My heart stopped cold. If Lucas was talking, I didn’t hear him. My sister? Kaylee? My mind automatically started to blame my mother. Anytime my sister was in trouble, my mother was involved. Although, Kaylee could’ve had an accident at her friend’s house.
I ran out like a fire had ignited in the bathroom, leaving Lucas’s strong arms. The second I yanked open the door and saw the terror in Bailey’s green eyes, I knew it was bad.
“I’ve been trying to call you.” She pursed her lips.
Erik brushed past me to find Lucas.
“My phone is in my purse and probably dead. What about Kaylee?” My sister had Bailey’s number in the event she couldn’t get hold of me.
“She’s in the hospital.”
I held my chest as I ran down the stairs with Bailey following. I stumbled off the bottom step.
“She’s okay, Mazzie,” Bailey rushed to add. “It’s your mom. According to Kaylee, she hit a parked car pretty hard. The doctors are running tests.”
I pushed out a raging groan. “I will kill my mother. Then kill her again if she’d been drinking.” I hurried over to the chair where I’d deposited my bag last night. “She wasn’t supposed to pick up Kaylee until tonight.” I pulled out my phone. Sure as my head hurt, my cell was dead.
Erik came down as we were about to leave, his unruly dark hair wild as if he’d jumped out of bed.
Bailey kissed Erik goodbye, but a peck on the lips turned needy as Lucas jogged down the stairs.
“Do you need me to go with you?” he asked, dressed and ready for anything. “I can take you.”
I would be mortified if he met my mother. Knowing her, she would try to pick him up. Nevertheless, he was once again showing me glimpses behind the athlete, drawing me further in, and at any moment, I would be head over heels for him.
“Thanks, but no. Bails, let’s go.”
I ran out, and the humid air hit me like I’d collided with a brick wall. I should be accustomed to the Texas heat, but not today.
Lucas followed me, not Bailey.
I was about to axe my best friend if she didn’t get her cute butt out here. She’d been the one freaking out to get me out of Lucas’s room.
“Bailey!” I shouted.
“Hey, wait up,” he said, his long legs eating up the space between us. “Breathe, Midnight.” He curled my hair around my ear. “Seriously, I can drive you.”
I would have liked that more than anything, but he didn’t need to see me screaming at my mother. “Thank you.” I touched his face. “You’ve been sweet. I had a great time last night.”
“But?” he asked, looking like he was about to lose his puppy.
“Lucas, I really meant it about no strings. I’m sorry.” It was killing me to walk away. But it was the right thing to do, for me, at least. “My life is messy and complicated.”
He hugged me. “I understand.” He didn’t sound as though he did.
But I couldn’t worry about him.
I created space between us and yelled, “Bailey!” I hurried around to the passenger side of Bailey’s Volvo.
“Midnight, I hope your family is okay.” He gave me a sad smile.
It was endearing how he was so kind and thoughtful, which only made it harder to say no to him when I wanted to see him again. “Thanks.”
Bailey ran out. “I’m coming.”
After we were a block down the street, I finally growled out a scream or some fucked-up noise.
“That good or that bad?” she asked.
