heart started beating fast. Now would be a good time for that second confession … I took a deep breath and stepped away from him. “Mason?”
“Yeah?”
Three …
Two …
“Yo.” The door burst open, and Logan popped his head inside. “The doc wants to see you. He’s waiting for you by the nurse’s station.”
Mason moved around him and took off. He disappeared around the corner. There went one …
“You okay?”
I nodded. “Never better.”
“I heard you shouting.” He propped his shoulder against the doorframe and kept studying me. “I’m sorry about the mishap. I should’ve told you we were fine; I just didn’t think about it.”
“Yeah.”
“Sam?”
There was a giant ball of guilt and worry in my stomach. I had to tell them about Budd and Brett. It’d been too long ago, but with Brett asking me out, Mason and Logan needed to know first. “Logan?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you guys going to do?”
He frowned, but moved inside so the door shut behind him. Same room, different Kade. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you guys are going to do something to get even.” It wasn’t a question. That was a fact. Everyone knew it. “What are you going to do?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know. Nate will probably make the decision. They did this to him. Of course, I’m guessing they did it because he clipped Budd with his car.” His eyes turned feral. “Now I wish he’d gotten hit harder, would’ve put him in the hospital first.”
Then Logan lifted his head. It happened in slow motion, his eyes scanned the room and then he saw me. Surprise came over him before it clicked. Comprehension flared next. My foot came down hard. It was worse than I thought, but he shook his head and pushed off the wall. His movement drew attention, and everyone watched him cross to me.
“No, no, Sam. It’s not like that.”
I was too scared to say a word. For one split second, I considered running. If I didn’t know, I couldn’t lose him, but I had to know. “Is it bad?” Tell me he’s alive.
“He’s fine. The brakes were cut so he got blindsided by an oncoming car. He couldn’t stop when he was leaving the lot. I would’ve driven onto the grass or something, not out into an intersection.” Logan rolled his eyes. His arm came around my shoulder and he jerked me against him. I could feel the laughter reverberating through his chest. “He’s such an idiot, but it’s a good thing he drives like a grandpa sometimes.”
My eyes closed and I sagged under his arm. I couldn’t believe it. Mason is going to be fine. Mason is going to be fine. Mason is going to be fine. I could breathe, I tried telling myself over and over, but my brain and my body weren’t working together. My chest was still tight, stretched from fear.
“Sam?” Logan jostled me a little, hugging me tighter into his side. “You okay?”
Mason was going to be fine.
I opened my mouth to fill my lungs. Nothing.
“Sam?”
I heard him and my eyes flew open. Mason was at the end of a hallway, frowning at us, and a rush of relief came over me. My mouth dropped, but then he was heading towards me. As he drew near, he asked, “You okay?”
A buzzing sound was in my head. I shook it so I could hear him, but then his hand was on my arm, and he tugged me from Logan. Oh my god. My arms were numb, but I wrapped them around him and tried to hold tight.
He moved us and somehow we were in a private room. Looking around, I saw a small room with some clothes lying on a cot. There was also a computer and a small TV. It looked like we were in a room where the doctors slept when they were on-call. I closed my eyes when his head bent and I felt his breath on my neck. It felt good. It felt reassuring. I tried to hold him even tighter, but he asked, “What’s wrong? Nate’s going to be fine.”
Wait.
I leaned back. “Nate?” My voice was shaking.
He frowned at me. “Yeah.”
“Nate? Nate was in the car accident?”
“Yeah.”
He was still looking at me, frowning as his eyes roamed over my face. Then it all hit me and I shoved him away. “I thought it was you! I thought you’d been hurt and that I was going to lose you.” I threw my arm up, gesturing to the lobby. “Logan’s talking about what an idiot you are, but I thought someone had crashed into your car!”
“No.” He tugged me back into his arms. “You’re shouting.”
I didn’t care. “I thought it was you!”
“It wasn’t!” he yelled over me. “Calm down. I’m sorry—”
Shoving my hand into my pocket, I pulled my phone out and checked the number. It was Logan’s number. I put it in his face. “Logan texted me. Not you. I thought it was you. Why else would Logan be the one to text me? And he texted! He should’ve called—no!—you should’ve called! And why didn’t you even tell me about your basketball game? I had no idea. I’m new, remember? I don’t know these things, and no one talks to me—”
“I’m sorry.” Mason was fighting back a grin as he pulled me against his chest and wrapped both arms around me. He took the phone from my hand and pushed it back into my pocket. The intense anger kept me stiff in his embrace, and I lifted a fist to his stomach. He said, “I knew you had to work tonight. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to feel bad about missing the game. I’m sorry … again … I’m sorry, Sam. I am. I was the one driving. I told Logan to call you, but we were right behind the ambulance so he texted instead. I’m sorry. Next time I’ll be the one to call you.”
Oh shit. Next time. There better not be a next time. “Mason …” The anger left me then, and a void took its place. There was a big gaping hole left in me. I thought I had lost him.
“I’m sorry.”
Mason …
I couldn’t even finish that thought. I was just so relieved it hadn’t been him. My knees sagged in relief. “Is Nate okay?”
He nodded, looking down at me, searching inside of me. “Yeah, he’s fine.”
“Logan said his brakes were cut?”
“Yeah.” His jaw went rigid. “My guess is that it was Budd and Brett Broudou.”
My eyes got wide. Oh holy shit. “Can you prove that?”
“Who cares about proving? We already know.”
Oh. My heart started beating fast. Now would be a good time for that second confession … I took a deep breath and stepped away from him. “Mason?”
“Yeah?”
Three …
Two …
“Yo.” The door burst open, and Logan popped his head inside. “The doc wants to see you. He’s waiting for you by the nurse’s station.”
Mason moved around him and took off. He disappeared around the corner. There went one …
“You okay?”
I nodded. “Never better.”
“I heard you shouting.” He propped his shoulder against the doorframe and kept studying me. “I’m sorry about the mishap. I should’ve told you we were fine; I just didn’t think about it.”
“Yeah.”
“Sam?”
There was a giant ball of guilt and worry in my stomach. I had to tell them about Budd and Brett. It’d been too long ago, but with Brett asking me out, Mason and Logan needed to know first. “Logan?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you guys going to do?”
He frowned, but moved inside so the door shut behind him. Same room, different Kade. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you guys are going to do something to get even.” It wasn’t a question. That was a fact. Everyone knew it. “What are you going to do?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know. Nate will probably make the decision. They did this to him. Of course, I’m guessing they did it because he clipped Budd with his car.” His eyes turned feral. “Now I wish he’d gotten hit harder, would’ve put him in the hospital first.”
