I hope he’s right. I can’t imagine life without my sister in it. Guilt weighs heavily on me that we didn’t attend the same college. I should be there with her, protecting her.
I slam my fist against the steering wheel.
Sophia: It’s over. The police are going room to room.
I should be able to breathe, but I’m suffocating inside.
“She’s okay,” Ashton says, patting my shoulder. “When we get there, you can give her a hug and see for yourself that she’s fine.”
“Is she fine?” Nova asks, leaning forward from the backseat. “If it were me, I wouldn’t want to spend another minute on that campus.”
After the shooting on campus, classes at Great Falls are cancelled for the rest of the week. Sophia texts me where she is, and I jog over toward the student center, having to park several blocks away.
I pull her in for a hug, relieved that she’s safe. Tonight could have turned out so much worse for her, for everyone.
Her body is trembling, and I can’t tell if it’s the cold or the shock getting to her.
It takes her a minute, her voice catching in her throat. “Can I crash with you for the week?” she rasps.
“Of course. Let’s get out of the cold,” I say and lead her toward the parked vehicle.
Sophia climbs in back with Nova. “Can we grab my clothes and stuff back at the dorms?”
“Sure. Whatever you need, sis.”
I park in the campus lot outside of the dorms. There are two buildings, the one on the far right is her, the building on the left, Bristol’s.
Sophia heads to the building on the left. “Did you change dorms?” I point at the building where she used to live.
“Yeah, my roommate and I weren’t getting along last month. I managed to swap with another girl, so I’m on the eighth floor. Same building as your girlfriend.” Sophia heads inside for the elevator, and we all follow her.
Nova and Ashton are quiet, holding hands. They share a faint smile, and it makes my heart ache.
The elevator passes over the sixth floor, Bristol’s floor.
I inhale sharply and try not to get distracted, which I’m failing miserably at. I want to reach out, push the button for the sixth floor, and go check on her.
But we’re here for my sister.
“Thanks for driving out here tonight,” Sophia says as the elevator doors open and we step out onto the eighth floor.
All the floors look the same. The slight differences are noticeable in the way doors are decorated, but the overall appearance is similar.
Sophia unlocks her dorm room and steps inside. Her roommate yanks her into a hug. “Thank God you’re okay.” She breathes a sigh of relief. “I heard the shooting was at the Holmes Student Center.”
“I managed to hide in the bathroom,” Sophia says, her voice quivering. “I’m going to spend the rest of the week with my brother.”
She untangles from her roommate’s embrace and grabs a bag from the closet, packing her clothes.
I stand out in the hallway with Ashton. Her dorm room isn’t that big, and with the lockdown over, there’s a bit of commotion on campus.
“I’m going to check on Bristol,” I say, glancing at my phone. I haven’t texted her since I told her I was leaving the house. I’m not sure if she even wants to see me.
“Sure, we’ll wait here.” Ashton smiles and pats my back.
I head for the elevator and down to the sixth floor. In no time, I’m standing in front of Bristol’s door, knocking.
I’m met with silence.
