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My gaze lands on Bree, curled up in the nearest chair. Relief washes over me.

“You’re okay!”

She grabs my hand like she did before the crash. “Just some bruising. Got me out of a shift at The Junction, but I’ll be fine in a few days.”

The wreck feels as if it just happened, but some time must have passed. I have so many questions, but my brain is so foggy I can’t verbalize one.

I squint against the brightness as Megan gets up to adjust the blinds of my hospital room.

“I’m jealous. You’ve barely been out of school one day, and the academy has already offered to defer your exams.”

So today is Tuesday. That was a question I had—how long I’ve been here.

“Your dad went home to shower and rest, and only because we made him. We said we’d stay with you,” Bree informs me.

Good. A second question answered. It feels like progress.

Before I can try to think of another, a nurse clears her throat from the doorway. “I’m glad you’re awake. You were lucky to escape with only minor injuries.”

Unlike the last time I was in a hospital, this one’s expression conveys only concern and protectiveness, not animosity.

“Visiting hours are almost over. Are you expecting anyone else?”

Jameson’s face appears in my mind, a question and an answer at once. I’m longing to see him come around the corner. My friends are here but there’s a hole in my chest their laughter can’t fill.

I swear I heard his voice at the accident. Steady, urgent. But it’s possible I saw what I wanted to see, heard what I wanted to hear.

The nurse is still waiting, and I shake my head. With my response, she walks out.

A knock on the door has us looking up.

“How are we feeling?” Theo’s disembodied voice accompanies a massive bouquet of balloons.

He passes the ribbons to Bree, who ties them to the arm of her chair.

“Wow. That is a lot of helium, Ashford,” Megan says.

Theo comes to the bed, bending to wrap me in a gentle hug. “That hurt?” he asks when my nose wrinkles.

“Nah. Just trying not to swoon that the Theo Ashford deigned to visit me in the hospital.” My voice is a croak, my throat feeling about as healthy as it sounds.

The girls exchange a look then Bree stands, tugging Megan. “We’re going to get coffee. You want?”

“Juice?” Holding off on the caffeine until my head stops pounding feels like a smart move. “Thanks.”

They disappear down the hall, talking about Bree’s date that she had to reschedule.

Theo grimaces. “I assume you’ve heard what happened in the race.”

I shake my head.

“Jamie pulled right off the track and was gone. He was worried about you. Turns out he was right to be.” Those blue eyes lock on mine, and I feel his helplessness.

I wet my lips that feel dry as a desert. “There was nothing either of you could have done. My brakes failed.”

“Not on their own, they didn’t.” He tells me what Jameson told him—that he suspected Luca was involved, as a desperate ploy to keep me from talking about how ARI tanked its own car. That’s why he came after me.

I shiver despite the sunlight streaming in the windows.