Sydney meets my gaze as she leans her head against the sofa pillow. I’m suddenly terrified, deciding that I should have gone first just in case there was a problem.
“I love you, Mena,” Sydney says.
“I love you too,” I whisper.
“Now I’m going to give you something to relax,” Raven says. “It’s short acting, so you’ll be fine after.”
I watch as Raven pulls out a syringe and inserts the needle under the skin of Sydney’s inner elbow. I have a sudden wave of sickness and look away.
There’s a touch on my shoulder and I jump. Marcella is standing over me. “Brynn and I will wait with her. Why don’t you take a break?”
“Because I want to stay with her.”
When I look at Sydney again, her eyes slide closed.
Raven grabs a metal instrument from one of the cases and uses it to pry open Sydney’s left eyelid, stabilizing it in that position. I watch in horror as she begins to work wires behind Sydney’s eye, confident in her movements.
I’m starting to lose my nerve. Marcella helps me to my feet, and I go into the kitchen. Jackson is leaning against the counter near the sink, but when he sees me, he grabs his crutches to come over. Annalise walks past, squeezing my hand supportively before leaving the room.
Jackson stops across the table from me and sighs heavily.
“Well, this is another shitty day,” he says matter-of-factly.
There’s a wet sound from the couch, followed by a sharp intake of air. I can’t look.
“Want to go to my bedroom?” I ask Jackson.
“Yes,” he says instantly. I laugh despite the circumstances and lead him that way.
23
When we get inside my room, I sit on the edge of my bed while Jackson closes the door. He makes his way to the other side of the mattress, running his gaze around the room.
“What did Annalise want earlier?” I ask, curious.
“She actually wanted to talk,” he replies.
“To you?”
He looks at me and I laugh, letting him know I’m joking. All the girls like Jackson, but it’s kind of fun to mess with him too. He’s literally the only boy we’ve ever been friends with.
Jackson eases himself down on the bed and then drags himself up to the pillows, breathing heavily when he’s done. “That was fucking hard,” he murmurs.
I join him, resting the side of my head on his shoulder. He runs his palm over my hair, easing closer as he starts to talk.
“Annalise asked if I was picking up any weird vibes fromRaven,” Jackson says, sharing the information before I can ask.
“What did you say?”
“That I didn’t know her well enough to judge,” he replies. “So I asked Annalise what she thought.”
“And?”
“And she said she trusted Raven with her life,” Jackson tells me. “Said she was just curious about my opinion as an outsider.”
I look toward the door, wondering if Annalise meant it. Because if Raven’s vibes are weird, she shouldn’t be inserting anything inside Sydney’s head.
I sit up and turn to Jackson.
