‘Merda!’ He paces while responding with a series of yes or no answers.
‘Tell them to hurry the fuck up!’ I scream at him. He continues a string of answers between curse words on the phone.
‘Hold on, Jace,’ I coax, but his eyes are glazing and his focus is drifting. ‘You can’t leave me,’ I demand, gritting my teeth so hard my jaw pops. ‘You’re my best friend. My brother.’
Jace’s mouth twitches and his unfocused gaze moves to me.
His palm wraps around mine loosely, enough to give me hope. His breathing turns grittier as he meets my eyes and mumbles something. I lean in, struggling to hear what he’s saying.
‘C’mon, brother. You gotta stay with me.’
‘M … Make sure you look after her.’ His voice is jagged and rough, as if it’s being dragged through barbed wire.
‘Who?’
‘Gia. You d … you dumbass.’ He coughs, blood sprays from his mouth. ‘You’re good together. I’m so … sorry.’
I swallow the scream. ‘Don’t.’ My voice cracks. ‘Don’t say that. You’ll be okay.We’lllook after her together.’
He shakes his head. His eyes have no panic, no pain, and its absence is worse than its presence. ‘I promised Pa I’d look after her. But if I’m not here, someone has to keep her safe. Promise?’
I nod once, looking up into the sky, praying for hope that isn’t there. The knot in my throat swells until it feels it will burst.
‘Jace, I’ll do anything. I promise.’
‘Scout’s honour?’ he asks weakly.
I can’t contain my sobs and am unable to see from the tears blurring my vision.
‘Scout’s honour.’ I nod profusely, promising him anything. Everything.Just don’t leave.
‘You …’ His words strained. ‘You were never a fucking scout.’ His eyes grow heavy and they close.
‘Jace!’ I grip at his shirt. ‘Jace! Open your eyes, Jace! Please.’
He doesn’t.
He just lets out one final exhale.
‘Jace?’ I whisper, only to be met with silence. ‘Jace?’
Nothing.
I glare at the stained fabric of his shirt in my fist. Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth and falls to the asphalt, the dripping sound louder than it should be as it embeds into my psyche.
A fresh wave of panic floods the chambers of my heart. The breath I take feels the same as it does when you diveinto the ocean and inhale before you break the surface. Grief rises and hits me dead on, my mind not able to connect the bloodied corpse in my hands to my best friend. I gently manoeuvre his body from my lap onto the ground, letting my head hang as my body curls in on itself. I close my eyes, wishing to wake up. Hoping that it’s just a fucking nightmare.
Sirens wail in the distance. Ragged breaths saw from my lungs as I stare at the cracked asphalt where the swirls of black tyre marks cool.
‘Oh my god!’
A gut-wrenching wail brings me back into the moment. My eyes snap open in the direction of the scream. I leap to my feet, catching Gianna before she gets too close. My hands stain her with blood, but she can’t see this.I have to keep her safe. I promised.
‘Jace, no!’ she shrieks in a voice that I know will haunt me. ‘Jace!’
I hold her tight as her body collapses against me. Her cries hammer through me as she sobs. I hold her tighter, trying to keep her together as she breaks.
The sirens get louder until an ambulance pulls through, the crew immediately settling by Jace’s side. Gianna kicks and sends her arms flailing, fighting me with everything she has, but I hold on. I promised.
