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After taking a shower and getting dressed, I decide it’s time to do the inevitable and tell Mason and Liam. They’re probably both working, but I can’t let more time pass without letting them know.
Hunter: Brandon was in a motorcycle accident late last night. Can you two come over today?
I don’t want to tell them via text or over the phone, but I don’t really want to tell them in person either. Seeing their crushed faces will be hard.
Mason: Shit, man. He okay?
Liam: Told that dumbass he couldn’t ride for shit!
Hunter: Just come over, okay?
Mason: I can be there within the hour.
Liam: Same.
I swallow the tight knot in my throat and am already dreading the rest of this fucking nightmarish day.
By the time I make it back into the living room, I see Sophie and Maddie sitting on the couch with Lennon. No one is talking, but Lennon’s sisters sit next to her, holding her. I feel better knowing she’s with family and am glad they can give her some comfort.
I text my boss around seven to let him know I won’t be in, explain the current situation, and then think about Lennon’s job. She’s so dedicated, and I know there’s no way she’s going to be able to work in her emotional state. I hope she’s not stubborn and takes the time off she’s going to need to process everything. I call Brandon’s boss next and go through the same emotional roller coaster once again. He gives me his deepest apologies and asks me to inform them when and where the funeral will be held.
Speaking of which, I decide to call Mrs. Locke to see if anyone has contacted them yet.
“He’s really gone,” she says to me with uneven breaths after confirming with the medical examiner and telling me the details. “I don’t even know how to survive this.”
I do my best to tell her we’ll get through this together and that I’m here for whatever she needs. His parents shouldn’t plan his funeral alone, so I offer to meet with them tomorrow at the church to discuss the details.
Shortly after we end the call, there’s a knock on the door, and I dread having to tell my two other best friends. I open the door and let them in. They look at Lennon and her sisters and then at me.
“Dude, what’s going on? Locke okay?” Mason asks.
“Where is he? At the hospital?” Liam looks uncomfortable.
I drop my eyes and shake my head. “He didn’t…make it, guys.”
“What?” they both ask.
I’m sweating when I look at them. “Died at the scene. Officers showed up late last night to tell us.”
“Fuck. Are you joking?”
“No way.”
I frown. “Serious.”
They’re both distraught, and I lead them to the kitchen table to sit so we don’t upset Lennon any more than she already is.
After moments of silence, Mason speaks up. “Do you know what happened?”
“Yeah, Mrs. Locke spoke with the medical examiner and officer this morning. But last night, all I knew was what Lennon told me, which was that he went on a solo joyride.”
As I say it aloud, it hits me. Lennon told me they were supposed to go cruising together, and she ended up changing her plans at the last minute when she went to Sophie’s last night. Holy fuck.
Not only is Lennon dealing with this news, but she’s also probably thinking about how she was supposed to be with him. Hell, I honestly don’t know what she’s thinking, but I can only imagine the grief and anger she’s experiencing. The same emotions rush through me too.
I repeat the information Brandon’s mom told me about how the investigation is still ongoing, but that a semi-truck hit him at sixty miles an hour. The driver claimed he didn’t even see him, and that Brandon flew off the bike and landed in a ditch. Even though he was wearing a helmet, nothing could’ve saved his life at that speed. He was dead before the paramedics arrived on the scene.
He was only twenty minutes away from home.
The visual and realization have me rushing to the sink and emptying my stomach.
“You alright, man?” Liam asks after a moment, handing me a towel.
“Fuck if I know.” I wipe my mouth and the cold sweat off my forehead. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“I know.” Mason claps his hand tightly on my shoulder and squeezes.
Lennon’s sisters and the guys stay through the afternoon, but soon they all have to go, leaving just the two of us in a silent apartment. Neither of us has eaten all day, and I know if we don’t, we’ll lose our strength to get through this.
I don’t bother asking Lennon if she’s hungry because I already know what she’ll say. So I order comfort food, and when it arrives, I plate it for her and bring it to where she’s lying on the couch—the spot she hasn’t moved from all day.
