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This can’t be real. None of this is real.
“What do you want?” Jesse demands, only now showing his emotions. “You want the truth? The facts. Here you go.” He steps forward, getting up in Alex’s face, and my heart stops. “It was me.Iwas the one trying to sell Jade drugs.Itook her money.Ipushed her over the edge. And you know what…I’ve never once regretted it. How could I? Look at where it got me. Look at how great my life is.”
No.
“Jesse, what—” He raises his hands to cut me off, and while I’m happy I at least got the words out, I almost yell at him for lying. Only Alex gets in first.
“You tookmymoney,” he screams, shoving Jesse back. “She was there to buymydrugs. For me. SoIcould sell them." He slams his fist against his chest before shaking his head. “You took everything from me!” He reaches into his pocket as he takes a step closer. “My money, my plans,Jade. And I don’t even think you get it.”
I know I don’t. I don’t understand anything about this, especially the drugs, and I can’t keep up with Alex’s mood swings. One second this is a game, and the next he’s screaming about his loss. “Alex, we didn’t—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Alex screams again, cutting me off as he reaches into his pocket. “My life was ruined because Jade died, and I didn’t even like her. She was spineless, weak, easily manipulated. I enjoyed making her life hell. I craved it. The way she obediently played all my games. But she was supposed to be my way out. She wasn’t supposed to die.”
Jesus, what had she been going through? What had I missed?My chest aches as I work to push that information out of my mind again while my panic increases.
“You said life got…got better,” I say, trying to keep my eyes on his face when I'd rather be watching his hand. "Maybe—"
“I told you to shut the fuck up!" he yells, running his free hand through his hair, looking rattled. "The only way to fix this is for one of you to suffer like I did. To have your life changed in an instant. And I’m choosingyouWillow. Because I get the feeling that will hurt the most.”
Jesse turns toward me just as Alex pulls the gun from his pocket. But before I get the chance to panic, I lose my balance, falling into a tree as a warmth hits the back of my neck. My head stings again, and when I reach around to touch the source, my hand comes back covered in blood. Warm, fresh blood.
“I don’t feel so good,” I whisper before my vision goes black and the world around me spins.
“Willow!”
Chapter Forty-Four
Jesse
Idon’teventhinkabout Alex, or the gun, as I race toward Willow, only reaching her after she hits the dirt, causing a pain to rip through my chest.I didn’t catch her. I promised I’d always catch her.
“Willow, baby, wake up,” I whisper as I cradle her in my arms, listening to her breathing, my fingers feeling for a pulse. “We need to get you off this mountain and—”
Someone yells, cutting me off, but I don’t recognize who it was. I know Alex and Tate are arguing, but I’m choosing to ignore it, with all my energy focused on Willow. Where it should be.
“Buttercup, wake up. You have to see the sunset. It’s beautiful and I know you haven’t seen it in a while.” It’s almost gone; darkness is about to fall but I’m hoping my words work.
“Willow—”
“Get the fuck off me!”
A gunshot echoes through the air, and the world stills as I throw my body over Willow, shielding her in case the gun was aimed our way. A hysterical scream shatters the silence, but it fades away as though I imagined it, replaced by a ringing in my ears.
I don’t move, don’t even look up, terrified that if I do, Alex will have a clear shot at her. I would rather die a thousand deaths than let that happen.
Silence fills the air again, and it hits me why Willow hated it so much. This is torture. The quiet. Not knowing. The unspoken.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been crouched in this position when something hits my shoulder, and I spin around so quickly, I almost knock Tate out.
“It’s me,” he says, holding one hand in the air while the other hangs limp by his side, blood seeping from a hole in his sleeve.
Fuck.
I move to stand, to lift Willow with me, but Tate shakes his head. “I’m okay. Stay there. Willow needs you more than I do. Is she breathing?”
“She is.” I nod. “Alex?”
“No, I don’t think he’s breathing.” He smiles but it’s forced. “He met the same fate as Jade. Only his fall wasn’t an accident.”
