“A friend dropped me off.”
My phone beeps, and I pull it out of my back pocket to see a text from the girl I plan on hooking up with tonight.
Where are you?
I run a hand through my hair but don’t respond and narrow my eyes on Eli. “Tomorrow, you are telling him.” I will not be in the middle of this shit! If he doesn’t tell him, then I will. This is his only chance to make it right.
“Tell who what?” Becky asks, flipping her hair to her side.
“Eli?” I growl when he ignores me.
He nods. “Tomorrow.”
I toss Becky the keys. “All of you fuckers are riding in the back.” Then I walk around the car and climb into the passenger seat and put on my seat belt, cussing them all.
She gets in, hands the guys the thirty pack she brought them, and starts the car up. “Riot” by Hollywood Undead blares through my speakers. The guys climb into the back, laughing and shoving each other around. I pull out my cell to text the girl back that I’ll be at her place soon.
“He was going to tell you the next day,” I say, my chest tightening at that memory. Minutes later, my best friends were gone, and everything changed. Who and what Eli was doing no longer mattered because he was dead. And after all we had been through as brothers, I didn’t want Deke to remember Eli as the friend who betrayed and fucked the girl he loved.
Deke begins to pace the clubhouse.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Austin says. “Why wouldn’t she take the blame? You said she was sober, so why run?”
“It was … complicated.” I sigh. My eyes go to Deke really quick, and he’s still pacing. His shoulders pulled back, and his entire body rigid. He’s gonna snap any second.
“Why?” she urges.
I look back at her and run a hand through my hair. Why? “Because I told her to.”
I blink, trying to see, but a cloud of dust covers the car. My ears ring, and I’m upside down. My head pounds from all the blood rushing to it. “Eli?”Cough.“Mad … dox?” Glass covers the inside of the car along with beer cans. Some full. Others empty. My skin stings from the impact of the airbag. The front windshield is completely missing, and I smell blood.
I hear someone cry out in pain, and I look around to see Becky beside me. She too is upside down ’cause she was wearing her seat belt. “You okay?” I ask, coughing again. It makes me flinch.
Her blond hair touches the roof of the car, and her nose is bleeding. Her crop top is ripped and also has blood on it. “I don’t know … what happened,” she cries.
“We gotta get out of the car,” I say as my bearings begin to come back. “Eli? Landen?” I scream. My throat burns, and I try to swallow, but it’s painful.
She sobs.
I place my right hand on the roof and hiss in a breath when a pain shoots down my side and upper chest. So I place my left hand on the ceiling while I undo my seat belt. I try to hold myself up, but I fall flat on my face. Right into the broken glass. “FFFUUCCCKKK!” I growl between clenched teeth. I manage to get my body out of my broken passenger side window and stumble over to the driver’s side of the car. I get down on my knees and see her window is also missing, but pieces of shattered glass are still in around the edges. “Cover your face,” I order and kick the big shards out of the way. “I’m gonna have to undo your seat belt,” I tell her. “Put your hands on the ceiling.”
I get her out through the window, and we both stumble. She falls to her knees, holding her stomach.
“Eli? Maddox? Landen?” I call out, placing my hands on my knees. Nothing. “I gotta call 911.” I pat down my pockets, but I don’t have my phone. I was texting on it when we crashed. Who knows where the fuck it’s at. “Fuck!”
She continues to sob, and I drop to my knees before her. “Are you okay? What hurts?”
She looks up at me and tears run down her face, smearing her once flawless makeup. “I … I …”
“What is it?” I ask, needing her to tell me so I can find my friends.
She wraps her arms around her stomach.
“That’s not enough, Cole!” Deke shouts, interrupting my story. “Why did you tell her to run?”
I look at my best friend and my chest tightens. “Becky was pregnant.”
Austin gasps. Deke just stares at me like he’s not really seeing me. “I …”
