Page 71 of Under the Influence

“Go,” she whispers. “Someone is on the way to pick me up.”

“It’s not Nash,” Drayton huffs. “He’s probably halfway to another state by now.”

Her eyes turn sad as she pulls her phone out, and I remember our talk from earlier. I don’t want her to get hurt, and I don’t want to upset Drayton, so I decide to put my feelings aside and whisper, “Cori, you wanted to save him. Go find him.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

CORI

Lainey’s words play on repeat in my mind.

Go find him.

It makes my stomach swirl with emotion. He isn’t going to want me to help him, and he doesn’t want me, not really. Not anymore.

I call the only person I can trust to help me figure out what to do and wait until I see his truck pull up outside Lainey’s house.

When Carson jumps out, an almost eerie sense of relief washes over me.

“Cori, hey. Is ever—” his words stop midsentence, and his eyes wander down my body. “I uh… just wow.”

He stumbles over his words and his feet as he scrambles to get close to me, and the second he does, I feel safe. I feel okay.

Confusion and guilt constrict me. I shouldn’t feel this way about two boys. One that I want to hold me forever, and the other I want to push me to the end of the earth and make me wild.

“Something is wrong,” I rush. “Have you seen Nash?”

“No,” he assures, unable to rip his eyes away from my outfit.

“Help me find him,” I breathe, my entire body igniting when his hand lands on the small of my back, and I try to cram down the feeling. Help Nash, Cori. This is about Nash.

“What happened?” He asks, opening the car door for me.

“His dad is moving back in,” I rush. “And so is Drayton.”

Carson’s eyes go wide, “Oh my God.”

“Yeah, he was supposed to pick me up, and he never came. But Drayton showed up here with a busted lip.”

“Jesus,” he huffs. “I know of a few places to look, but if he doesn’t want to be found, chances are he won’t.”

“I don’t even know where to begin.”

He offers me a small smile, and I can tell he’s done this a thousand times. He gives ‘my brother’s keeper’ a whole new meaning.

We drive by his house but no one is there, and after a few completely random stops around town and several hours, we spot Nash’s Jeep.

“Stop!” I nearly yell. “There he is.”

Carson zooms through the empty lot, right next to Nash’s Jeep, which is still running.

I jump from the truck, running over to the Jeep, banging my fists against the window that’s barely cracked. Carson begins yelling Nash’s name, trying to get a response from him.

“He’s drunk,” Carson sighs. I look around the Jeep, checking all the doors for one that’s unlocked when I notice the sunroof is open.

“Help me up,” I demand. “I’ll climb through.”