AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She comes at me like a whirlwind of rage, our bodies crashing together in a tangle of limbs. We fall against the lockers with a loud metallic bang. My breath hitches as we grapple, her nails digging into my skin, my own hands pushing at her with equal ferocity.
Pain flares where she strikes, but it’s dulled by adrenaline surging through my veins. The hallway echoes with the sounds of our struggle—the thud of our bodies, the raggedness of our breathing, the screech of metal as we slam against locker doors.
“Stop!” I pant, trying to wriggle out from under her weight. But Sierra is relentless, fueled by jealousy and something darker, something desperate.
I manage to push her off, but the effort costs me. My head spins, the world tilting on its axis. The fluorescent lights of the hallway flicker above, blurring into streaks of white. I’m lightheaded, suddenly too weak to stand.
“Brielle!”
The shout pierces the disorienting haze, the last anchor to consciousness before everything slips away. I crumple to the ground, the cold linoleum floor rushing up to meet me.
And then, darkness swallows me whole.
48
LEVI
I pace the sterile hospital room, each step echoing my guilt. I’ve been a storm of harsh words, a relentless tempest that’s battered Brielle down. The memory stings, sharp and unwelcome. My chest clenches with regret.
“Shouldn’t have said it like that,” I mutter to myself, shaking my head. I thought I was protecting myself—us—from getting too deep, from the burn of feelings that could scald us all. But now, seeing her here, vulnerable, I’m scorched by the truth. I care. Deeply.
I stop my pacing and look at her, lying there so still on the hospital bed. Her chest rises and falls, the only sign she’s with us. Tubes snake from under the sheets, and machines beep in a steady rhythm. It’s all so cold, so mechanical.
“Come on, Brielle,” I whisper, my voice barely a thread of sound.
My hands find hers, fingers laced tight like vines clinging for life. Her skin is warm, soft—real in a way nothing else feels right now. I hold on, as if I could keep her here, anchor her to this world.
“Please, wake up.” The words are a prayer, a plea shot through with fear and hope.
The door creaks, but I don’t turn. Conrad, Grayson—they’re here too, somewhere behind me, a silent vigil. We’re all bound together, tethered to Brielle, waiting for her eyes to open, for her to come back to us.
Eyelids flutter. A soft moan escapes her lips.
“Brielle?” My voice breaks the silence, hope surging like a tidal wave. “Can you hear me?”
Her eyes crack open, a sliver of vibrant green. Relief crashes into me, strong enough to knock the breath from my lungs.
“Hey,” she whispers, her voice raspy.
“Hey yourself.” I manage a shaky laugh. Conrad and Grayson crowd closer, their faces alight with the same joy that’s warming my chest.
“Water?” Her voice is a thread, barely there.
“Right here, sweetheart.” Grayson’s already pouring a glass, his hand steady as he slips a straw between her lips.
“Are you in pain? Should I call the nurse?” Conrad’s hovering at the bedside button, ready to summon help.
“Slow down, guys,” she murmurs, taking a careful sip. “I’m okay.”
That’s when she sees it—the worry written on our faces, the tight grip we can’t seem to loosen on her hands.
“Guys, I’m so sorry about Sierra—about everything. I never meant for—” Her words are a floodgate opening, but I can’t let her drown in guilt.
“Stop, Brielle.” I squeeze her hand, needing her to feel the conviction in my touch. “None of this is your fault. You hear me? We’re in this together, no matter what.”
She looks at me, searching my face for the truth I’m laying bare. And in that moment, all the harsh words I once hurled into the space between us dissolve into nothing.
“Levi’s right,” Conrad chimes in, his gaze locked with hers. “We’ve got you, Bri.”
