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After shutting the door behind her, I press the button on the key fob to open the trunk. Tanner chuckles when he takes in the mess of her dance gear strewn out all over the trunk. We toss our bags on top and shut it.
Tanner moves the driver’s seat forward to climb into the back seat and situates himself in the center. It’s a little funny seeing him smushed in the back like a damn sardine. I push the seat back into place and get in.
“Fuck,” I curse under my breath when I jam my knee into the steering wheel.
Riley snorts from her seat. “You’d think you would learn by now that your girlfriend is so short.”
I mock her as I adjust the seat to accommodate my size. She is right, though. With almost a foot between our heights, I should remember by now that I need to always adjust the seat before getting behind the wheel of her car. Once I’m settled, I turn the car on and set out for the Hayeses’ house.
The music is playing softly, more as background noise, as we pull out of the parking lot and leave the crowd behind. When one song ends, the local radio station DJ’s voice cuts in through the speakers. “And to our Meadows Ridge Wildcats, this one’s for you.”
“Ahh, fuck yes.” Tanner leans forward over the center console and cranks the volume up as Queen’s “We are the Champions” begins to play.
The smell of cinnamon fills the front seat. Tanner is just as obsessed with cinnamon gum as Riley is with her watermelon candy. Before he sits back in the back seat, he hits the button for the sunroof, opening it up to reveal the night sky. I love living out here without all the ambient lights, where we can actually see the night stars as clear as day.
“Tanner, what the fuck are you doing?” Looking up, I find him now standing with half of his body flying out of the sunroof.
I glance at Riley, and she’s shaking her head in amusement, laughing.
“Don’t encourage him,” I tease.
“He’syourbest friend,“ she snaps back, but her smile reaches her eyes.
We both jump when an added loud thumping noise from Tanner dramatically smacking the roof as if it’s his own personal drum set joins his loud, off-key singing.
I do my best to ignore my best friend and focus on the road. Highway 15, the long stretch of road that is basically our only major highway in our town and will lead you everywhere, is desolate. A not-so-fun perk of small-town living is the only source of light on this road is from the headlights.
The song switches to “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” by Led Zeppelin.Wow, way to take us from one high to a low.The change of pace of the song, however, doesn’t deter Tanner from his performance and encourage him to sit back down. He’s now yelling, “Woo,” repeatedly at the top of his lungs. I glance up and see him throwing his arms in the air, almost like those wacky, wavy-arm inflatable tube men that the car dealership in town has out front during every sale.
“I love you, Cooper Graham,” Riley says, bringing my attention to her. She is leaning against the seat, now turned so her body is facing me, and smiling with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Taking one hand off the wheel, I reach over and lace my fingers with hers, bringing our joined hands to my lips. “I love you to the stars and back, Riley Parker.”
The first time I told her that, she tried to correct me and say the phrase is to the moon and back, but the stars are endless, and that is how much my love for her is. Traveling to the closest star would take more than our lifetime to reach, and I plan to spend lifetimes—this and the next—loving her.
My gaze stays on her and not the road for just a split second longer.
But all life needs is that split second to change our lives forever.
“Coop,” Tanner yells at the same time Riley screams, “Cooper, look out!”
I turn and jerk the wheel, avoiding the three deer standing frozen in the road. Life becomes slow motion after that.
The crunching of metal against pavement.
Riley’s screams.
Glass shattering.
The last thing I hear is Riley saying my name before silence.
My vision is blurry, but there are bright lights everywhere—bright fucking white lights.Fuck, am I dead? What the fuck happened?
“Cooper? Can you hear me, Cooper?” a voice calls out. It’s muffled and sounds close yet also so far away.
My head is spinning, and I can feel some sort of liquid dripping down my forehead. I try to move to feel it but wince in pain. There is also a constant ringing in my ears.
“Cooper, if you can hear me, don’t move.” That same voice again. They clearly know my name, but I can’t seem to recognize their voice. It’s not surprising because the throbbing in my head is intense, and I’m struggling to recall anything. “You’ve been in an accident, Cooper.”
