“Cherry,” I whispered. I didn’t expect her to respond. “Cherry,” I said again. Still nothing.
I leaned down until my cheek hovered in front of her mouth. When I felt her breath against my skin, a tiny drop of relief slid down my throat. I pressed my fingers to her wrist, the way I’d done with Holden so many times. With every faint thump under her skin, I reminded myself to breathe. I brushed the hair from her face and lifted her head gently into my lap.
“That’s enough, Austin,” the other guy shouted. I looked back. Brandon was on the ground now. He was trying to hold Austin back, pulling at him from behind while Austin resisted, still trying to throw him off.
“Stop, Levi!” Austin yelled. His voice cracked, not with weakness, but something else. Rage, yes—but something deeper came with it. “YouknowI don’t fuck with rapists. You know I can’t let him walk away. You know, Levi. You know what he was going to do to her. Piece of fucking shit.”
Pain. That was the other emotion in his voice.
I turned back to Cherry, trying to find clarity through the chaos. Austin’s word echoed through my mind.Rapist.The word pierced through me like a blade, twisting in my gut. Had Cherry almost been raped? I couldn’t accept that. I didn’t want to. I wanted to push the thought away, shove it down into a place I’d never have to revisit. I tried to breathe. But then I felt it, her heartbeat had slowed. Maybe someone else wouldn’t have noticed. But I knew how to count seconds between beats. I had done it more times than I could remember.
“Austin?” I called his name, my voice shaking. The room went quiet. “Austin?” I said again, not taking my eyes off Cherry. Her pulse was everything now. It was the only thing I could feel. I heard his footsteps. I looked up when I felt him kneel beside me. The fury was mostly gone from his face now. The pain, though, was still there. Carved into him.
“How’s she doing, Yellow?” Austin asked, his voice gentle.
“Her heartbeat is slow,” I whispered. “It’s slowing down.”
“It’s okay,” Austin said, and the calm in his voice was contagious. My panic didn’t vanish, but it loosened its grip. He placed his hand over mine, gently moving my fingers off Cherry’s wrist andreplacing them with his own. His eyes stayed focused. I could see him counting, just like I had. He looked over to Levi and gave a short nod. Then he turned back to me.
“It’s okay, Yellow. She’s fine. She just needs to sleep it off.”
“Should I call the cops? What… I—how could he?” My mouth formed words, but they came out jumbled.
“I’m not sure if that’s the best idea,” Austin said. His eyes drifted toward Brandon, still bleeding on the floor. “Not with… that.”
“Is… he, you know?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.
“He’ll be fine,” Austin said. His tone made it clear he didn’t like that truth. “A few hits to the face. Nothing permanent.”
“I can’t take her home like this,” I murmured. It was like I was speaking to myself. “Her parents will freak. So will mine.”
“We can take her to my house,” Austin said. His voice stayed steady, oddly soothing. “My parents aren’t home. She can sleep it off there. You too, Yellow.”
I looked up at him. I was sure the confusion on my face was obvious. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know him. I didn’t know his friend. I didn’t know anything about them, except that I’d met them outside a drug house.
He must have read my thoughts. “You can trust us, Yellow. I swear on my life. You can trust me.”
I thought back to the first night we met. The way he’d tried to stop me from going into that house. The way he’d looked at me like he was trying to protect me. He had protected Cherry. I didn’t know why, but I believed him.
“Okay,” I said. I nodded slowly. “Okay. Thank you.”
Austin nodded back. Then he turned to Levi, who had stayed quiet this whole time. He jerked his chin toward Cherry.
“Levi’s going to carry her. Is that okay?” he asked. “You won’t be able to lift her, Yellow.”
I exhaled. He was right. I could barely get her off the bed. “Okay.”
Levi moved toward us and gently scooped Cherry into his arms like she weighed nothing. I watched his hands, the way he looked only at her face. The way he made sure her legs stayed closed, her skirt smoothed down. I felt Austin’s hands on my shoulders. He helped me stand, his touch light but steady. I blinked a few times, trying to shake off the trance I’d fallen into. Then I followed them.
“She’s going to be okay,” Austin whispered as we stepped into the hallway. I kept my eyes on Cherry, her head bobbing gently over Levi’s shoulder as we moved down the stairs. We passed through the living room, through the party, and out the door. People stared, but no one said anything. “She’s going to sleep it off. She’ll be fine,” Austin said again. I guessed he was repeating himself because I hadn’t responded.
No one spoke as we walked out the door. Austin didn’t say a word from where he walked beside me. His hand stayed on my shoulder, guiding me where he wanted me to go. I wasn’t sure if I needed the direction, my eyes were still fixed on Cherry, slumped over Levi’s shoulder. Her face looked peaceful, as if she were asleep. But that expression didn’t pacify me. It reminded me of the look Holden used to have when he was high out of his mind. Too still. Too far gone.
Levi didn’t even seem to feel her weight. He walked with ease, like carrying her required no effort at all. We had only made it ashort way down the street, but I could still hear the low rumble of music from the party behind us. I shook my head as I sighed, the reminder of why I never go to these things rising fresh in my chest. Nothing good comes with being under the influence. Of any kind.
Levi stopped at a sleek black car, one that looked brand new, like it had just been driven off a dealership lot. He looked over his shoulder at Austin, who fumbled in his pocket for a second before pressing a button. The car blinked its lights in greeting. Austin didn’t quicken his pace, even though Levi was standing in the cold waiting. His steps remained even and deliberate, and it wasn’t until that moment I realized I’d been tracking the sound of his shoes on the pavement. Rhythmic. Measured. Like the beat of my own breath.
When we reached the car, Austin opened the back door. He looked at me first, offering a small smile that didn’t quite reach the rest of his face. His eyes flicked toward Cherry, then back to me, like he was asking permission. I nodded. Together, the three of us gently placed Cherry in the backseat. Her body didn’t stir at all. Her face remained slack, her expression unchanged.
