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I blink, forcing myself to breathe. My lungs contract with such a force that I’m afraid they will fold in on themselves and my vision blurs.
I wish I could pretend everything is just a bad nightmare, but the pain in the back of my skull cruelly reminds me that it is real. My head feels like it is on the brink of exploding, the pain insistent and fierce. But I know it’s nothing compared to what Cole’s going through.
I heard the doctors talking.
Badly broken arm, three fractured ribs and a possible fractured skull.
My only consolation is that he’s passed out, so maybe he’s not in pain right now.
As for me, somehow, I’m okay.
Physically, I guess.
I don’t think anything is broken; except, my fucking head hurts like hell. But I’m the only one who walked away fine from the accident.
Josie…
I lick my lips and swallow down the acidic bile before I gag on it. Shit, I’m going to be sick. Why wasn’t she wearing a seat belt? Fuck.
I close my eyes, but there’s no escaping the bloody images of her. Her mangled body and swollen, disfigured face. The force of the impact had sent her flying through the windshield. I heard her petrified screams, and then complete silence.
Josie’s dead.
We killed her.
I don’t know, I can’t remember everything clearly. It all happened so fast. But I know one thing for sure, we shouldn’t have let Josie drive.
“I’m not drunk,” she argues. “I only had like two drinks. Maybe just a little tipsy.”
Cole shakes his head, reaching for the steering wheel. “Just stop the car, Josie. Let me drive.”
“You don’t even have a license.” She laughs, but there’s something off about it. Shit, Cole is right. But neither of us have our license yet. Cole would say this is the advantage of having an older girlfriend. Josie is sixteen; she just got her driver’s permit. But she definitely shouldn’t be driving right now.
“Stop. The. Car.”
Josie looks back at me through the rearview mirror. “Colton, talk some sense into your brother.”
“Cole is right,” I finally say, “stop on the side of the road. I’ll call Sienna and have her come and pick us up.”
“Oh c’mon. I thought you were the fun twin, Colton,” she practically croons.
“Josie!” Cole bellows. “NO!”
Before I can process what’s happening, I hear her horrified screams.
My brother calling out his girlfriend’s name in panic. The screech of tires. The feeling of being airborne. The sound of crushing glass and the distinct cracking of bones breaking.
Cole says my name. I have a vision of him reaching out to me.
Pain comes next…
Before the world goes black.
Cole didn’t want to go to the party. But after Maddox bailed on me at the last minute, I convinced Cole to go. Then Josie joined us, because she never says no to a party.
Now I wish we had never sneaked out.
This is my fault.
