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Why does this person keep saying my name so much? I know who the fuck I am.It then registers that he said I’ve been in an accident.How long was I out for?
I try to open my eyes, squinting at the lights now coming into vision.
There’s commotion to the right of me—at least, I think it’s to the right. Frantic voices fill the space and overpower the ringing in my ears.
“We’ve got a pulse. Come on, let’s move.”
Riley.
“Riles,” I shout, but my voice is hoarse. “Please, that’s my girlfriend there. I need to get to her.”
A firm grip on my shoulder holds me in place as the paramedic wraps a brace around my neck. “Cooper, they’re taking her to Wilson General Hospital. You’ll go there, too. You can see her once she’s stable. But I need you not to move while we get you out of here, okay?”
Not move? Is he insane?I need to get to my girl.Wait. There was Riley, but where’s Tanner?
“Tanner! Where’s Tanner? He was in the car, too. Where is he?” I try to spin to look in the back seat, but the brace around my neck prevents me from doing so.
I continue to shout his name in case he’s back there.Where else would he be?
“Cooper, I need you to stay still,” the paramedic commands.Fuck that.
“Where is my best friend?” I demand, now getting extremely agitated. My temples pound with each beat of my heart.
There is movement in front of the car that draws my attention to where the windshield used to be. Pieces of shattered glass are everywhere. Did they remove it? Or did it happen in the accident?
The crowd of uniformed officers shifts in front of the car, and something draws my attention to the ground—a white sheet draped over a lump. That lump isn’t an animal. It’s a body.
“No, no, no, Tanner!” I scream at the top of my lungs, tears running down my face, thrashing around the best I can, trying to break free to get to him.No, he’s not dead. He can’t be.
The paramedic shouts for assistance, but I ignore him and continue to scream out for Tanner, hoping to wake him.He’s just sleeping, that’s all.
Today, we were on top of the world, and now, my girl is being taken away in an ambulance, and I am stuck here. The vision of the sheet draped over my best friend’s body is the last thing I remember as everything fades to black again.
Chapter 1
Cooper
Six years later…
TheChicagoKnightsletgo of star pitcher Cooper Graham.
Brawl on the field ends in death…of career.
Three strikes and Graham is out of a job.
These stupid fucking trolls think they’re so creative hiding behind their punny article titles. I’m only punishing myself for scrolling through the Google alert linked to my name. While most of the hype has died down, those vultures finding someone new to attack, more articles continue to pop up.
“Hey, buddy, did ya hear me?” The Southern drawl of the taxi driver’s voice reminds me we’re not in Chicago anymore.
“Huh?” I look up from my phone to find the driver staring back at me with his arm stretched out along the back of the passenger seat, his bushy eyebrows knitted together in concern. I’m sure he thinks I’m stoned or something for not only asking him to make the ninety-minute drive from the airport but having zoned out for most of the drive.
He nods his head out the window. “I said we’re here.”
I follow his gaze to see the white farmhouse on the hill. “Oh, thanks. Sorry about that.” I’m not exactly sure why I’m apologizing.
Pulling my wallet out of my pocket, I grab enough cash to cover the fare, gas for his trip back, and a healthy tip for his troubles. I’m going to have to get used to no Ubers around here. Being back in Meadows Ridge is like taking a step back in time.
After grabbing my bags from the trunk, I watch the taxi pull off and contemplate chasing after him and say I made a mistake and to drive me as far away from here as possible.
