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“Thirteen days.”
Thirteen days... My stomach knots, and the machine starts beeping again.
“Relax, Remi.” The nurse smiles again. “You’re in the best place, and the doctors are confident you’ll make a full recovery. But you need to rest, and you need to try and stay calm, okay? I’ve given you something to help you relax.”
I nod, inhaling a shaky breath. “I can do that.”
It’s not like I’m going anywhere in a hurry.
She grabs the chart from the foot of my bed and scribbles some notes. “The doctor will probably be along later to see you. If you need anything, just hit the buzzer.”
After she’s gone, I let out a weary sigh.
“What is it, sweetheart? Are you tired? We can leave you—”
I want to beg her to tell me what really happened, but I can already feel myself slipping.
“We’ll be back later, sweetheart.” I feel Mom’s fingers brush my head, but my eyes are heavy with sleep.
I fall slowly into a dream. Everyone’s there and they’re laughing, maniacal and ugly cackles, their fingers pointing at me.
Slut.
Whore.
Prep school pornstar.
Tears roll down my cheeks as their cruel words assault me.
And right in the middle of them, standing there like a dark angel wrapped in danger and inked in sin, is Ace.
Almost an entire day passes before I’m lucid enough again to talk. The doctor informed me earlier that it’s normal after a brain injury.
A brain injury?
I can hardly believe it, except from the persistent tingle of pain in my head, I know it’s true.
The good news is they do expect I’ll make a full recovery. The bad news is that I still can’t remember what happened.
Mom eventually caved and told me the truth. Apparently, there was a fight, and I got caught in the crossfire. Bexley hit me by accident and I fell, cracking my head on the edge of the pool.
Her words felt sincere, but there’s a disconnect I can’t seem to get past. I’m hoping Hadley will be able to fill in some of the blanks.
As if she hears my thoughts, my friend’s head appears around the door. “I come bearing Twizzlers and Swedish Fish.”
“A girl after my own heart. Gimme the candy.” I beckon her in.
“I’m so freakin’ relieved you’re okay.” She drops into the chair beside my bed. “You gave us all a fright for a second.”
“Worried you’d have to survive senior year without me?”
“Remi,” she chokes out, sadness washing over her.
“Too soon for the I-almost-died jokes, huh?”
Silence stretches out between us. Hadley dries her eyes and lets out a long breath. “You’re a mess,” she says, but I ignore her.
“I need to know what happened, Hads,” I say.
