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He dared to cross that last square of sidewalk. Allison was low enough on the stoop that he towered over her, and for one of the few times in her life, she felt small.
She hated it. Grabbing the top step with her hands, she clumsily scooted up the porch. Monty extended his leash to weave himself through Colin’s legs.
“I know what this all must look like to you—”
Allison dropped her head back and groaned loudly. He’d stand here all night, all semester if necessary. That’s how dedicated Colin was to getting the last word. The quicker she let him get this over with, the quicker she could get back to her Colin-free existence.
She fished her phone out of her pocket. “I’m going to need a lot more alcohol for this.”
She was already making a mental Büzer list as she turned on the screen. The crowd of notifications staring up at her smacked Allison like a bucket full of freezing water. In the blink of an eye, the world went from fuzzy to crystal clear.
There were five missed calls, one voicemail, and seven texts. All from her mother, whom she hadn’t heard from since Tuesday. The texts read CALL ME NOW.
Colin had stopped mid-wherever-he-was in his rant and gaped at her. “Are you okay? You’re white as a sheet.”
Allison hushed him, her hands shaking as she dialed her mother’s number.
She picked up on the first ring. “Allison.”
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
“I’m at the hospital. You need to get here.”
Allison’s heart jammed into her throat, and she swallowed hard, trying not to choke. “Why? What’s wrong? Are you—”
“It’s your father.”
The words were yet another bucket of water, this one icing Allison over. “You scared the shit out of me. I thoughtyouwere sick.”
Her mother had said Jed had been to the hospital with AFib a number of times. Allison had looked it up after their fight. While it was technically considered heart failure, it was manageable and people could live a long time with it. There was no need for this level of drama.
The alcohol still in her system had Allison prepared to say just that, but then her mother went on. “It’s bad, honey. He’s not even conscious.”
Her fingers white-knuckled, Allison tucked the phone closer to her ear and glanced up at Colin. His lips were pressed together, his hands flapping around him in duress, but he didn’t approach her.
“You should come,” her mother said. “Now. He might not make it through the night.”
Every part of Allison was frozen, but beneath it, something lanced, painful and sharp. She nodded uselessly. “I’ll figure it out.”
A couple of beeps and a muffled voice broke through the line before her mom spoke again. “Honey, I have to go. We’re at Northern Light.” Then a soft click and a buzz of silence displaced her mother’s voice.
Allison’s phone tumbled to her lap. She pressed a hand to her mouth. Her stomach roiled, all the beer in her burning like lava.
“My father… he’s had a heart attack or something. I’ve got to go.” She had to say it out loud to make it real. And Colin was the only one close enough to hear it.
She swayed as she hurried to her feet. When Colin caught her elbow in his hand, she ripped it back. The force sent her tumbling toher knees on the porch with a grunt. A bunch of her empty Bud Light cans clattered away from her.
“How many of those have you had?” he asked.
“Don’t even start.” Allison had to get home to her mom. She didn’t have time for a lecture. When she stood again, she succeeded at remaining upright. Only to have to swallow one, two, three gags.
Colin’s hawk eyes caught every moment. He glanced toward the house. “Someone will take you. Sophie? Maybe someone from our group?”
Allison shook her head. “They’ve all been drinking for hours, and I need to get home now.” She would never actually get behind the wheel, drunk as she was, but she hated to let Colin gain any ground.
“Allison.”
Bending slowly, one arm out to steady herself, she snatched her phone from the step below her. “There’s a bus or a ride share, I’m sure.” That felt like less of a concession. She jabbed at the screen with trembling fingers.
