I gasped. “You’re turning me down?”
“I have a feeling after some pizza, you’re gonna face-plant the bed.”
My stomach grumbled. I slapped his chest.
“It’s like you know me or something.”
We reached the end of the hall and his smile morphed into a grimace.
“Fuck,” Ollie cursed. I rolled my lips in, unable to hold in the flood of laughter.
Fat raindrops pelted the black street, refracted light bouncing off the pavement from the streetlamps.
“Race you home,” I grinned. Before he could respond, I took off.
His shout was swallowed by the roar of thunder. Or was it an engine? I didn’t know. The world was perfectly fuzzy. My bare feet splashed through puddles. Thick drops slammed into my head, soaking my hair- sticking to my back and neck and cheeks. One foot in front of the other, arms out at my sides.
“Get out of the street, now!” Ollie yelled.
I knew I should listen to him, but we were so close to getting out of the rain and I was so hungry, and I wanted to fuck him senseless.
I glanced back over my shoulder. The rain, blinding beams- everything blurred to streaks of light and dark.
That’s when I remembered.
I needed to move-
“Courtney!”
40
Ollie
Ithappenedinslowmotion. In hyper-speed.
The sound of an engine revving and the sight of high beams slicing through the downpour rocketed me into action. Courtney lit up like she had been hours ago, twisted spotlights on a different stage.
How did I let her get so far ahead of me?
How dare I let go of her hand?
Every thought and none at all collided in my brain. The rain obscured my vision- tires squealed as a SUV gained on her.
Gritting my teeth, I called up every ounce of my power.
The SUV swerved, back door thrown open and a hand reached out right as the driver overcorrected. Despite the sharp pain in my eyes, I pushed the front end, sending it careening towards the opposite shoulder, rolling into the ditch. An explosion of shattered glass, groaning metal and booming impact.
Red slotted over the world, gushing heat mixed with the rain dripping down my cheeks. The taste of iron on my tongue and tremors in every muscle, I sprinted to the splayed figure in the middle of the road.
Not moving.
“Courtney!”
My voice didn’t sound like my own. Stumbling, the road bit through my jeans as I slammed to the ground. Thick red mingled with oil-slick pavement in a halo around pink stained silvery hair. I might have been screaming, I might have been sobbing. My hands shook so badly, I could barely grasp her.
Limp. Unmoving.
Another sob ripped out of my throat. Carefully as I could manage, I lifted her into my lap, cradling her bleeding head. “No, no you can’t- we can’t end like this. You don’t get to leave me,” I choked.
